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What commissioning tests and pass limits will the standards require?

From https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/questions/commissioning-tests/ · updated 13 October 2026

  • Affects installers, specifiers, venues
  • 24 sources
  • Updated
  • First published

Technologies: Auracast

In brief

IEC 63087:2026 is published with an assessment report, the UK code of practice lists Auracast tests, and IEC 60118-17 and a SIG deployment guide are still to come. Auri's receiver guide does not publish its quality-category thresholds, and the public IEC preview does not reveal numeric pass limits.

Why it matters

Installers have a published UK list of Auracast measurements, while IEC 60118-17's methods are still in preparation and the public preview of IEC 63087:2026 does not show its numeric limits1,2,3.

What the evidence shows

  • IEC 63087:2026 is published. Its table of contents includes a clause titled "System compliance, testing and certification", a normative assessment report and a section on 2.4 GHz broadcast systems3.
  • A UK industry code lists Auracast tests in an informative annex. Coverage (signal strength and packet loss), audio level, frequency response, signal-to-noise ratio, latency, network performance, RF interference and a subjective listening check; separately, it recommends that the stream and room sound, when both contain audible speech at similar levels, differ by 30 ms or less where possible, with 40 ms the limit1.
  • IEC 60118-17 is in preparation, with methods to verify system performance and measure coverage; IEC TC 29 lists it with the date November 20272.
  • The SIG has announced, not published, a deployment guide for public locations4. Its current guidance recommends walk tests with the room occupied5, and its location licence refers to quality standards the SIG may establish6.
  • A Swiss draft would require an acceptance report. The SIA 500 consultation draft would require a report showing that each system works and meets the requirements, and a receiver with headphones for the operator's own checks7. Pro Audito noted in February 2025 that Swiss law does not require an acceptance report, although builders and authorities usually ask for one8.
  • Coverage wording differs between codes. Canada's model code requires the system to "encompass the entire seating area"9, while Australia's NCC 2025 model code sets 80% of the floor area served by the amplification system for loops and 95% for systems with receivers; local adoption determines which edition applies10.
  • Earlier receiver-side criteria. A 1999 US Department of Education-funded report to the Access Board, based on ratings by 49 adults with hearing loss and 10 with normal hearing, recommended performance criteria measured at the earphones: a Speech Transmission Index of at least 0.84, a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 18 dB and peak clipping no more than 18 dB below peak, derived from listener ratings rather than venue measurements11.
  • What loop practice already records. For hearing loops, Bavaria's planning guidelines require a test report to IEC 60118-4 with at least six evenly spread measuring points, cable continuity checks after laying, after the floor covering and at commissioning, and treat a loop's quality as proven only when every required value is reached and recorded12. A measuring-instrument maker's loop procedure ends with a check by a small number of hearing aid users and a plan beside the loop sign marking where all requirements are met13, and two US advocacy groups state that IEC 60118-4 makes an on-site listening check by a hearing aid user familiar with loops the final test14,15. The contents of the international code of practice for loops list clauses on commissioning, documentation, certification, acceptance and verification, and model certificates for each stage16. These sources set out loop practice; none of them sets requirements for Auracast.
  • Makers' procedures. One maker recommends an empty-venue walk with its receiver in commissioning mode, then a quality-of-service test for each broadcast with Wi-Fi and other systems running as in normal use17; its receiver's tools are used to compare readings empty and in use, and against the predicted coverage map, with strong, fair and weak marks whose thresholds are not published18. Another says coverage in a full space will likely differ from an empty one and should be checked with an audience present where feasible19.
  • Measuring level through the codec. LC3's post-filter can raise a full-scale sine tone by up to 0.5 dB; the SIG recommends a 6,427 Hz test tone, which usually keeps the error below 0.03 dB20.
  • Intermittent faults need long tests. A bench test by an engineer whose company makes the reference broadcaster found one consumer receiver glitching about once every 15 minutes under a continuous tone, and the author recommends automated capture for faults that recur over days or weeks21.
  • Printed codes are not checks. A printed QR code does not show whether its transmitter is switched on or in range, and printed codes should rely on fixed identifiers because random device addresses usually change about every 15 minutes22.
  • What listeners ask for. Ten hearing-device users took part in RNID's station test, published in a report funded by the Motability Foundation; participants asked for coverage to be tested so there are no dead spots where the signal drops out23.

Where sources disagree

The cited IEC preview does not expose numeric pass limits, and Auri's guide does not state the boundaries of its strong, fair and weak marks. These sources therefore do not permit a comparison of those thresholds3,18.

What would settle it

Publication of IEC 60118-17 and the SIG deployment guide, and public guidance explaining the numeric limits of IEC 63087:2026, would allow the available procedures to be compared with those requirements2,4,3,18.

Planning while it is open

  • Record measurements under the UK code's headings1, and check them against the assessment report in IEC 63087:2026 (Annex E), whose content is in the paid text3.
  • Check coverage with the venue in use as well as empty5,19,18.
  • For level measurements through the codec, use the 6,427 Hz test tone the SIG's LC3 paper recommends20.
  • Run long recorded checks to catch intermittent glitches21, and check that any printed QR code leads to a broadcast that is on22.
  • Record the receivers and firmware used with every measurement, since results depend on them24, and record readings at several locations to compare with the predicted coverage18.

Sources

  1. Code of Practice for the Design and Operation of Assistive Listening Systems, Issue 1. Audio Industries Committee on Assistive Listening Systems. Audio Industries Committee on Assistive Listening Systems; distributed by the Institute of Sound, Communications and Visual Engineers (UK), December 2023. Trade body (Audio Industries Committee on Assistive Listening Systems, an audio industry committee; distributed by the Institute of Sound, Communications and Visual Engineers; the code names no funder) ↩︎ https://iscve.org.uk/standards/assistive-listening-guide-and-code-of-practice/
  2. IEC 60118-17 (in preparation): assistive listening system for hearing aid users based on 2.4 GHz audio streaming. IEC TC 29 WG 13. International Electrotechnical Commission, undated (read 13 October 2026). Standards body (International Electrotechnical Commission) ↩︎ https://tc29.iec.ch/tc-activity/standards-under-preparation/
  3. IEC 63087:2026 Assistive listening devices and systems for active assisted living. IEC TC 100. International Electrotechnical Commission, 18 September 2026. Standards body (International Electrotechnical Commission; the full text is sold, and only a preview is public) ↩︎ https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/95094
  4. Auracast for public locations. Bluetooth SIG, undated (read 13 October 2026). Trade body (Bluetooth SIG marketing material; the SIG is an industry association funded by its member companies and owns the Auracast trademark) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/auracast/public-locations/
  5. Auracast simple transmitter best practices guide, version 3. Bluetooth SIG, 17 October 2025. Standards body (Bluetooth SIG, an industry association funded by its member companies, which owns the Auracast trademark) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Auracast-Transmitter_Recommendations.pdf
  6. Auracast location registration. Bluetooth SIG, undated (read 13 October 2026). Trade body (Bluetooth SIG programme terms; the SIG is an industry association funded by its member companies, which owns the Auracast trademark) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/auracast/location-registration/
  7. prSIA 500:2025-07 Hindernisfreie Bauten (obstacle-free buildings), consultation draft. SIA (Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects). SIA; consultation copy with highlights published by Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), July 2025. Standards body (SIA) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/wp-content/uploads/prSIA500_Vernehmlassungsentwurf-mit-Hervorhebungen.pdf
  8. Can Bluetooth Auracast be used as an assistive listening system?. Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), 17 February 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/kann-bluetooth-auracast-als-hoeranlage-eingesetzt-werden/
  9. National Building Code of Canada 2025: assistive listening systems (Articles 3.8.2.9 and 3.8.3.19, Note A-3.8.3.19). Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes. National Research Council Canada, 22 December 2025. Government (National Research Council Canada) ↩︎ https://doi.org/10.4224/26fz-gg26
  10. National Construction Code 2025, Volume One, Part D4: D4D7 Signage and D4D8 Hearing augmentation. Australian Building Codes Board. Australian Building Codes Board (NCC online), 1 May 2026. Government (Australian Building Codes Board) ↩︎ https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/editions/ncc-2025/adopted/volume-one/d-access-and-egress/part-d4-access-people-disability
  11. Large area assistive listening systems (ALS): review and recommendations. Bakke MH, Levitt H, Ross M, Erickson F. Final report to the U.S. Access Board; Lexington School for the Deaf, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Hearing Enhancement, December 1999. Government (U.S. Department of Education, NIDRR grant H133E30015; final report to the U.S. Access Board) ↩︎ https://www.access-board.gov/files/research/assistive-listening-systems.pdf
  12. Induktive Höranlagen beim Freistaat Bayern: Planungsrichtlinien, Stand 01.01.2019 (Hearing loops in Bavarian state buildings: planning guidelines). Bavarian State Ministry for Housing, Building and Transport; text by Ertl F (Government of the Upper Palatinate) and Jaggo T (Landesverband Bayern der Schwerhörigen und Ertaubten). Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wohnen, Bau und Verkehr, 1 January 2019. Government (Bavarian State Ministry for Housing, Building and Transport, for state building projects; written with the technical officer of the Bavarian association of hard-of-hearing and deafened people, a hearing-loss organisation, and including a comparison table used with the permission of an engineer from the German hard-of-hearing association) ↩︎ https://mobilitaet.bayern.de/assets/stmi/min/181217-induktive-hoeranlagen.pdf
  13. Application Note: Induction Loop Systems with XL2 Analyzer (AFILS). Norman DI (for NTi Audio). NTi Audio, 12 January 2021. Manufacturer (NTi Audio, which sells the analyzer and signal generator the note is written for; the author, David Ian Norman, is described in the note as a member of the IEC committee for these systems) ↩︎ https://www.nti-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/NTi-Audio-AppNote-AFILS-with-XL2.pdf
  14. Best Practices for Hearing Loop Installation. Hearing Loss Association of America (contact: Juliëtte Sterkens, HLAA hearing loop advocate). Hearing Loss Association of America (Get in the Hearing Loop), 28 October 2021. Nonprofit advocacy (Hearing Loss Association of America, a US consumer organisation; guidance from its hearing loop programme) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/best-practices-for-hearing-loop-installation.pdf
  15. Hearing Loops: Installations. Center for Hearing Access (The John G. Shedd Institute). Center for Hearing Access, undated (read 13 October 2026). Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, a 501(c)(3) advocacy and education initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, founded in 2024, whose website succeeded hearingloop.org; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/biz-hearing-loop-installation/
  16. IEC TR 63079:2017 Code of practice for hearing-loop systems (HLS). IEC TC 29 (Electroacoustics). International Electrotechnical Commission, 10 April 2017. Standards body (International Electrotechnical Commission; the full text is sold, and only the abstract and a preview of the opening pages are public) ↩︎ https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/32554
  17. Auri coverage and install guide (application note UP3B609-01, rest-of-world edition). Listen Technologies and Ampetronic (Auri). Ampetronic, 17 April 2025. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies and Ampetronic) ↩︎ https://www.ampetronic.com/wp-content/uploads/UP3B609-01_RoW_Auri-Coverage-and-Install-Guide.pdf
  18. Auri user guide: RX1 commissioning tools (UP3B613-1). Listen Technologies and Ampetronic (Auri). Ampetronic, 2025. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies and Ampetronic) ↩︎ https://www.ampetronic.com/wp-content/uploads/UP3B613-01-Auri-User-Guide-RX1-Commissioning-Tool_A4_WEB.pdf
  19. Infinium system controller and transmitter user manual (MAN 297B). Williams AV, 2026. Manufacturer (Williams AV) ↩︎ https://williamsav.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MAN-297B-Infinium-Controller-Transmitter-BA-CT1.pdf
  20. Performance characterization of the Low Complexity Communication Codec. Bluetooth SIG Generic Audio Working Group. Bluetooth SIG, 13 June 2023. Standards body (Bluetooth SIG, an industry association funded by its member companies, which owns the Auracast trademark; laboratory tests by SenseLab of FORCE Technology and by Fraunhofer IIS) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/LC3Characterization_WP.pdf
  21. Evaluating and testing Bluetooth LE Audio performance: a guide for developers, part 3. LaMacchia B (Cloud2GND). audioXpress (print issue February 2026; online 21 April 2026), February 2026. Manufacturer (Cloud2GND, maker of the AW100 broadcaster used; HEAD acoustics provided access to test equipment and materials) ↩︎ https://audioxpress.com/article/evaluating-and-testing-bluetooth-le-audio-performance-a-guide-for-developers-part-3
  22. Broadcast Audio URI, version 1.0. Bluetooth SIG Hearing Aid Working Group. Bluetooth SIG, 10 September 2024. Standards body (Bluetooth SIG, an industry association funded by its member companies, which owns the Auracast trademark) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/Files/Specification/HTML/BAU_v1.0/out/en/index-en.html
  23. Clear Signals: improving transport accessibility for deaf people and people with hearing loss. RNID. RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People), 22 September 2026. Independent (RNID survey and concept test; report funded by the Motability Foundation; Ampetronic, which installed the station's transmitters, announced in July 2025 that it commissioned RNID trials there, but the read sources do not establish whether those are the March 2026 concept test) ↩︎ https://rnid.org.uk/what-we-do/policy-and-influencing/clear-signals-improving-transport-accessibility/
  24. Auracast transmitter-receiver compatibility test (with data workbook). Pro Audito Schweiz, 6 October 2025. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association; no manufacturer funding, test products lent free by manufacturers) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/auracast-transmitter-receiver-compatibility-test/

Change log

  • Published with 24 sources.
  • Scoped unpublished thresholds to the cited tool and standard preview, and clarified research and code limits.
  • Independent audit scoped the UK timing recommendation to audible speech signals at similar levels.

Cite this question

Equal Access Audio. “What commissioning tests and pass limits will the standards require?” Assistive Listening Knowledge Base. Updated 13 October 2026. https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/questions/commissioning-tests/ (accessed the date you read it).

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