How to Place a First Smart Lock Order Without Wasting a Quarter
The sequence that turns a first order into a repeat programme.
Read the article →Compliance Documents for Smart Lock Projects
Compliance questions usually arrive as one line in a tender: provide the certificates. The honest answer is that certificates are specific to a product, a model and a market, and the useful conversation is about which of those three the project actually needs.
What a project usually names
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| Electrical safety | The standard the destination market applies |
|---|---|
| Electromagnetic compatibility | Emissions and immunity, market specific |
| Radio equipment | Where the lock has Bluetooth or Wi-Fi |
| Restricted substances | RoHS and REACH, or the local equivalent |
| Battery transport | Where the goods contain a lithium battery |
Why one mark does not cover every market
A CE mark answers a European question. It does not answer a North American one, and it is not a building-code approval anywhere. Projects that conflate the two usually discover it at the import or inspection stage.
- The certificate has to name the model or the family, not the company in general
- A product approval and a management-system certificate are different documents
- A management-system certificate such as ISO 9001 says how a factory is run
- A test report for one model does not transfer to another model
What we can issue
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| Certificates | Issued for the model you order, naming that model |
|---|---|
| Test reports | Releasable for your own market filing, on request |
| Declaration of conformity | Against the standard the model was tested to |
| Material declarations | RoHS and REACH statements for the parts concerned |
| Battery documents | The declaration and packing documents for the shipment |
What we cannot issue, and will say so
- An approval for a standard the model was not tested against
- A certificate naming a market the product has not been assessed for
- A building-code approval, which is granted to the installation rather than the product
- A certificate for a model you have asked us to change after testing
Where a project needs something we hold for a different model, the answer is usually a test rather than a document. That is a schedule item, so it needs to be raised at tender stage rather than at shipping.
How to request a pack
- Tell us the destination market and the standard the project names
- Tell us the model, or the model you intend to order
- We confirm which documents we hold for that model, in writing
- Where a test is needed, we say what it costs and how long it takes
- The pack is released against the order, with the model numbers on each document
What form the pack arrives in
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| Format | Searchable PDF, one file per certificate or report |
|---|---|
| Naming | Model number and document type in the filename |
| Scope note | A line stating which models the document covers |
| Cover sheet | A list of what is in the pack, so nothing is assumed present |
Ask for the certificate numbers and the models they cover rather than a list of standards. A list of standards does not tell you which model was tested.
Buyer Questions
Three questions this guide usually raises.
On this topic
Does CE cover North America?
No. CE answers a European question and is not a building-code approval anywhere. Tell us the destination market and we will say which documents apply.
Can we get the test reports for our own filing?
Yes, releasable on request against the model you order. Say at tender stage if your market filing needs them, because a new test is a schedule item.
What if the certificate does not name our model?
Then the answer is usually a test rather than a document. Raise it before the order rather than at shipping.
Related Reading
How to Measure a Door for a Smart Lock: A Photo Guide
Five photos and three numbers are usually enough to confirm the fit.
Read the article →OEM Packaging for Smart Locks: From Artwork to Sealed Carton
The packaging is the part buyers underestimate, and the part that cannot be changed once it is printed.
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