Planning Smart Home Wiring Before the Drywall Goes Up

Smart home retrofits fail for boring physical reasons: there's no neutral in the switch box, the box is too shallow for a smart device, or the access point is three walls away from where anyone actually sits. All three are trivially cheap to solve during a renovation and expensive afterwards.

Neutrals in every switch box

This is the single most valuable thing you can do. Traditional switch loops brought only the hot conductor to the switch. Nearly every smart switch needs a neutral to power its radio. If the walls are open, run three-conductor cable to every switch location, even the ones you have no plans for.

Box depth and count

• Use deep boxes everywhere — smart devices are physically bigger than the switches they replace
• Gang boxes generously; you'll want a scene controller next to a switch eventually
• Put a box at head height by every entry door for a keypad, even if you fit a blank plate today
• Leave extra conductor length in every box; smart devices consume more of it than a plain switch

Run cable to where devices will live

Wireless has a place, but anything that must not drop should be wired: access points, cameras, hubs and doorbells. Run CAT6 to ceiling locations for access points rather than corners, run it to camera positions before siding goes on, and terminate everything in one closet with power and ventilation.

The network closet

Pick a central, cool, accessible location. It needs a dedicated circuit, room for a small rack or shelf, and enough airflow that gear doesn't cook in August. Attics and unconditioned garages are poor choices for exactly that reason.

What to skip

Don't wire for a specific product ecosystem. Platforms change every few years; conductors and CAT6 don't. Run generic infrastructure — neutrals, deep boxes, cable to sensible locations — and let the devices be replaceable.