Smart Home Wiring for New Construction in LA: Cat6, Coax, and Conduit

The cheapest time to wire a smart home is before the drywall is hung. The most expensive time is after you've moved in. We get calls weekly from new homeowners asking how to retrofit Cat6 or add hardwired cameras — and the answer is always the same: it would have been 10x cheaper to do during construction. If you're building or remodeling in LA, here's what to prewire.

The Core List

• Cat6 to every room
• Cat6 to exterior locations (cameras, WAPs, gate)
• RG6 coax to living room, primary bedroom, media area
• Conduit runs to future-flex locations
• Structured media enclosure with power
• Dedicated power for network gear

Cat6: The Backbone of Everything

Even in a Wi-Fi-first world, Cat6 to every room matters. It's what wireless access points (WAPs) plug into. It's what a hardwired desktop uses for gigabit speeds. It's what smart TVs, game consoles, and streaming boxes fall back to when Wi-Fi is congested. And it's what carries Power over Ethernet (PoE) to cameras, doorbells, and APs so you don't need local outlets.

Our standard spec for new construction:

• 2 Cat6 drops per bedroom (behind TV wall, behind desk location)
• 4 Cat6 drops in living room / great room (TV + 3 future uses)
• 1 Cat6 drop to every hallway ceiling (for WAPs)
• 1 Cat6 drop to every eave location you might ever want a camera
• 1 Cat6 drop to front door (doorbell), garage (WAP or gate), pool area

Structured Media Enclosure (The Network Closet)

The hub of everything. A 42" structured media enclosure mounted in a conditioned space (not the garage if LA heat is an issue) that houses: the ISP modem, the router, the 24-port PoE switch, the patch panel, and any rack-mounted equipment. Must have its own dedicated 20A circuit and cooling consideration.

Best locations for the enclosure: laundry room wall, pantry corner, dedicated utility closet. Worst locations: hot attic, unconditioned garage, exterior wall exposed to LA sun.

Coax: Still Relevant

Even though streaming has mostly replaced cable TV, coax is still useful for: an OTA antenna distribution system, a signal booster for cellular, and some ISP equipment. Run RG6 quad-shield from the structured media enclosure to primary entertainment locations. It's cheap now, impossible later.

Conduit: The Future-Proofing Move

Conduit is PVC or smurf tube that's run through the walls empty — it lets you pull new wires in the future without opening drywall. Smart prewire spots for conduit:

• Attic to basement / mechanical room vertical run
• House to future EV charger location in garage
• House to detached ADU or workshop
• Around pool equipment pad for future pool electronics

Hardwired vs Wireless Security

Wireless cameras are fine for a condo. For a single-family home, hardwired PoE cameras are dramatically better — no battery replacements, no dropped connections, no compression artifacts from bandwidth-limited wireless. We cover this in our hardwired vs wireless cameras post.

Lighting Control

Prewire neutral wires to every switch location (required for smart switches anyway under 2020+ code), and consider running a low-voltage wire to key switch locations for Lutron Caseta or similar systems. A few hundred dollars in prewire can support a $5,000 smart lighting retrofit later without any drywall damage.

Audio

If you ever want whole-home audio or in-ceiling speakers, now's the time. 14/4 speaker wire to ceiling locations in living room, kitchen, primary bedroom, and outdoor covered patio. Labeled at both ends.

Common Mistakes

• One Cat6 drop per room (plan for 2 minimum)
• No conduit run from panel to garage (major pain for future EV charger)
• Network closet in unconditioned garage
• No WAP drops in hallway ceilings (Wi-Fi coverage suffers)
• Skipping camera drops "because we'll use wireless"

Costs to Budget

Smart home prewire for a typical 3,000–4,000 sq ft new LA build runs $4,500–$9,000 depending on scope — a fraction of what retrofit costs later. We bundle with the electrical rough-in and it's the same workflow, same crew, one coordinated schedule.

Building or remodeling in Calabasas, Encino, Studio City, or anywhere in the Valley? Call 818-852-4910 to walk through the prewire plan with the owner.