Many homeowners invest significant time, money and energy into building a beautiful custom home, but wait until after they’ve moved in to consider many smart home features or security systems.

We appreciate the process, care, quality and commitment that goes into building a home. We believe the design of your smart home system should begin early so technology can be incorporated throughout the construction process.

Things to consider before drywall goes up include:

Network & Wi-Fi

There are an estimated 20 billion devices connected to the internet, with that number growing exponentially every year.

Everything from smart TVs to security system and even your fridge can connect online. It isn’t uncommon to find as many as 30-50 connected devices in an average-sized home. Most people assume their internet service provider (ISP) will provide everything they need. However, this is far from the truth. ISPs typically provide specified upload and download speeds to the property with a low- to mid-level router and modem. After that, it is up to the homeowner to distribute the data to all the devices properly and ensure they are connected. We recommend pre-wiring data hookups in offices, common access points and any potential smart TV locations.

Security & Automation

Security systems have been around for decades, but the recent emergence of home automation has increased the popularity of full smart homes and made it more affordable to implement at any scale.

While there is no shortage of connected devices, there are hundreds of different manufacturers operating with different communication protocols, various means of compatibility and many levels of security.

For the average homeowner, getting competing systems to communicate and work together can be a daunting task requiring hours of research and frustrations.

Surveillance

Every camera needs two things: power and communication. Without either, it’s pretty much useless.

The best and most reliable way to achieve both is through one power over ethernet (PoE) connection. We recommend doing this by pre-wiring to any locations in a home that may require video surveillance.

Audio

We love Google and Alexa devices as voice remotes and virtual assistants. However, they fall short when compared to a true in-home smart audio system complete with in-ceiling speakers.

The days of going over to a receiver or wall knob are gone. Now you can just pull out your phone, stream from any app or just say, “Hey Alexa, play my jams!”

Video

Cut the cord and stream all your entertainment? Every smart TV or video game console needs a good connection either over ethernet or Wi-Fi.

And as home theaters become larger, more elaborate and more popular, ensure yours is designed and pre-wired fully before drywall goes up for a true cinematic experience from home.