Getting your property ready to install new DOOR Smart Home devices

Before you install DOOR Smart Home devices at your property, a few foundational pieces need to be in place: the right hardware, the right permissions on your account, and the units that connect residents to their devices. This guide walks through that preparation in order, so installation day goes smoothly. It is written for property managers and portfolio managers — all of these steps happen in DOOR OS and the DOOR App.

About this process

DOOR Smart Home devices — the DOOR Hub, sensors, Thermostat, Dimmer Switch, and Power Switch — are activated and assigned through the DOOR App, while the units and resident assignments that organize them are managed in DOOR OS. The work splits into two permission areas: preparing the property (creating units, assigning residents) needs Full Key Management permissions, and installing the hardware needs Device Management permissions. Only a Portfolio Manager can grant either one, so confirm your access before install day rather than discovering a gap mid-installation.

The DOOR Hub is the gateway for every other Smart Home device — sensors, the Thermostat, the Dimmer Switch, and the Power Switch all communicate through it. Plan to activate the Hub first so the rest of the devices have something to connect to. See Setting up the DOOR Hub.

Before you start

You are signed in to DOOR OS at the correct property, and have the DOOR App installed on your phone.
Your account has Full Key Management permissions (for units and resident assignments) and Device Management permissions (for installing hardware). If either is missing, ask a Portfolio Manager to grant it — see Adding, editing, or deleting Property and Portfolio Managers.
You have the devices on hand and have reviewed their specifications and install guides, plus any supporting parts they need (for example, compatible bulbs for a Dimmer Switch, or a C-wire for the Thermostat). Installing without the right supporting hardware leads to incomplete setups and delays. See Installing DOOR Smart Home devices.

Step 1 — Confirm your hardware and accessories

Review the specification sheet and install guide for each device you plan to install, and confirm you have any required accessories or supporting components. Preparing this ahead of time is what keeps installation efficient — a missing neutral wire or an incompatible bulb can stop an install partway through.

Step 2 — Confirm your management permissions

Check that your account has the permissions each part of the process needs:

Full Key Management — required to create units and assign residents to units (the pre-installation steps).
Device Management — required to activate and install the hardware.

Only Portfolio Managers can grant these. If you are not sure what your account has, contact your Portfolio Manager to confirm or request them. See Adding, editing, or deleting Property and Portfolio Managers.

Step 3 — Create your units

Units represent spaces and are what connect residents to their DOOR Smart Home devices. Units must exist before you can activate and assign devices, whether or not you are ready to onboard residents yet.

Sign in to DOOR OS.
Open the Access section and select Units from the dropdown.
Click Add Unit at the top right.
Create all the units you need. You can add them one at a time, or upload many at once via CSV.

For more on how units fit together with doors and keys, see What are Units, Doors, and Keys? and Creating, editing, and assigning Units.

Step 4 (optional) — Assign residents to units

Linking residents to their units can happen before or after installation, but it is required before a resident can control their own Smart Home devices. To add a unit to an existing resident:

Sign in to DOOR OS.
Open the People section.
Find the resident's profile. If they have not been onboarded to the property yet, invite them first.
Open the profile, click Edit at the top right, and add the unit to their account.

For inviting and managing residents, see Inviting, editing access, and removing users.

Step 5 — Activate the devices in the DOOR App

With units (and optionally residents) set up, activate each device in the DOOR App. Device Management permissions are required.

Important: Scanning the QR code on each device is required for activation. Do not physically install a device (for example, a light switch) before you have scanned or recorded its QR code, or activation may fail.

Open the DOOR App and sign in with an account that has management permissions.
Select the property where you are installing.
Tap Devices in the bottom navigation.
Tap Add a device.
Scan the device's QR code. If you can't scan it, tap I can't scan the device and enter the serial number.
Follow the in-app prompts to finish activation, and assign the device to the correct Unit.

Note: If you don't assign a device to a unit, it is added at the building level — it appears under the building at the end of the units list, and it does not show up for residents in their Devices → Controls view. Assign each resident-facing device to its unit so the resident can see and control it.

You're all set

With units, permissions, and hardware in place, your property is ready for residents to use their DOOR Smart Home devices. To review a device after activation, open Devices → Controls in the DOOR App and select the unit; building-level devices appear at the end of the list under the building.

For per-device setup and specifications, see the related articles below. For help, contact DOOR Support at support@door.com.

Questions this article answers

"What do I need to do before installing DOOR Smart Home devices?"
"What permissions do I need to install smart home devices?"
"How do I create units in DOOR OS?"
"How do I assign a resident to a unit?"
"How do I activate a DOOR Smart Home device?"
"Why can't my resident see their smart home device?"
"Do I have to scan the QR code before installing a device?"

Was this article helpful?