The 2026 Smart Home Pre-Wire Checklist: What to Run Before the Drywall Goes Up

A smart home pre-wire is the one part of a home technology project where you only get one clean shot. Once insulation and drywall go in, every forgotten cable becomes a fishing job, a surface raceway, or a wireless compromise. This checklist covers what to run, room by room. It also covers which cable types and ratings to specify, how to plan the structured wiring panel at the center of it all, and where to leave conduit for technology that doesn’t exist yet. It’s written for homeowners planning a build or remodel, and for the integrators and electricians doing the low-voltage rough-in.

Why Pre-Wire Matters More in 2026

Networking now underpins nearly every residential technology project. In CEDIA’s 2026 market research, 88% of firms reported installing home networking in the past year, more than any other system category. Control systems, media rooms, distributed audio, and security all rely on that network, and most perform better over cable than over the air.

The same research found that about three out of four projects begin with the homeowner, not the builder or architect. If you’re a homeowner reading this before calling an integrator, you’re the typical case. The decisions you make before the framing inspection set the ceiling on what your home can do later.

Three things have raised the stakes since the last generation of pre-wire guides:

Wi-Fi moved to the ceiling. Whole-home Wi-Fi now runs on multiple hardwired access points, powered by PoE and connected with multi-gig uplinks. Each one needs its own cable.

More devices draw power over the cable. Cameras, doorbells, access points, and keypads increasingly run on Power over Ethernet, which puts more weight on conductor quality.

Built to outlast several tech cycles. A cable that’s “good enough” today may be the bottleneck in eight years. Conduit and spare runs are how you hedge.

The Room-by-Room Pre-Wire Checklist

Treat the counts below as a practical starting point, not a code minimum. Every home is different, and an integrator walkthrough (more on that below) is where these get finalized. One rule applies everywhere: every run is a home run. Each cable travels uninterrupted from its outlet back to the structured wiring panel or rack, with no splices or daisy-chains.

Living Room / Family Room (Primary TV Wall) 2 CAT6A runs to the TV location (TV plus a streaming or gaming device) 1 RG6 quad-shield coax run to the TV location (antenna, satellite, or cable) Conduit from the TV location to the equipment location (a credenza or the rack), so you can pull HDMI or fiber later 1 CAT6 run to the equipment location, if it’s separate from the TV Speaker wire for in-ceiling or in-wall speakers A recessed power and low-voltage box behind the TV, so cables and plugs sit flush		Home Theater / Media Room Everything on the TV wall list, plus speaker wire to every planned speaker location, including subwoofers and height channels 2 CAT6A runs to the equipment rack location, and Cat6 to the projector location if you’re using one Conduit between the projector or display and the rack If you’re designing to a performance target, CEDIA/CTA’s RP22 Immersive Audio Design Recommended Practice defines how speaker layout and room acoustics are planned. Settle the speaker plan before you run wire.
Kitchen 1 CAT6 run to any planned touchscreen or control panel location Speaker wire for in-ceiling speakers, if distributed audio is in the plan 1 CAT6 run to the appliance wall, for connected appliances you’d rather not leave on Wi-Fi		Bedrooms 1–2 CAT6 runs to the TV wall or desk location 1 RG6 run to the TV location, if anyone in the home still uses an antenna or cable TV Speaker wire to the ceiling, if the room is part of a distributed audio zone
Home Office 2 CAT6A runs to the desk wall, plus 1 to a second wall in case the desk moves These are your highest-value runs for 10 Gb and multi-gig speeds, so don’t compromise here		Ceilings and Hallways (Wireless Access Points) 1 CAT6A run to each planned access point location, typically one per floor plus one for every large open area Place access points centrally in ceilings, not in closets or at the far end of the house
Front Door and Exterior 1 CAT6 run to the front door for a PoE video doorbell, in addition to the standard doorbell wiring 1 CAT6 run to each planned camera location at the eaves and corners Conduit sleeves under walkways, patios, and driveways before hardscape goes in, for low-voltage landscape lighting and future outdoor audio An outdoor-rated outlet location for the landscape lighting transformer For any run that leaves the building envelope, use cable rated for that environment, or run it in conduit		Windows and Doors Security contacts at ground-floor (or all) doors and windows, wired back to the panel location Low-voltage power and control wiring to every window that might get motorized shades. This is far cheaper to rough in now than to retrofit later.
Thermostats, Keypads, and Sensors Thermostat cable with spare conductors, including a common (C) wire CAT6 or manufacturer-specified control cable to every planned lighting keypad and security keypad location Wiring for smoke/CO detectors per your electrician and local code		Garage, Basement, and Utility Spaces 1 CAT6 run for a garage camera or garage door controller A clear path, ideally conduit, from the service entrance (where internet and cable enter the home) to the structured wiring panel 1 CAT6 run to the main electrical panel area, for energy monitoring, solar, or battery systems

Cable Types to Run for Home Network Wiring

The checklist calls for a handful of cable types. Here’s what to specify and why.

CAT6 vs. CAT6A

Both support Gigabit Ethernet out to the full 100-meter channel. The difference shows up at 10 Gb: unshielded CAT6 is limited to about 55 meters (180 feet) for 10GBASE-T, while CAT6A is characterized to 500 MHz and supports 10 Gb over the full 100 meters. Category performance for both is defined in the TIA-568.2 series.

The practical split: use CAT6 for general drops to bedrooms, TVs, and devices. Use Cat6A for access points, the home office, the media rack, and any run you expect to carry PoE or multi-gig traffic. Our CAT6A bulk cable uses 23 AWG solid bare copper conductors with a CMR riser rating. It supports PoE Type 4 (IEEE 802.3bt), which gives you the headroom you need for ceiling access points and cameras. For standard drops, CAT6 bulk cable covers everything else.

Many builders now run Cat6A everywhere to avoid mixing inventory. That works too, but plan for its larger diameter when sizing conduit and boxes.

Jacket Ratings: What the Code Expects

Fire ratings matter even in a single-family home. Under NFPA 70 (the National Electrical Code), communications cable in walls is typically rated CM or higher (CMR for runs between floors). Speaker and Class 2 control cable is rated CL2 or CL3. Plenum-rated cable (CMP) is only needed in air-handling spaces. Code adoption varies by jurisdiction, so confirm which NEC edition your local inspector enforces.

The Structured Wiring Panel and Network Rack

The structured wiring panel, also called a structured media panel or media enclosure, is where every home run terminates. It houses the patch panel, network switch, coax splitter or MoCA hardware, and the internet provider’s equipment. It’s the hub of the entire pre-wire, and its location deserves as much thought as any room on the checklist.

Conduit and Pull Strings for Future Upgrades

Conduit is the cheapest insurance in a pre-wire. You can’t predict which cable your home will need in 2035, but you can make sure you’ll be able to pull it.

• Panel to attic and panel to basement or crawlspace. These two pathways let you reach almost any wall in the home later.
• TV locations to the equipment location, for HDMI, fiber, or whatever replaces them
• Service entrance to panel, for fiber internet upgrades
• Exterior sleeves under hardscape, as noted in the exterior checklist
• Pull strings in every conduit. Leave a pull string (or two) in every run, tied off at both ends.

Conduit is the cheapest insurance in a pre-wire. You can’t predict which cable your home will need in 2035, but you can make sure you’ll be able to pull it.

Working With an Integrator on Your Pre-Wire

Because most projects start with the homeowner, it pays to engage an integrator early, ideally before framing is complete. A good low-voltage contractor will want to do three things:

1. Hold a pre-wire walkthrough. You, the integrator, and ideally the builder walk the framed house with this checklist and mark every outlet, speaker, access point, and keypad location on the studs.
2. Coordinate timing. Low-voltage rough-in usually happens after electrical rough-in and before insulation. Trim-out (terminations, plates, and equipment) happens after drywall and paint.
3. Test before drywall. Test every run for continuity and correct termination before the walls close. Photograph and measure every wall before insulation goes in, too; those photos are invaluable later.

To find a qualified professional, CEDIA’s Find a Smart Home Professional directory lists member integrators by location and specialty. Residential cabling practice is guided by ANSI/TIA-570-E, the Residential Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard. It covers cabling for voice, data, video, security, audio, and control systems in single- and multi-dwelling homes, and it’s worth asking whether your integrator designs to it.

Frequently Asked Questions