Building a New Home? Plan the Technology Before the Walls Close

Before electrical and low-voltage wiring begins. You do not need to choose every television, speaker, camera or streaming device that early. You do need to decide how you want the home to work and where the technology will live. And you need to know what has to go in before insulation and drywall make changes expensive.

Here is what we think homeowners should work through during a new build, and why bringing in a home technology company early matters.

There are a lot of decisions to make when building a home. Cabinets, flooring, countertops, appliances, plumbing fixtures, lighting and paint colors all demand attention. Technology gets pushed toward the end because it feels like something you can figure out after the house is built.

Some of it is. You can choose the exact television later. You can add speakers in phases. You can decide which streaming device you prefer closer to move-in.

But once the walls and ceilings are closed, adding wire gets much harder. So does moving an outlet, adding structural blocking, or changing where the equipment lives. The goal is to make the decisions that need open walls while the walls are still open.

A good home technology plan begins with how you will use the house. The product list comes later.

Where will you watch television? Will anyone work from home? Do you want music in the kitchen, on the patio, in the exercise room or the garage? Where do you need Wi-Fi you can count on? Do you want security cameras, a video doorbell, smart locks, lighting control or automatic shades?

You do not need every possible feature. Asking these questions early is what determines where wiring, electrical power, speakers, televisions, cameras, wireless access points and equipment should go.

Nearly every modern home technology system depends on the network. Televisions, Apple TVs, Roku Ultras, computers, phones, cameras, thermostats, lighting systems, security equipment, doorbells, garage doors and control systems may all connect to it.

That is why the network belongs in the conversation as home infrastructure, alongside plumbing and electrical. It is not a router you plug in after you move in.

Wireless access points need to sit where they can cover the house, and they need network wiring to get there. Fixed devices should be wired whenever it makes sense: televisions, streaming devices, computers, cameras, gaming systems and home automation equipment. Wi-Fi is what most people notice. The wired network behind it is what makes it dependable.

A television is rarely just a television anymore. It may also involve an Apple TV or Roku Ultra, a soundbar, speakers and a gaming system. Add network wiring, HDMI cables, and equipment sitting somewhere else in the house entirely.

Before the wall is finished, we want to know where the television will be mounted, how large it may be, and how the sound will be handled. That affects:

An outlet placed somewhere behind the television is not a TV installation plan. Mounting height, furniture layout, windows, cabinetry, viewing distance and speaker locations all have to work together.

TV speakers make noise, but they usually do not deliver the clarity most people expect from a good television. New construction opens up more options. A soundbar in the living room. A surround sound system downstairs. Whole-home audio in the kitchen, on the patio, in the primary bedroom or the garage.

You do not have to install every speaker immediately. Running the right speaker wire now keeps the option open. It also lets the speaker locations get coordinated with recessed lighting, HVAC registers, ceiling details, cabinetry and furniture. Once everything else is in, the best speaker locations may no longer be available.

Lighting control should be discussed before the electrician finishes the wiring. Fixture selection, dimming compatibility, switch locations, keypad locations and wiring methods all affect how the finished system works.

Motorized shades need early planning too. Power and control wiring are far easier to hide before insulation, drywall, trim and window treatments go in.

The same is true for security. Camera locations should come from what you need to see. Where a wire happens to be easy to run is the wrong starting point. Video doorbells, security sensors, smart locks, glass-break sensors and garage door control are all worth deciding on before construction is finished. You may not install all of them right away. Planning for them keeps the option open.

Plenty of electricians pull low-voltage cable well. The harder question is who designs the system, and that is a different job.

An electrician is good at getting wire from one point to another, cleanly and to code, and many builders include a low-voltage package by default. That package usually covers a set number of drops in a set number of places. A cable jack here, a network jack there, maybe speaker wire to the great room. That is a wiring allowance. It is not a design.

Here is what tends to fall through the gap:

Electricians are good at what they do. This is simply a different scope of work. On plenty of our new construction projects the electrician still pulls a lot of the wire, and that works fine. What we do is design what gets pulled, decide where it lands, test and label it, and stand behind the finished result.

If your builder says the electrician has the low-voltage covered, ask a different question. Ask who drew the plan they are running it from.

The router, network switches, audio equipment, security panel, streaming devices, control processors and power equipment all need a home. Scattering them through the house or stacking them on whatever shelf has room creates problems that show up later.

A good equipment location needs space, power, ventilation, light, service access and a clear wiring path to the rest of the home. Larger systems usually use an equipment rack. Smaller systems may use a properly designed cabinet or utility space. The equipment does not need to be visible. It does need to be reachable and planned.

Nobody can predict how technology will change over the next 10 or 15 years. Running every possible cable to every room is mostly wasted money.

A better approach is to wire for the systems you reasonably expect to use, and to run conduit to the locations that will be hard to reach later. Conduit earns its keep between the equipment location and the major television areas, and between floors.

The wiring should also be labeled, tested and documented before the walls close. A bundle of unidentified cables hanging in a mechanical room is not a finished home technology system.

A well-planned home does not require you to buy every television, speaker, camera, shade and control system before you move in. The system can be finished in phases.

Many homeowners start with the home network, Wi-Fi, essential wiring, the primary television areas and security. Whole-home audio, motorized shades, additional cameras, lighting control or a full automation system can come later. The part that has to happen now is the infrastructure, while the house is open. Products can be chosen later. The chance to install the wiring cleanly may not come again.

Before electrical and low-voltage rough-in begins. That gives us time to review the plans and understand how you want the home to work. We set the equipment and device locations, then coordinate with the builder, electrician, interior designer, lighting team, cabinetmaker and the other trades.

Signal AV works on new construction, from a single room to a complete home technology system. If your build is still in design or framing, start with a real conversation before the wiring goes in.

Ideally, before electrical and low-voltage wiring begins. You do not need to have every product selected. The early planning is mostly about wiring, power, equipment locations, network coverage, televisions, speakers, cameras, lighting, shades, and coordination with the other trades.

No. You should decide where televisions, speakers and equipment may go. The exact product models can usually be selected later. The infrastructure is what matters during the early construction stages.

It depends on how you plan to use the home. Common considerations include wireless access points, televisions, streaming devices, offices, speakers, security cameras, video doorbells, security sensors, motorized shades, lighting control, touchscreens and outdoor technology. The wiring plan should be designed for your home rather than copied from a generic checklist.

No. A dependable home network uses both wired and wireless connections. Phones and tablets rely on Wi-Fi. Fixed devices such as televisions, streaming devices, computers, cameras and control equipment should be wired whenever it is practical.

Some electricians do excellent low-voltage work, and on many of our projects the electrician pulls a good share of the cable. The bigger question is who is designing the system, specifying the wiring, determining the locations, testing the cables, labeling everything, and taking responsibility for the finished result. When Signal AV will be installing or supporting the system, we should be involved before the wiring begins.

Conduit is valuable in locations that will be difficult to access later: major television locations, equipment rooms, finished ceilings, routes between floors, and detached buildings. It needs to be properly sized and installed with accessible endpoints, manageable bends and a pull string.

Sometimes. Prewiring makes sense when you may add the system later and the location will be hard to reach after construction. The wire should have a clear purpose and terminate in a logical, labeled, documented location.

No. You can have a professionally installed network, Wi-Fi, televisions, audio, lighting, shades and security without one. A smart home control system becomes useful when you want several of those systems working together through one consistent interface.