Electrical & Smart Home · San Francisco

Smart Home Wiring: What to Pre-Wire For During a Remodel

By Solid Bay Construction SF | Updated 2026

The cheapest time to install smart home infrastructure is exactly once: while the walls are already open. Pre-wiring during a remodel costs a small fraction of a retrofit later, when it means cutting into finished drywall to fish new cable. Here's what's actually worth planning for.

Why Pre-Wiring Beats Retrofitting Later

The wire itself — Cat6 ethernet, coax, low-voltage speaker cable — is inexpensive. What's expensive is labor: opening a finished wall, fishing cable through existing framing and insulation, then patching and repainting. During a remodel, that labor cost essentially disappears since the walls are already open for other work. This is the single biggest reason to plan smart home wiring at the start of a project rather than treating it as an afterthought.

What to Pre-Wire For

• Hardwired networking (Cat6): Wi-Fi mesh systems help, but a hardwired ethernet drop to key locations (home office, media room, an outdoor access point location) gives more reliable bandwidth than Wi-Fi alone ever will
• Security cameras: Power-over-ethernet camera locations at entry points and the exterior perimeter, run during framing rather than relying on battery-powered cameras later
• Motorized window shades: Requires a hidden power run to the window head — nearly impossible to add cleanly after the wall and window trim are finished
• Whole-home audio: In-ceiling or in-wall speaker wiring to the rooms where it matters, even if you install the actual speakers and amp later
• EV charger circuit: A dedicated 240V circuit and conduit to the garage or driveway — see our full EV charger installation guide for panel capacity considerations
• A central low-voltage panel location: One location where all of this terminates, typically a closet or utility room, makes future changes and troubleshooting dramatically simpler

Low-Voltage vs. Line-Voltage: Who Does What

Smart home pre-wiring splits across two different trades. A licensed electrician handles line-voltage work — panel capacity, dedicated circuits, and anything carrying full household voltage like an EV charger circuit. A low-voltage specialist runs structured wiring for networking, cameras, and audio, which operates at a fraction of the voltage and follows different code requirements. On a design-build project, both get coordinated under a single plan so conduit runs and locations are decided once, not redone when a second trade discovers the first didn't leave room for their wiring.

Cost of Pre-Wiring vs. Retrofit Cost Later

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it worth pre-wiring for smart home tech I don't plan to use right away?

Usually yes — the wire itself is inexpensive compared to labor, and running it while walls are open costs a small fraction of a later retrofit, keeping the option open cheaply.

Do I need an electrician or a low-voltage specialist for smart home pre-wiring?

Both, typically. An electrician handles line-voltage circuits while a low-voltage specialist runs structured wiring — a design-build contractor coordinates both under one plan.