Five Monumental Keys To Low-Voltage Component Placement In New & Remodeled Homes

One of the first things you have to take into account when calculating your total installation is where in the structure you will install not only the security system, but all of the equipment for the other electronic systems you will install. If you have already designated a utility room or closet as your electronics room, more the better.

Protect Components From The Weather

You need to choose a location that is protected from the weather. Out in the garage is not a good place as cold and heat will affect the performance of the electronic components. That location will also degrade them as well. This is particularly true if you reside anywhere near a coastline where salty air is ever present.

Find The Center of The Structure

Another very consequential consideration is to find a place that is relatively centered within the structure. You won't be able to select a place that is exactly in the center, but do the best you can. With a somewhat centered place none of the wire runs are excessively longer than the other wires. It can impact the cost of your project if you are making multiple wire runs the full length of your structure. Your wire cost can escalate.

How Large Is Your Electronics Closet?

Once you have selected a place for your equipment the following step becomes important to the completion of your installation. The amount of wall space needed for your particular installation depends on the totality of the systems you plan to install in your home. On of my installations I get by with a wall the size of a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood. If you do the same a 4 x 8 wall will give you plenty of space to spread things out. If you are only going to install an alarm system system and perhaps one other, then you could get by with a 3 x 8 plywood space.

Nows The Time

Speaking of plywood, while the walls are all open, before the drywall is installed, is when I install the 4 x 8 sheet of ¾" plywood. Depending on how demanding my client is, I either install the plywood flush to where the drywall will later be mounted or I leave adequate reveal so that the plywood can be covered with drywall. The reason I install the plywood is to have a solid surface to cut out to accommodate flush mounting my equipment. I like a distinguished looking flush installation and so will you.

Install Your Rough-In Enclosures

Once you have your plywood mounted you will be measuring the height of the enclosure for the security controller and cutting out a square hole to the exact dimensions of the panel you select. I could give you the dimentions now, but it wouldn't matter. When the enclosure (can) is in your hands, lift it up to the plywood, make sure it is level, and draw lines marking the top, bottom, left, and right.

Wall Space Behind The Equipment

Another substantial consideration is the amount of room you extend your equipment wall out from the primary wall. In other words, is it extended out a couple feet so that you can walk in behind the equipment and make connections and equipment hookups like mine, or will yours just come out a little bit? The absolute minimum you should accept is to frame your electronic equipment wall out six inches. The more room you permit yourself, the simpler the installation.

Extra Electrical Outlets

The thing you have to do that is equally significant to the success of your installation is to make sure you have ample electrical outlets mounted by your electrical contractor. You need to have at least one duplex outlet behind the top of your structured wiring panel and one near the bottom of your panel. While the walls are open I also strategically pre-mount a couple of power strips on the back side of my 4 x 8 sheet of plywood. Believe me, by the time you start installing all the power supplies for all the components, cameras, hubs, etc., you will be glad you have ample places to plug in stuff.

Another deliberation about the electrician that may come up is the following: He may not fully appreciate what you are doing and that it is against the building code to mount duplex outlets inside closed walls. You will need to explain they will not be in a closed wall as there will be at least two places where you can open a door or hatch and have access to the outlets.

Install Equipment Controllers From Ceiling to Floor

There are a couple things you will want to implement. You will want to install your components from top to bottom. I have some equipment close to the ceiling and some near to the floor. That is a smart play. You don't necessarily need everything at waist or eye level. Once you get the equipment installed, you need to open most of them again except on rare occasions. There is no need for components to be at waist level when you will go for years without opening some of the equipment panels. You will also want to spread the equipment out as far apart left and right as you can.

Remove Mother Boards

OK, I will presume you have installed the 4 x 8 foot, ¾" plywood vertically, measured and mounted the rough-in cans. If you have not already done so, remove the screws that mount the home automation controller mother board in the can and store it safely in a box. When you remove the board, try to handle it with kid gloves. In fact, wear gloves if you have them or use a clean rag so that your fingers are not all over the electronic components on the board. Will that hurt it? Likely handling it won't hurt anything as it is quite robust, however there is salt in your sweat and you don't want anything on your circuit board. Months will pass before you have to locate and install the mother board back into the enclosure, so keep it safe in a padded box. Do I sound paranoid? Well maybe I am a little but I have seen strange things happen to electronic components.

Extra Low-Voltage Power Supply

Let me stop so that we can have an edification about connecting multiple console keypads, color touchscreens, motion sensors, glass break detectors, etc.,. The OmniPro II panel has a definite limit on the amount of power it can produce in order to power these units. If you look at the specifications on the controller you will see an upper limit of 1 amp. You don't have to be an electronic expert to see that if you are going to have multiple components you will need an additional power supply to power all these 12Vdc devices.

Well the information I have provided here is just part of the information you will need to properly plan out your low-voltage technology installation. It has been my experience that when people are pondering one technology for their new or remodeled home, they are possibly considering other systems as well. It would be in your best interest to have installation guides on each system you would like to include in your project. Read them all then buy your components, special tools, and wiring so that they are all on the job in advance of your proposed start date.


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You can get Glenn Bell's 10 FREE Video Mini Course on Residential Alarm System and how to install electronics in homes. Glenn also provides a free eBook about Cat5 vs Cat6 cable.