Tips for Electrical Installation

Hello forum,

we are building a city villa with a developer. According to the construction description, a certain standard electrical installation is planned. However, that is of course not enough.

I am currently thinking about where more outlets etc. should be placed. Furthermore, I am considering what other connections would be sensible and clever.

Do you have any tips for me? Installations that should be planned because they cannot be added later but make life easier?

For example: I am planning to install 4 outdoor cameras. I would also like to be able to monitor them online while on the go. That means the recorder, which I want to place in the utility room, would also need to be connected to the network. What should I pay attention to?

Just for your information: I also plan to accommodate a small server cabinet with a patch panel and switches in the utility room.

I am happy for every tip

Thanks and best regards

Hello aytex,

one could write for hours about this topic I assume you want a classic installation without a house bus or similar.

Sockets:
- you can never have enough
- often popular with the ladies: in the window recesses to be able to plug in decorations
- have enough cables prepared for the garden at least (terrace lighting, sockets for grill, lighting, lawn mower robot, ...)
- in the hallway or next to the bedside table you can install sockets with integrated USB chargers
- for subtle lighting there are sockets with integrated LED lights
- behind the TV cabinet plan 4-6 sockets, they will be fully used immediately

Network:
- Cat 7 cabling and if possible have duplex cables installed right away, the work effort is almost the same
- where and how many sockets you want in each room is a matter of belief, personally I had 2*2 connections (opposite) installed in each bedroom, just below the ceiling in the floors (for connecting a WLAN access point), at outer points for network cameras, in the garage and of course to the TVs (there you can also consider 4 or 6 connections, TV, HD receiver, media player, Playstation, HTPC, etc.)

Sat/Cable:
I have the cabling converge centrally in the network cabinet, if I ever want to switch to another system (from Sat to cable, or IPTV, or distribution via IP) it is not a big effort. Also here have two cables laid to the devices (for recordings or PiP functions etc.).

Hello, yes, we have just done the electrical work in our townhouse as well. Since my husband is an administrator and network provider, the whole house is fully wired. So first, you should plan enough space for cable routing and cable ducts. What we have as extras: 4 network connections in the house (2x office or children's room, bedroom, and living room - please don’t ask why in the bedroom - I don’t know!), the roller shutters are electric and should all be connected to the utility room for central control, door bolt contact will later report "door is closed", motion detectors in 4 rooms. Refrigerators have extra cables without RCD. In total, we installed over 100 sockets - don’t forget the ones at the window and outside for Christmas lights! The latter then with an integrated timer switch inside - yippy! Some in the living room are dimmable for cozy evenings. Initially, we also considered outdoor cameras and outdoor lighting deterrents but later abandoned that idea. For outdoor lighting, there is practically no good solution regarding integrated motion detectors (with every cat, there is also an alarm or the angle doesn’t fit). Also, careless lamps often cause streaks on the facade, which I obviously wouldn’t like. In the end, the cameras were simply too much effort and too expensive for me. So we moved all burglary protection indoors. However, we provided cables for the cameras in case we change our minds. Be careful - if the cameras are supposed to go under the roof, technology is usually also needed nearby (antenna, transmitter?). If the roof is uninsulated, the technology melts away in summer. Therefore, plan well what can be placed up there and what cannot and pull cables up beforehand, or figure out whether the antennas/cables have the range, etc. Also, 4 cables go to the garden - one to the garage, where you could even connect 3 phases (electric car?), and one to the shed for lighting and connections for garden tools. The sewage treatment plant also needs electricity, and the garden gate or the path to it could also be illuminated. Well, in addition, we also laid several satellite cables - I think there were 6 - and there is one in the bathroom too (cool). This just quickly.

Oh man, so many things to consider... I like

- USB sockets
- Socket in window reveal

But I have already planned the rest accordingly. Only the following I did not understand:

Sat/Cable:
I let the wiring converge centrally in the network cabinet in my place.

What advantage does that have?

Shutters are electric and all should be connected with the utility room for central control, door bolt contact later reports "door is closed", refrigerators get extra cables without RCD.

Why do your shutters converge in the utility room? Have you planned a home automation system? For the shutters I plan to have a central switch each for the ground floor and upper floor so that I don't have to walk from window to window every time to lower or raise all the shutters.

Why cables without RCD for the refrigerator? And will your alarm system be connected to your door bolt contact later?

Why do the roller shutters in your utility room run together? Have you planned a home automation system? For the roller shutters, I am planning a central switch each for the ground floor and upper floor so you don’t have to walk from window to window every time to lower or raise all the shutters.

Why cables without RCD for the refrigerator? And will the alarm system be connected to your door bolt contact afterwards?

Yes, there will be a home automation system installed and a button near the front door downstairs that lowers all the roller shutters. I think the door bolt contact will also be connected to the system. I don’t know the exact details. In any case, it is related to security, that’s right. Whether it triggers an alarm when the door opens with the system armed or whatever my husband has devised, no idea. Most likely he will get a call on his mobile if someone enters the house while we are not there. Something like that.

The refrigerators should ideally never fail, even if the RCD trips for example during vacation. Then the stuff thaws and the damage can sometimes be worse. As far as I know, this also applies to the heating.

I have already planned the rest as well. I just didn’t understand the following:

What advantage does it have?

I receive TV via satellite, internet via cable, the satellite dish is on the roof, and the multiswitch is in the network cabinet.
If I no longer want to watch TV via satellite but via cable, I can feed the cable signal directly into the multiswitch.
Or another situation:
The TV signal should no longer be distributed via coaxial cables but via IP (network). The cables from the satellite dish are then already in the network cabinet, and I only need to replace the multiswitch with a corresponding device.

If you might eventually want to install home automation, it would also be worth considering laying all the cabling star-shaped to the distributor and placing a bus cable directly in the switch boxes.