EV & Smart Home
Smart Home Wiring
Neutrals in the switch boxes, cable to the access points, and controls that still work as switches.
Smart Home Wiring — what's involved
Most smart home frustration is a wiring problem wearing a software costume. Smart switches need a neutral in the box, and homes wired before roughly the mid-1980s frequently ran a switch loop with no neutral at all. Mesh networks fall over because every device is fighting for the same congested wireless spectrum instead of an access point being fed by a cable. Neither problem is fixed by buying a different app.
Electric Shock wires the physical layer that makes connected equipment reliable: neutrals pulled to switch boxes, structured data cabling to the places that benefit from being wired, ceiling and wall drops for access points, and smart switching installed so that every control still works as an ordinary switch when the network is down — which is the test a smart home should be designed to pass.
Smart Home Wiring
Photos of this work will appear here as jobs are documented.
Smart and structured wiring
- Pulling neutral conductors to switch boxes that were wired as switch loops
- Smart switches, dimmers, keypads and scene controllers
- Structured Category cabling for wired backhaul to televisions, offices and access points
- Ceiling and wall drops for wireless access points, powered over Ethernet
- Wiring and power for doorbell cameras, exterior cameras and video intercoms
- Powered blinds, motorized shades and their control wiring
- A structured media location with power, ventilation and termination
- Rough-in conduit for future runs, which is far cheaper than opening walls later
The Smart Home Wiring process
Check the boxes before buying anything
We open representative switch boxes to see whether a neutral is present. That single check determines whether smart switching is a swap or a wiring job, and it is worth doing before you order twenty devices.
Decide what genuinely benefits from a wire
Access points, televisions, offices and cameras. Not everything needs cabling, and we will not sell you a drop for a light switch that works fine on wireless.
Place access points by coverage
Ceiling-mounted, central, and away from ductwork and foil-backed insulation. Two well-placed wired access points outperform six mesh nodes, reliably.
Install with a fallback
Smart switching is wired so the load can still be controlled manually. If your network is down, your lights are not.
Terminate, test and label
Every data run is terminated, tested and labeled at both ends — the difference between a structured system and a bundle of unmarked cable.
What you get out of it
Reliability that wireless cannot match
A wired backhaul removes the single most common cause of an unreliable smart home.
It still works as a switch
Anyone should be able to turn the lights on without an app, an account or a working internet connection.
Cheap to extend later
Conduit and spare capacity installed during other work costs very little and saves opening finished walls.
Smart Home Wiring questions
Still not sure? Send us the details and we'll give you a straight answer before anything is booked.
Why does my smart switch need a neutral?
Is wired networking still worth it?
Can this be done without opening every wall?
Often booked alongside this
- Outlet & Switch InstallationAdd outlets and switches, replace worn devices, and put GFCI protection where code requires it.
- Lighting Design & RemodelsWhole-room lighting plans for remodels — layers, switching, dimming and control zones.
- EV Charger InstallationLevel 2 home charging on a dedicated circuit, with the load calculation done first.
Need Smart Home Wiring?
Tell us about the property and what you're trying to achieve. Quotes are free and there's no obligation.
Start with a free quote
Pick Smart Home Wiring from the service list below and tell us what you need. Photographs of the panel, the room or the equipment help us answer far more precisely.