Planning electrical systems to be future-proof

Force electricians to pack the CAT cables in keystones with sufficient leftover cable at a suitable free spot (!) and then handle the 19" rack yourself to tidy it up nicely.

That's how it is and no other way. Electricians are rarely the right contact for the active network. And insist that after the cable installation, the electrician also measures everything properly, i.e., at least verifies and does not just test the wiring.

how expensive is a double socket compared to a single socket. And if it is insignificantly more like with you, we will take the double sockets.

It’s best to just take the double sockets whenever possible. The extra cost is negligible in the context of the entire house construction and it also provides a certain level of fail safety in case a cable should ever be damaged. Personally, I would just make sure that in the end there aren’t more than 24 installation cables, since the 19" patch panels either accommodate 24 ports or directly 48 ports.

I find it really difficult with the TV. The partition wall will be exposed concrete and should look clean accordingly. The TV will be mounted on the wall. Therefore, I think it makes sense to plan power, satellite, and network behind the TV and again power and network below at lowboard height. What do you think?

As for the exposed concrete, I can’t say. We had our electrician install a cable duct in the wall right away, which was then properly plastered by the painter. You can see it here:



Below (at lowboard height) there are several sockets, the satellite connections, and a LAN double socket. Alternatively, you could also have it installed at the TV’s height, but all cables have a certain length and then it’s not so easy to squeeze them behind the TV.

There is also the possibility of later installing a decorative wooden wall on the actual wall, behind which the cables can run.

The TV will be mounted on the wall. Therefore, I consider it sensible to plan power, satellite, and network connections behind the TV and again power and network at lowboard height below. What do you think?

Yes, plan 4 connections near the TV. You never have enough, even if devices connect wirelessly to the network, there are still 2-3 wired devices at that spot and it's full again. Where the TV will be on the wall, just embed an HT pipe/installation pipe or have it pre-installed in the concrete work. Large enough in diameter so that all media and power cables can be pulled through. Possibly also think about HDMI cables and of course speakers.

Regarding the two network sockets outside: I had one planned for the awning (app control?) and one for the outdoor access point?

And possibly also consider whether you want to install cameras. Not necessarily just for burglary protection (but also). These are mostly better connected with POE than anything else.

Another TV spot will be in the utility room.

That's not a bad idea. Looks neat :) I first guessed on the phone what kind of room this was. On the laptop, it then became clear that the thing is happening under the concrete stairs :)

Therefore: oblige the electrician to pack the CAT cables into keystones with enough leftover cable at a suitable free spot (!) and then personally get hands-on with the 19" rack and tidy it up nicely.

From this step onwards, it's basically "only" about placing the cables into the network cabinet, connecting them from the patch panel to the switch, setting up the network with the Fritzbox and the access point, and labeling everything properly, right?

It's best to take the double sockets wherever possible. The extra cost is negligible in the context of the entire house construction and it also offers a measure of redundancy in case a cable should ever be damaged.

Double socket means for the electrician in practice simply to use a duplex cable and allocate 1 more per side, right?

I had the electrician lay a cable duct in the wall for us, which was then properly plastered by the painter. You can see it here:

That's very clever! How big is the opening of the empty conduit and is it enough for you? I have to give some kind of specification..

Yes, plan 4 connections near the TV. You never have enough even if devices connect wirelessly to the network, then there are still 2-3 at that spot with cables and everything is full again. Where the TV will go on the wall, just plaster in an HT tube/installation pipe or have it laid in the concrete work.
Sufficient diameter so that all media and power can be pulled through. Also consider HDMI cables if necessary and of course speakers.

You're right about the TV. With TV and Alexa, two connections are already occupied and there's no space left for other devices. We currently don't have sound or anything like that.

I will attach a revised plan in another post. Spoiler: 24 ports are not enough.

Here are the revised plans considering your suggestions and a brief explanation.

Basement: 6 connections
Office equipped with double socket and space for access point on the ceiling
Entrance for door outdoor station (camera)
Garage double socket for wallbox
We will consult regarding the technical room



Ground floor: 11 connections
2x double socket at the TV
2x access point (transition living/dining)
Double socket in utility room
2x outside for awning/shading and outside access point
1x for indoor door station



Upper floor: 8 connections
One double socket each in the children's rooms and bedroom
1x for indoor door station
1x for access point in the hallway



This adds up to 25 connections in total, and I wonder:
1. Should we omit the outside access point after all and move the access point in the all-purpose room towards the living room?
2. Should we reduce from 4 to 2 connections at the TV?
3. Equip the master bedroom with only one connection because we rarely watch/stream TV. However, the possible network connection for the heating or other devices in the technical room is still missing in the calculation. What do you have in the technical room on the network?
4. Select a larger patch panel and, if so, does it have other disadvantages and what would it approximately cost more?

That is very clever!

That is the usual procedure. But yes, it hasn't reached all electricians yet.

1. No, neither
2. No, stay with four here as well
3. Yes, in the bedroom one would probably be sufficient.
4. 24 will be sufficient for your plan.

In the technical room, you simply don't install any sockets. You can always patch directly there because in most technical rooms I've come across, the wiring is done as surface mounting anyway, and you always have enough connections.

For example, at my network in the HAR:

1. Heating
2. House electricity
3. Home server
4. NAS
5. NVR
6. Raspberry Pi
7. Cameras
8. Router

For some homeowners, ventilation and photovoltaics and such are also connected. I consider it unnecessary to install extra sockets for that. You can also connect everything directly to the switch (if it fits in the HAR).