Planning Your Home's Electrical for Smart Technology (Before You Renovate)

Every renovation that opens walls is an opportunity. Once the drywall goes back up, adding wiring gets expensive — you're cutting, patching, painting, and repeating. The few hundred dollars it costs to rough in extra wiring while walls are open pays for itself many times over compared to doing it after.

Here's what to plan for if you're renovating, finishing a basement, or building new.

Smart switches need neutral wires

This surprises many homeowners: older homes often have switch boxes that only contain a hot wire — the neutral was never run to the switch, just to the light fixture. Traditional switches didn't need it. Most modern smart switches (Lutron Caseta is the main exception) require a neutral wire at the switch box.

If you're renovating, have your electrician run neutrals to every switch box that doesn't already have one. It's cheap insurance for when you want smart switches anywhere in the house.

Ethernet beats Wi-Fi for anything that matters

Wi-Fi is convenient. Wired ethernet is reliable. Security cameras that you need to actually work during an incident, network video recorders, streaming devices in home theatres, gaming setups, and home office workstations all benefit from a wired connection. Run Cat6 cable when walls are open — it's essentially free if you're already doing electrical work.

• Centralize your network gear (router, switch, NVR) in one location with good airflow
• Run at least two ethernet drops per room you care about
• Include conduit in walls if you want to future-proof without knowing exactly what cabling you'll need
• Run cable to your TV locations for ethernet, HDMI extension, and coaxial

Dedicated circuits for home office equipment

A home office running on shared circuits with a kitchen or living room creates problems: power dips when the microwave runs, nuisance tripping when too many devices run simultaneously, and ground loops affecting audio quality if you have a professional setup. A dedicated 20A circuit (or two) for your office equipment is the professional solution.

Plan for your EV charger now, even if you don't have an EV

If you're doing any major electrical work, have a licensed electrician rough in a 240V/50A circuit to your garage. Cap it off now, connect it when you need it. The incremental cost of adding this circuit while work is already happening is minimal — adding it later, after the garage is finished, can cost three times as much.

Outdoor speaker and lighting zones

Outdoor audio, landscape lighting control, and exterior security cameras all need power and signal runs. These are much harder to add after the fact when walkways are paved, landscaping is installed, and decks are built. Run conduit or direct-burial cable when the ground is open.