Free Guide · New Construction · San Antonio
What every custom home owner should wire for before the drywall goes up. From KZ Audio & Video, running low voltage in San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country since 1999.
The Short Answer
Run the wire for everything you might want, not just what you are sure of today. A cable run costs a few dollars at rough-in and hundreds after drywall, plus a wall repair. At minimum that means power, cable and a recessed media box behind every planned TV; in-ceiling or in-wall speaker wire for surround sound and whole-home audio; full surround and overhead Atmos runs plus two subwoofer runs in a dedicated theater; hardwired network drops in every main room and wired access point locations; camera wiring at every exterior door and the driveway; security contacts at every door and window before insulation; conduit from the TV wall to an OnQ wiring panel where every line starts; and a flex tube from that panel out to where the internet provider comes in. Outside, plan an outlet for the landscape lighting power supply and lay its wire before the landscaping is finished. You do not have to buy the equipment now, just run the wire.
The one rule that saves the most money: wire for where you might want it, not just where you are certain today. Pre-wire is cheap. Retrofit is expensive. When in doubt, run the wire and cap it.
Room by Room
Simulator rooms are priced per room rather than off a list, because ceiling height, room depth, screen size, and the launch monitor you choose all change the build.
Before Rough-In
Every system needs a home for the receiver, the network gear, and the cable boxes. Pick that spot early, put the OnQ panel there, and wire everything back to it, including the service tube out to where the internet provider comes in.
Mark every wall that might ever hold a screen. Wire them all.
If yes, whole-home audio has to be wired before drywall. It is very hard to add later.
Stone walls, foam insulation, and two stories block signal. Plan wired access point locations now.
Wired cameras are more reliable than wireless, and a security system has to be wired at every door and window before insulation. Neither one requires monitoring now, it just has to be in the walls.
Permanent eave lighting needs power and a wire path chosen before the soffit closes. Landscape lighting needs an outlet planned where its power supply will plug in, and its wire laid before the landscaping is finished.
Ask Before You Start
An electrician is excellent at electrical. Audio and video is a different craft. The best results come from an AV specialist who works alongside your builder from the start.
Avoid These
Timing
Getting us in before your electrical walkthrough costs you nothing extra and saves you the most money. Waiting until the end costs the most.
We review the plans with you and your builder.
We walk the home with you, so any outlets needed at TV locations can be added while the electrician is still planning.
Speaker, TV, network, camera, and security wiring goes in before drywall.
Devices, speakers, and plates go in.
The system is installed, calibrated, and you are walked through it.
Wire for everything you might want, not just what you are sure of today. A cable run costs a few dollars at rough-in, and the same run after the drywall is up can cost hundreds of dollars plus a wall repair. At minimum: power, cable and a recessed media box behind every planned TV; in-ceiling or in-wall speaker wire for surround sound and whole-home music; hardwired network drops in every main room plus wired spots for Wi-Fi access points; camera wiring at every exterior door and the driveway; security contacts at every door and window before insulation; and conduit from the TV wall to the equipment location. You do not have to buy the equipment now. The low voltage goes in before drywall, and the install comes after.
Yes, and do it before insulation. That means contacts at every door and window, motion detectors, glass break sensors and two keypad locations. You do not have to sign up for monitoring to benefit from having it in the walls, and wiring a finished house costs a multiple of doing it at rough-in. KZ Audio & Video holds a license from the Texas Private Security Board, and we run the security wiring in the same low voltage rough-in as your speakers, network and cameras.
Yes. Wired cameras are more reliable than wireless ones, and the wire is cheap to run before drywall. Plan a camera at every exterior door, the driveway and the main entry, each wired back to the spot where your network gear will live. Decide your coverage before the walls close, even if you add the cameras later: the wire just has to be there. The low voltage goes in at rough-in, and the cameras go up after.
Yes. Wi-Fi is for phones; everything that sits still should be wired. That means hardwired network drops in every main room, two in a home office, at least one near every TV, and two in a golf simulator room, all run back to one OnQ structured wiring panel where internet, TV and phone come together. Your movie nights and video calls depend on it. It all goes in with the low voltage at rough-in, before drywall.
Plan wired access points before the walls close. Stone walls, foam insulation and two stories block Wi-Fi signal, so run a network cable to each access point location, plus one for the patio (outdoor Wi-Fi dies fast without one), all back to a central network location. Then hardwire everything that stays put, like TVs and the home office, and leave the Wi-Fi for phones and laptops. The low voltage goes in at rough-in, and the access points go up after.
From the Field
The worst Wi-Fi we have ever seen was in a new build of about 2,500 square feet. A house that size is usually covered by three wireless access points, and this one had three: one upstairs and two downstairs, one of them just outside the primary bedroom. Walk through the bedroom door, past the TV wall, and the internet dropped off completely before you reached the bed, about 12 feet away.
The fix only worked because we had run a hardwired network cable behind the TV at prewire. We put a small network switch back there, so the TV stayed hardwired, and hid a fourth access point behind the TV. From the bed, the owner got about three bars. We never proved the cause. Our best guess is interference from outside, since a big open ranch sat behind the house. The access points were set to pick their own channels; today we would also try setting them by hand.
The lesson: run data behind every TV. It is the cable that lets you fix the problem nobody can predict.
12 ft
From the TV wall to the bed, where the internet dropped off completely.
3
Access points that usually cover a house of about 2,500 square feet. This house needed a fourth.
1 cable
Behind the TV, run at prewire. It is what made the fix possible.
KZ Audio & Video has run low voltage on custom homes across San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country for over 20 years, with our own crew from prewire to the final walkthrough. We review your plans at no charge and show you exactly what to wire for.
Serving San Antonio · Boerne · Canyon Lake · New Braunfels · Hill Country
