What To Know About Smart Home Wiring

A few years ago, a client for whom I was doing a remodel asked me to replace one of her living room outlets with a smart one. The process was as easy as installing a conventional outlet. When it was complete, I plugged in a lamp and turned it on, but nothing happened until the client, who had installed the app on her phone, turned it on remotely. We both laughed, and I immediately saw why people like these things.

Just don’t lose your phone, though.

Every smart home is a little different, but most are filled with such devices and wired with a data network to take advantage of the connectivity they offer. Smart wiring is being revolutionized by PoE (power over Ethernet), which is the ability to use Ethernet cable to transmit electrical as well as network signals, which points to more smart wiring and less electrical wiring in homes of the future.

If you have a voice-activated control center like Alexa or Siri, you can issue commands to your house, and your house will respond. This scenario might not appeal to everyone, and it may even seem scary to some, but it’s what’s happening.

What Is Smart Home Wiring?

At a basic level, smart home wiring involves connecting smart devices like light switches and receptacles to the existing wiring, and in this sense, it’s similar to conventional wiring. Most smart devices communicate wirelessly, and the electronic components that enable this are installed and pre-wired. All that’s left for the DIYer to do is connect the power wires to the building’s electric circuits.

In a more complete sense, smart home wiring involves hard-wiring a data system throughout the home. This involves connecting all stationary network devices, such as TVs and desktop computers to the demarcation point, where the utility service enters the home through Cat6 or fiber optics cable. The process may also include running low-voltage wires from a central transformer to certain devices and running speaker wires for a home audio system.

When Is Smart Home Wiring Necessary?

Most smart devices operate wirelessly, but if the home has too many such devices, signal interference can become an issue. It makes sense to hardwire as many of them as possible to keep interference to a minimum. Hardwiring also ensures reliable reception for devices separated from the signal source by thick walls or located far from it.

The appliances that most benefit from smart wiring are those that process the most data, and those would be the TV/ home theater and any desktop computers that are fixed in place and aren’t likely to be moved. The list of candidates to be included in hardwire networks includes:

• TV and/or home theater;
• Desktop computers;
• Home audio system and speakers;
• Security alarm system and smoke alarm network;
• Smart appliances and the touchscreens that control them.

Smart devices like receptacles and switches don’t have to be hardwired and usually aren’t, but they do have to be connected to the home’s electrical system. Everything will work better when permanent, data-intensive fixtures like computers and TVs are hardwired.

Smart Home Wiring 101

Although it sounds complicated, smart wiring usually just involves running Cat6 or fiber-optic Ethernet cables from the demarcation point to the locations of the various devices to be included in the network. Ethernet cables are like telephone cables and typically snap into slots on the devices.

Devices that require low-voltage wires typically have spring-loaded terminals that lock the ends of the wires — which the installer has prepared by stripping insulation — so they are equally unchallenging to connect. To avoid a tangled mess of wires, installers usually put wires behind the walls, but when that’s impractical, they can usually place them behind baseboards or run them through the attic or basement.

Wiring Switches and Receptacles

The trickiest part of a DIY smart home installation is to wire a new smart switch or receptacle. The good news is that the process isn’t much different than installing a conventional switch or receptacle.

Identifying the Line Wire

Switches — and receptacles in daisy chains — have a set of Line wires and a set of Load wires, and you need to identify the Line wire (i.e. the one that comes from the panel). To do this, turn off the breaker, pull the device out of the electrical box, disconnect the wires, turn the breaker back on and use a voltage tester to find the Line wire, which is the one that makes the tester beep. After labeling the Line wire, turn off the breaker and connect your new device.

Wiring a Smart Receptacle

Wiring a smart receptacle is just like wiring a conventional switch: by connecting the Line hot wire (black) and neutral wire (white) to the Line terminals on the device and the Load hot and neutral wire to the Load terminals. If the receptacle has terminal screws, connect the hot wires to the brass ones and the neutral wires to the nickel-plated ones.

If the receptacle has pigtail wires, the hot wires are black and the neutral wires are white. Don’t forget to connect the ground wire or ground terminal screw to the circuit ground wires.

Wiring a Smart Switch

The process for wiring a smart switch is slightly different than wiring a conventional switch because a smart switch has a neutral feed that must be connected to the neutral circuit wires. Do this by removing the wire cap from the neutral wires in the electrical box, adding the neutral wire from the switch, and screwing the cap back on. The Line and Load hot wires then connect to the hot terminals on the switch.

Smart Wiring for New Homes

The best time to install smart wiring is when the home is under construction because it’s easier to feed them through the walls. A new home package typically includes Ethernet cables for televisions and data ports throughout the house, wires for security systems and audio equipment, and low-voltage wires for such amenities as speakers, motorized blinds and smart sprinklers.

It’s possible to DIY the installation of these wires, but most homeowners elect to call in the pros. The cost is typically between $1,000 and $3,000, which isn’t much considering all the other expenses involved with a new home.

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