Building a new home is the best chance you’ll ever get to set up a smart home properly. Once the walls and ceilings are sheeted, adding cable becomes slow, messy and sometimes impossible without cutting plasterboard. Before that point, the extra cost of doing it right is small.
You don’t need to decide on every device or app now. Technology will change over the life of the house. What matters is putting the right cabling and infrastructure in place, so you can choose the devices later without limits. Here’s what we recommend planning for.
Start with the network
Almost every smart device depends on a reliable network. Wi-Fi alone struggles in larger homes, double storeys and houses with lots of concrete, block or steel framing. Hard-wired data cabling gives you a solid backbone.
- A central data cabinet in a cool, ventilated spot like a linen cupboard or garage wall, with power and space for your modem, network switch and patch panel
- Data points to key locations: every TV position, home offices, bedrooms and anywhere you’ll use a computer or games console
- Ceiling-mounted Wi-Fi access points on each level, powered over the data cable (PoE), for strong coverage throughout the house and out to the patio
- A conduit from the street pit to the data cabinet for the NBN connection, following NBN’s requirements for new homes
We usually recommend Cat6 as a practical standard for homes. Our TV and data points page covers this in more detail.
Neutrals at switches and deep wall boxes
This is one of the most common problems we see when people try to add smart switches to an existing house. Many smart switches and dimmers need a neutral conductor at the switch, and traditional wiring often doesn’t have one there. They also tend to be deeper than standard switch mechanisms, so they need more room in the wall.
In a new build, ask for a neutral at every switch position and deeper wall boxes where smart switches may go. It costs little at rough-in and keeps your options open.
Lighting control: choose a path early
There are broadly two ways to do smart lighting:
- Standalone smart switches, dimmers and bulbs that connect over Wi-Fi or a wireless protocol. They’re flexible and suit most homes.
- A dedicated wired lighting control system, where switches connect to a central controller over a separate control cable. These are robust and suit larger homes, but the design must be decided before rough-in.
Both work well. The key is choosing before the electrical rough-in, because the wiring layout is different for each. If you’re weighing up lighting options, our LED downlight buying guide covers dimmer compatibility, which matters with smart dimmers too.
Security cameras, doorbells and access
Wired cameras are more reliable than battery or Wi-Fi models, and PoE cameras need only a single data cable each for both power and video. Plan camera positions at the eaves, driveway, entries and yard, and run cables back to the data cabinet.
A video doorbell needs power and ideally a data cable at the front door. If you want an electric lock, gate motor or intercom, plan the cabling now. Our home security page covers the options.
Motorised blinds, fans and climate
Motorised blinds and curtains need power at the top of the window. Even if you’re not installing them straight away, running power to each window head during rough-in costs far less than adding it later.
Smart fans, air conditioning controls and thermostats often connect wirelessly, but check what each brand needs. For ducted air conditioning, discuss zone control and where the controller will live. Plan ceiling fans with separate fan and light control where you want it.
Plan for EV charging, solar and batteries
A new home is the ideal time to prepare for energy technology you may add later:
- EV charger circuit to the garage or carport, or at least a conduit from the switchboard to the likely charger location. Our home EV charger guide has more.
- Solar-ready conduit from the roof space to the switchboard and inverter location
- Battery-ready space and cabling at a suitable wall, clear of bedrooms and sleeping areas
- Switchboard space for extra circuits, energy monitoring and future devices
Energy monitoring
Energy monitoring tells you what each part of the house is using and, with solar, how much you’re generating and exporting. Some monitoring systems install inside the switchboard. Asking for spare space in the board makes it simple to add later.
Keep it maintainable
A smart home should still work when the internet is down, and should still make sense to the next electrician who opens the board. We recommend:
- Switches that still work locally, even if an app or hub is offline
- Clear labelling of every data cable, circuit and device
- A simple plan of where cables and devices are, kept with your house documents
- Spare conduits between floors and to key locations
Work with your builder early
Builders usually have a standard electrical inclusion list. Anything beyond it needs to be agreed before the electrical rough-in. The best approach is to meet with your electrician during design or early in construction, mark up the plans, and walk the frame together before the plasterboard goes up.
All the fixed wiring, including data cabling in the same walls, needs to be done by licensed and appropriately registered people. We work with owners and builders across the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Logan and Northern Rivers. See our home automation page to talk through your plans.
Safety note: electrical work in Queensland and NSW must be done by a licensed electrician. This article is general information, not advice for your specific property. If something looks or smells wrong, switch off at the main switch if it’s safe to do so and call an electrician.