Casambi App Setup and Commissioning Guide: Networks, Backups and Remote Access

Learn how to set up and commission a Casambi network, configure scenes, sensors and timers, manage user access, create backups and enable secure remote access.

Last technically reviewed: August 2026 | Sources: Official Casambi App and Casambi Pro documentation

Casambi App setup covers tool selection, network creation, device pairing, naming, grouping, scenes, timers, access control, backups, and remote access where supported. In most projects, the biggest risks are choosing the wrong workflow, leaving the network unshared, and assuming remote access can replace on-site Bluetooth commissioning.

What Is Involved in Casambi App Setup and Commissioning?

A complete Casambi App setup includes installing the app, enabling permissions, creating the right network, selecting the correct firmware grade and radio mode, pairing devices, confirming fixture profiles, configuring groups and scenes, assigning switches and sensors, creating backups, and completing handover tests. Good Casambi commissioning is a full project workflow, not just pairing.

Casambi App vs Casambi Pro: Which Should You Use?

Use the Casambi App when you need the broadest feature set, direct on-site control, detailed luminaire-level configuration, or support for existing App-created networks. Use Casambi Pro for larger Evolution projects that benefit from floor-plan preparation and structured commissioning.

These limits affect planning. Existing App-created networks cannot be imported into Casambi Pro. Pro pairing and unpairing are handled through Pro for iOS, not the Windows design tool. This distinction should be clear before Casambi commissioning begins.

What Should Be Planned Before Commissioning?

Before Casambi network setup starts, define the project structure, final administrator, room names, device schedule, scenes, timer logic, sensor locations, and remote-access needs. A clear naming format such as Building – Floor – Room – Device Type – Number makes future service easier.

Classic vs Evolution and Network Mode Selection

Before creating a network, separate three ideas: firmware grade, sharing mode, and radio mode. Firmware grade means Classic or Evolution. Sharing mode means Not Shared, Administrator Only, Password Protected, or Open. Radio mode means Better Performance, Balanced, or Long Range.

A one-luminaire installation still requires a Casambi network, but multiple compatible devices can share the same network. Each device can belong to only one network at a time. Classic devices join only Classic networks, and Evolution devices join only Evolution networks.

As a planning rule, Evolution supports larger projects than Classic. Better Performance suits denser indoor projects, Balanced is the general-purpose option, and Long Range should be used only with compatible devices. These settings should be chosen correctly before large-scale pairing because they are not decisions to leave vague during Casambi App setup.

How to Set Up a Casambi Network Step by Step

A safe Casambi App setup sequence is: install the app, power devices, scan Nearby Devices, confirm firmware grade and fixture profiles, create the network, choose radio mode and frequencies, configure sharing and administrator access, pair and identify devices, build groups and scenes, configure switches, sensors, and timers, create a backup, test remote access if needed, and complete final testing.

When creating the network, enter a clear name, set the location and time zone, and assign administrator credentials immediately. Casambi network sharing should not be left as Not Shared on a professional project. Never delete a network or reinstall the app before sharing it or properly unpairing all devices, or paired devices may become inaccessible.

How to Pair, Identify, Name and Group Devices

During Casambi commissioning, check Nearby Devices for firmware version, pairing state, network compatibility, and fixture profile before adding each unit. Confirm whether the device is dimming-only, tunable white, RGB, RGBW, relay-based, or multi-channel.

Identify one physical luminaire at a time before naming it. Use location-based names that match drawings and handover records. Only one commissioning team member should pair devices into the same network at a time. This lowers the risk of duplicate identities and confusing repair work later.

Create groups according to operating logic rather than only circuit layout. Typical examples include meeting rooms, corridor zones, window zones, direct lighting, indirect lighting, and accent lighting.

How to Configure Groups, Scenes and Timers

Groups, scenes, and timers should be configured only after device identity and profiles are confirmed. In the standard Casambi App, scenes may include individual luminaires or groups. In Casambi Pro, scenes are managed mainly through spaces and luminaire groups, so App-style per-fixture control should not be assumed.

Name scenes by purpose, such as Normal, Presentation, Cleaning, Security, Night, or Energy Saving. For each timer, record the trigger, active days, fade behavior, and how it should interact with manual control and sensors.

Two timer details matter in Casambi App setup. A timer acts only when its scheduled trigger occurs, so a newly created timer may not run immediately. Also, after full-network power loss, time-based logic may need resynchronization through the app or gateway.

How to Commission Switches, Presence Sensors and Daylight Control

Configure switches and sensors after groups and scenes are stable. For switches, define button purpose, short-press and long-press behavior, dimming direction, scene assignment, and the controlled area.

For sensors, use precise terms such as Presence, Presence/Absence, Absence, linger time, fade time, and absence timeout. For daylight control, distinguish between threshold switching, open-loop response, closed-loop target-lux control, and external input logic. In Casambi Pro, support is narrower, so standard App terminology should not be copied without checking compatibility.

How Control Hierarchy Affects Manual and Automatic Control

Casambi control is hierarchical. The active highest-priority command controls the luminaire. Manual control usually overrides standard sensor and timer automation. Presence control often overrides ordinary day or week timers, and date-based timers can override recurring timers.

When equal-priority commands conflict, the latest command usually wins. For reliable testing, clear old command states before retesting timers and sensors.

Network Sharing, Access Roles and Project Ownership

Casambi network sharing and user roles are related but different. Sharing modes control how the network is discovered and accessed. User roles control what an authorized person can change.

At handover, the client should have valid administrator access and, where relevant, proper Pro ownership. The installer should not remain the only recovery path.

Network History, Backups and Casambi Pro Cloud Saving

Casambi project backup strategy must separate standard App Network History from Casambi Pro cloud saving. In the app, synchronized changes create snapshots, and named manual backups can be created and restored. In Pro, cloud saving is part of the project workflow, but it is not the same restore mechanism as App Network History.

A Casambi project backup should be created before major changes, device replacement, ownership transfer, and final handover. External documentation is still required: device lists, floor plans, scenes, timers, access records, and test results.

Casambi Cloud Gateway Setup and Remote Access

A gateway is for remote access, not normal local control. Casambi gateway setup supports Evolution networks, not Classic networks. Each network can use only one Casambi Cloud Gateway, and the network must be Administrator Only or Password Protected.

The gateway must remain powered, stay within Bluetooth range of at least one network node, and maintain internet access through Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Casambi remote access should be tested by leaving local Bluetooth range, logging in from another device, and controlling lights, groups, and scenes.

What Can and Cannot Be Done Remotely?

Casambi remote management has limits. Remote access can help with control, gateway status, disconnect alerts, diagnostics, and some support actions, but many commissioning tasks still require on-site Bluetooth access.

The standard app can also use a phone or tablet as a temporary gateway. This is not the same as the Casambi Cloud Gateway and should be treated as temporary support only. Casambi remote access through a mobile device requires continuous power, internet, Bluetooth range, and stable app operation.

Firmware, Fixture Profiles and Device Replacement

Firmware and profile checks are essential in Casambi commissioning. In Nearby Devices, verify firmware version, pairing state, supported network grade, and profile compatibility. A wrong fixture profile can break scenes, channels, and control behavior from the start.

Changing a paired profile is a high-risk edit. It can disrupt scenes and assignments, so replacements should be done only with backups and clear verification steps.

Final Commissioning Test Checklist

Before handover, test every device, group, scene, timer, switch, sensor, access credential, backup, and remote-access function required by the project.

Troubleshooting Common Casambi App Problems

Casambi App troubleshooting usually starts with power, range, pairing state, profile compatibility, and network ownership. A visible but uncontrollable device may still belong to another network, use the wrong profile, or be stuck in incomplete pairing.

If only part of a group responds, check group membership, hierarchy conflicts, wireless coverage, and profile consistency. If remote control fails, verify sharing mode, gateway status, administrator credentials, and internet connectivity.

Handover and Ongoing Support

A project is complete only when the client can operate it without the installer’s device or credentials. Replace temporary credentials, confirm recovery details, assign the right roles, remove unnecessary installer access, and provide a clear operation record.

What Information Should the Fixture Supplier Provide Before Commissioning?

The supplier should provide the controller or module model, fixture profile name, DALI, 0-10V, PWM, or relay interface details, channel mapping, dimming range, tunable-white or RGB/RGBW capability, wiring diagrams, compatibility notes, and a reliable device schedule. This improves Casambi network setup and reduces site delays.

FAQ

Does Casambi commissioning require an internet connection?

Not always. Local Bluetooth commissioning in the standard app can often be done without continuous internet, but cloud backups, diagnostics, Pro workflows, and remote access require internet connectivity.

Can a Classic Casambi network use a Cloud Gateway?

No. The Casambi Cloud Gateway is for Evolution networks, not Classic networks.

Can an existing Casambi App network be imported into Casambi Pro?

No. An App-created network cannot be imported into Casambi Pro.

Can the standard Casambi App configure a Casambi Pro network?

Not as a normal commissioning workflow. Pro networks follow their own project-based method.

Can the network mode be changed after creation?

Firmware grade, radio mode, and frequencies should be treated as early planning decisions rather than settings to change casually later.

How many devices can be added to one Casambi network?

It depends on network grade and radio mode. Evolution generally supports larger networks than Classic, while Long Range usually supports fewer nodes than Balanced.

Can a phone or tablet be used as a Casambi gateway?

Yes, but only as a temporary remote-access method in the standard app workflow.

What is the difference between a snapshot and a permanent backup?

A snapshot is an automatically generated earlier network state, while a permanent backup is a user-created restore point.

Why is a Casambi device visible but not controllable?

Common causes include no power, wrong network, wrong profile, incomplete pairing, or distance issues.

Which commissioning tasks still require on-site Bluetooth?

Discovery, physical identification, pairing, replacement, Nearby Devices work, and radio or sensor-coverage testing normally still require local Bluetooth presence.