Low-voltage/Smart Home rough-in walkthrough.

Video log of one of our latest AV and smart home prewire projects to preserve locations before everything is covered with insulation, wall and ceiling finishes.

[@JohnVanderbeck]

I am a new homeowner having a "semi custom" home built and meeting soon with "low voltage" to plan out my wiring. I am trying to do as much research ahead of time as I can and I really appreciated your video. I'm finding the subject extremely overwhelming though and fear I will fail to plan well enough. If you have done a good intro or planning video on the subject I'd love to see it. Trying to be as ready as I can be for smart home everything, including low voltage runs to windows for blinds, Ethernet freaking everywhere, etc but the more I learn the more things I realize I was forgetting like Speakers! in this video.

[@vaquerotexan9157]

Thank you John! While it is tough to know how you will live or use various spaces in a brand new home, a low voltage/smart home consultant/sales should be able to walk you through it. My advice would be to wire for everything as even a very robust rough-in is much cheaper than having wires retro-fit later. Also to help you plan, go through your floor plan and ask 3 things of each room/area…Watch, Listen, Control. What do I want to watch in this room? What do I want to lessen to in this room? How do I want to control it? Hope that helps guide you in your planning.

[@justinkelly6373]

Your wiring at 11:33 is what I dream of having, great job.

[@vaquerotexan9157]

Thank you Justin!

[@VenetianWorks]

Amazing video and install! Looks great. In the middle of building my dream home so just making sure i do it right and more importantly future proof it.

[@SUHABOUT]

?: Hey man, how is it going? ME: Stereo speaker!

[@acomputersolutionssecurity2217]

I was always told to not have to close to power lines , CAT6 Cabling because it can cause issues. The farther the CAT6 cable from power lines the better. ALso its a good practice to have pull strings to fish cable better maybe . Just a thought.

[@robibautista3806]

CAT6 even unshielded CAT6 is pretty resilient when it comes to electrical interference especially in single phase residential homes. One should worry more about signal degradation than electrical interference.

[@stephengilstrap]

Cat6 interference is not really common at all actually. Also, pull strings means you have to install conduit or "smurf tubes" for the string. Thats usually for from attic to basement for future runs, or for having a forever pathway from a home theater projector to the equipment headend.

[@ThisIsNotAVideo]

How often do you run conduit instead of cable and what type of conduit do you tend to use? I came across this because video because im about to cover up a wall in drywall and figured i should wire the thermostat (Nest) using conduit to a box in the wall, just like you'd do electrical. But it seems unusual for thermostats to have a box behind them for some reason (?) so maybe conduit is uncommon for low voltage even though it seems like a good way to future proof to me.

[@photosbynikpatel5062]

This is very well thought out who helped with the planning of the wiring…like even thinking about pool lights abs backyard stuff? Is this something you do if you had a plan?

[@Dhamiproductions]

Wondering why some of the access points are placed in the closets 8:14, would you not rather want them out in the open to get better coverage for wifi?

[@adamfasulo6698]

Nice work, i shuttered a bit @ Cat5 but i suppose if you're not buying Cat6 in bulk it's not worth it for some things

[@leephil100]

Your area with all the wires will have components that generate heat and this equipment needs to be cooled properly. The HVAC needs to have a large oversized conditioned air supply and an active return. Fans inside the room will help with circulating the air to avoid hot spots. This room need to be cooled year round, as when the rest of the house is being heated, this room needs to be cooled. If this room is not cooled properly the equipment will run hotter than the design specifications and cause premature failure. Make sure to look at noise abatement. Review the power requirements of all the equipment going into this room and from that calculate the power and cooling requirements with a large spare capacity.

[@vaquerotexan9157]

About 800 BTU to be exact. Per our recommendation, the client had a mini-split installed for this reason. Even at full load the room stays around 70 degrees.

[@tulio3571]

Hi there, what box did you use for the ip camera outside, just a regular electrical box? Thank you

[@WinnipegSavage]

What cable did you use for the stereo speakers? Did you run them all to the basement to your amp then you can stream your Spotify from it?

[@bfourney]

Is that just regular kitchen seran wrap on the cables at the head end?

[@vaquerotexan9157]

Sort of. We get our rolls from Uline but it’s the same thing.

[@jacqueshudson2843]

Next level👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@vaquerotexan9157]

Thank you very much!

[@cousinwiggly]

Why the white zig zag wire behind the speakers?

[@doncena7193]

What are the names of those speaker pre mounts and tv mounts? Brand, cost and where did you get them? How many speakers in the entire house?

[@donnielassiter4276]

Why are some of the wires zig zagged in the stud bays?

[@vaquerotexan9157]

Those are typically wires that we want to easily find later with a tone generator and wand but we don’t necessarily want to create wall or ceiling clutter by putting them in a j-box. These are usually wires for speakers, touch panels, glass-break detectors, etc.

[@stephengilstrap]

What audio distribution are you using? What cameras and recorder? What control system? What pool controller did they use? What about home theater gear?

[@EricZhang120]

Same question. What amp do you use to power so many speakers

[@dmventertainment3132]

How much did all that wiring cost in labor? What is the sq ft of that house?

[@sanjaykatti8801]

Awesome setup!! How much would this cost approximately?

[@vaquerotexan9157]

This was about a 10K rough-in.

[@sanjaykatti8801]

@@vaquerotexan9157 Thank You

[@P2Feener305]

You’re in Texas correct ? I’m looking to move to Texas from New York. I’ve been doing home automation for 13 years here and was looking to take my skills to Texas. Do you need a license to pull low voltage wiring there ?

[@BaltazarSMZ]

"yes"

[@P2Feener305]

Lol why “ “?

[@BaltazarSMZ]

@@P2Feener305 Is it speeding if you get caught or spirited driving

[@P2Feener305]

😂 Copy…so for me it would be a yes, since I plan to start my own company out there.

[@Alfredo-zi6wy]

I noticed you zig zagged the wires at some of the locations. What is the purpose of that? I started working for a low voltage company so I'm still learning.

[@vaquerotexan9157]

We typically do that in a scenario where we want to install a device centered in-between the stud or joist cavity later. Things like speakers or touch panels. In this scenario too, we may not yet have the commitment from the client to install that device so using a rough in bracket or back-box isn't really appropriate there. Zig zagging the wires makes it really easy to find them with our tone generators later. Hope this helps. Good luck in your new career, learn as much as you can then eventually start your own company (my unsolicited advice)!

[@helmanfrow]

@@vaquerotexan9157 But they're strapped to the studs, are they not? How will you have enough slack to pull them out?

[@lkprasanna]

Can I know what speaker template is being used? Can they be bought online if I had a 8 inch speaker

[@vaquerotexan9157]

Sonance Medium Round

[@zystelanse8236]

Thanks for the vid. No hate, ok? . . . it's overkill. So much copper, xlpe, and waste for a box to house from the elements. What an excessively wasteful mess we call "class". I'd think 2 remote cameras on posts would take care of security, and a speaker in the mech-room? c'mon!

[@jphomebrew]

Why so many speakers

[@reybaltazar5346]

What company is this for? I’m looking for a job in Dallas and I have previous low voltage experience

[@vaquerotexan9157]

We do not have a Dallas office. Wish you luck in finding a good fit for yourself though!

[@colbyhodges]

Access points in small closets (bedrooms and toilet) makes no sense.

[@EricZhang120]

to hide them? I am thinking about the same setup

[@harsimran1]

Just saw this. Looks so cool. Do you think you could ever do a finished house tour?

[@vaquerotexan9157]

We’ve been asked to not post the finished system but there will be others soon.

[@chaksoncharli3520]

Could you do the final version of the smart home?

[@vaquerotexan9157]

I wish I could but this particular client asked that we not post it. There will be more though…

[@chaksoncharli3520]

@@vaquerotexan9157 That sucks! But its ok.

[@aRndBelgianGuy]

Hi, 16 audio zones, right ?

[@audiobrad99]

Nice work--but it looks like these people are the type who need to blare music wherever they are 24/7. Glad I don't live nearby (and I'm a music producer!)

[@SaritaGardner]

What is CAT6 for please?

[@DTDFAM]

Ethernet connection etc, hardwired internet.

[@robibautista3806]

Multiple uses. Mainly its for computer networking, but it's also used in audio and video networking and to deliver power and internet to cameras and landlines, etc.

[@bf7369]

You need to fire your electrician. That is some sloppy work!

[@dmachn333]

This guy has speakers even in the toilet so over kill is not even funny!! over kill! what ever makes your cookie crumble.

[@dmachn333]

all you need modem, good i mesh router and a switch to cover all rooms running wire, lets say you run 8 POE security cam that good enough to cover the White House, and you could run ceiling speakers in your TV room.

[@keefelobb5543]

@@dmachn333 This house is way overkill, like they couldn't figure out where they wanted speakers so let's put them everywhere. Then their surround is all in ceiling? Poor decisions but the wire guys def did a solid job wiring and made some coin off of them.

[@Grant-ww6gg]

You are rookie

[@vaquerotexan9157]

Thanks for your contribution. 😊