How to Run Wire in New Construction

Obviously new construction is a lot easier to get cable where you want than in an existing house, but you have to watch for a few things:

First of all, you should be aware of building codes in your area. They often vary from county to county (I'm talking U.S.). You can probably obtain the information you need from your builder, or if you know someone who does this type of thing for a living, they can be a helpful resource, too. Naturally, you can always go to your county officials, & hopefully get straight answers.

If you don't know anyone in a low-voltage industry like security or telephone, then it might be good to strike up a relationship with a local wire distributor. Hey, this is a good thing anyway. If you can get set up with a house account and buy your materials from them, you can save substantially over what it would cost to buy from retail.

You can always buy from local retailers like Home Depot or other hardware stores - or even (hate to say it) Radio Shack.

Generally speaking, though, here are a few tips: (check these out with Code in your area):

1. TOOLS: Gosh. You need these. Actually, you don't need too much. You'll need a drill with wood "spade" bits (if you can get a cordless you'll thank yourself - I'd recommend 18V or better). You'll also need a stepladder, plastic "tie wraps" (ask a cabling distributor for these - or Radio Shack if you've got mucho moolah), and either a staple gun or some kind of wire anchors for hanging your cabling.

NOTE from Experience: If you use a staple gun, BE CAREFUL! LOOK at every staple you fire! It's worth the extra time to verify that you didn't shoot through the cable when you consider the aggravation that could come trying to troubleshoot later. Also be sure that you don't "pinch" the cable too tightly.

2. TRICKS: While you want to keep your wire runs up inside the joists so they will be out of the way of drywall, you can take advantage of water pipes and HVAC ductwork by following them. This will save you a lot of drilling through ceiling joists. Always look for the simplest path!

3. Low-voltage wire cannot be run vertically through cold-air returns (where I'm at, anyway), but may be permissible to run horizontally through the chase. Check to see whether you'll need to enclose it in conduit. In commercial construction, your wire would also have to be "plenum" grade, though I personally haven't found this to be an issue residentially.

4. Wait until all the other mechanicals have been completed (electric, HVAC, etc.) to do your runs. I can't tell you how many times I've had to repair my cabling because someone else butchered it with a drill - or just plain cut it because it was "in their way." Of course, having said that, make sure you don't do the same thing. Always check the other side of a stud or wall before you drill.

Here's an "oh my gosh how could I be so stupid?" story from about 20 years ago when I was making my "learning mistakes:" I was using a hammer-drill to penetrate the outside of a brick home, trying to enter the basement. SOMETHING was blocking my drill. It would only go so far and just wouldn't penetrate any more. Eventually I got wise and went inside to check things out. Seems someone just had to put that breaker box right where I wanted to drill.

Was I lucky. You must believe me when I tell you I NEVER make mistakes like that anymore. Not for years and years now.

5. Drill your own holes through studs - don't use the electrician's! You want to keep as far away from his stuff as is practical so that you don't pick up electrical noise.

6. When you're done, you might need to fill the extra space in the holes you drilled with "firestop" (depending on code), which can be found at just about any hardware store. This rule usually only applies to holes drilled vertically inside of walls (through floors and ceilings).

Cinemar's Mainlobby 3 Worth a Look

If you'd like a nice PC or touchscreen interface that's configurable, you might look at Mainlobby from Cinemar. With their new release the cost has (unfortunately) gone up, but what doesn't?

On the other hand, they've packed a lot more features into the software than it used to have. It is capable of doing a lot more as a standalone piece of software than it used to be able to do (though still not as powerful as Homeseer, Stargate, or others by themselves).


What I like about it is that it allows you to custom-design your own interface (it comes with a number of pre-made templates) so your automation system can have a really sleek look. In my setup, a Mainlobby-to-Homeseer plugin allows the two systems 2-way communication, so in a very graphic way I can monitor and control my entire home (security, HVAC, music, lights, etc.).


The somewhat odd thing I found when I began using Mainlobby a couple of years ago, though, was that the programming of commands (while not extensively difficult) was unfamiliar to me. Didn't look like Javascript, VBscript, or anything I'd ever seen. It probably IS based on some common language, but I still don't know what. Anyway, it wasn't too hard to find examples of simple commands that I could learn to use for my own purposes. Just a slight learning curve.

Homeseer - Stargate Interface Released!

Homeseer has finally released a compatible plug-in to integrate their software with Stargate. This has been a long time in the making. Ever since HS came out with version 2. of their software and moved to the .NET platform, things were kind of hosed for users who wanted the extreme flexibility, voice-recognition engine/control, and scripting capabilities of Homeseer - but who still desparately wanted the stability and robustness of Stargate's standalone hardware.

All of us in the User Community should congratulate the HS team for their work. They may not have had a great profit motive (since by their polling they couldn't find enough of us to justify the investment). But they were responsive to our cries for help, anyway.

Prior to this plugin (in the old days of HS v.1) a stable plugin was available, and it was in fact free - but it had been developed by another generous user, and itcouldn't handle the transition over to HS 2.

After lots of messing around with beta releases of the plugin, and feedback from users, the new plugin is available through the HS updater utility for $59. Lots of us were kind of hoping it might be less, but I for one don't feel like we have the right to complain.

The new plugin will read the status of Stargate relays, IO, flags, variables, and imported security devices (from Caddx panels). At this point it can also control all of these (with the exception of security?).

Lotsa' thanks to RJ at Homeseer!

Homeseer's plugin for the JDS Stargate

At last it looks like Homeseer is giving some attention to a screaming problem. Since the complete overhaul of Homeseer's software from a Windows-based GUI to a web-based interface there were issues that hosed the interface between Stargate and Homeseer. Not that anyone is entitled to complain much - the plugin was free, it was provided as a friendly gesture by another user and... what more can be said? No right to gripe.

HOWEVER, many of us have been waiting for Homeseer to take on the task of correcting the problem, and most of us who've enjoyed the power of using the two systems together have expressed our willingness to pay for a supported product. Seems there is some progress being made right now as Rick Tinker over at Homeseer tries to determine what to do. Nothing yet, but I'm hopeful the issue will soon be behind us. You can read more about it at http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=113292. Can't wait, because I've been forced to revert to the older version of their software to keep the two systems talking to each other!

How to Run Wire in an Existing Home

Thought I might post a rehash of a newsletter I wrote a few years ago since I've been meaning to blog a little about cabling (been mighty distracted). Anyway.... here are a few tips on how to RUN WIRE IN YOUR EXISTING HOME (also, a few other related backissues are found at http://www.integratorpro.com/archives/archives.html):

"... Obviously, this is a little different than in new construction. The bad news is that it can be a little trickier - the good news is that you don't have to worry about someone else hacking your work after you leave the job site! How you will approach pulling wire from room to room depends on how your home is built. If you have a one story house built on a slab, your likely route will be up inside the wall and through the attic. If you have a crawl space or unfinished basement you would naturally take that route. Let's first examine how you pass wiring inside of walls without destroying stuff. Here are the tools that you need:

Fish Tape. This is something that you can find at any decent hardware store.

Stud Finder. Same thing. Hardware store.

Miscellaneous. Drywall knife, Retro-fit electrical boxes, Electrical tape, flashlight, measuring tape,... some of the same stuff you might have used in our last newsletter's "new construction" issue.

Let's assume for the moment you want to go up the wall into the attic. You'll be cutting a hole into the drywall where the wires will exit into the room. Using your stud finder (guys at the hardware store can explain this device to you), locate the studs in your wall and trace the outline of your retrofit electrical box with a pencil (someplace where the studs ARE NOT).

OH - BY THE WAY: Scope out your path BEFORE you do anything! First, make sure there are no obstructions in the wall with your stud finder. If you don't detect anything this way, then cut just a small hole and run your fish tape up the wall to make sure it doesn't hit anything before ceiling height. Second, measure the exact distance of your proposed cut from a corner, & go up into the attic & do the same. You need to be able to drill down into the wall chase at the exact spot above your proposed "hole-in-the-wall." While you're in the attic (if everything looks clear), drill your hole and drop your fish tape all the way down (if there's no insulation you can just drop a weighted string). You are now ready to cut the drywall below, reach in to grab the string or fish tape, use electrical tape to tie your wiring on, and go back up into the attic to pull away! At the other end of your run, you'll repeat the process.

The order in which you do things may vary, but this is basically how it's done. Not too difficult, was it? Except for the nasty attic insulation (ecch!)....IF YOU'RE RUNNING THROUGH THE BASEMENT it's not much different. Again you'll measure carefully, scope out the path... but this time you'll be drilling UP from the basement into the wall space. To make sure you drill up into a wall space and not through your hardwood floor (been there done that), measure carefully off some reference point visible from both the basement and upstairs. Heat ducts make good reference points. You can also look for nails and water pipes running up from the basement as good indicators of wall locations.

ONE OTHER CAUTION: Do your best to make sure of where electrical runs are inside the walls when you drill. Blue flame is pretty, but you'd rather not see it. Remember that romex (electrical cable) often runs vertically directly attached to the studs, though not always - and that it may run horizontally from outlet to outlet. Don't be paranoid, just careful. Drill slowly when you think you're about to break through, and once your drill exits the other side of a wood stud or plate, BACK OFF.

FROM BASEMENT TO SECOND FLOOR: Now you must be clever. Hypothetically speaking, you could violate code and find a cold air return that runs directly from the basement in a straight line to the second floor. If so, you'd just have to pop open the return in the basement, and open the vent on the second floor so you could drill into the attic space. Aside from this, you might find a common chase that was built into the house for pipes or cabling, etc. Sometimes a chimney has dead space around it that you can use. If you can't find a good hidden path, running wires through closet spaces or laundry chutes may accomplish the mission. If need be, you can then dress it up with 'wire moulding' from the hardware store so it's not so unsightly. The last resort would be to take the wiring outside the house, hide it best as you can by running it behind downspouts/gutters, etc., & back into the basement/attic at the other end."

Reviews & RSS Links

For those of you who subscribe to my RSS feed, you might want to visit to see some of the feeds I've subscribed to here (left side of blog). Currently there are some good reviews on A/V equipment: the new Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD Player, the Westinghouse LVM-42w2 42-inch 1080p LCD Monitor, a Samsung Plasma TV w/ built in DVR - there's even a Bose (arrgh) review. Probably says something good about it. Anyway, the content changes frequently, so check it out soon - or it'll be different. But that's OK, too. I mean, different is nice, right?

My perspective on owner designed smart homes....

It's nice to have perspective. I have some. Bet you do, too. It's a problem when our perspective is skewed, though - like the Far Side cartoon wherein the TV repairman quickly identifies the trouble with the television set. Seems the customer's entire family has heads that tilt to one side - while doggonit - the TV is straight! Now - how would YOU solve this? Tell the homeowners to see a surgeon? Probably a better way (and cheaper, too).

As I see it, most major custom installation companies have a system that makes them comfortable. And it really makes perfect sense from a business perspective. If you're trying to install smart home technologies into some ELSE'S home, things can get trying. I know that for a certainty. From an "aggravation factor" point of view, and also from a bottom line ($$) point of view, it makes a lot more sense to take a "cookie-cutter" approach to installations. Keep the installation simple, don't overly customize, and certainly don't give the homeowner all possible options.

In the end, the system may work well, but not at all to its potential. Enter the advantages of learning how to do this yourself. HA enthusiasts almost always know how to do it themselves. Doesn't mean there wasn't a learning curve, but when all is said and done, my smart home is integrated into my personality (or the other way around). Heck, that's why I titled my book "Integrating the Smart Home & its Owner."

The nice thing about this approach, too, is that the end-user friendly systems are much more affordable than the expensive stuff sold by custom shops. Crestron/AMX is truly beautiful, but for crying out loud - this can't justify the cost. Plus I can do anything (and undoubtedly more) with my Stargate/Homeseer/Mainlobby system than anyone can do with Crestron.

Design and install it yourself, and you'll be intimately aware of how everything works. If there's a problem, you can troubleshoot it. The best part of it, though, is that you get to PLAY with it. The best boy-toy around in my estimate.

Did I say Yak? (name of the blog...)

If this is your first visit, well - this is my first post. We're all on common ground, then.

What I'd like to do here is create a blog that lets the HA community share ideas, critiques, and the friendly spirit of ingenuity that characterizes most of us who are into smart homes. There are some really good user groups out there like those from Homeseer, Cinemar, JDS, and others, but mostly the people there are "product-specific."

No doubt most users have their favorite hardware/software that makes them comfortable, but I thought it might be nice to have something that encourages talk from all over the spectrum. Again, that doesn't mean I'M familiar with everything (because I've got my 'druthers too) - but guess we can all learn something from each other.

Maybe a good idea to introduce myself. I'm a guy who's been into this stuff for pushing 20 years now. Done just about everything from CATV (ecch) to networking (MCSE, CCNA, CCNP) to custom audio/video - and finally I've set up and run a couple of businesses that specialized in Smart Homes. For the most part, I just do consulting and writing on the subject now (hey- and blogging!). I do happen to have a couple of websites, Integratorpro.com and HomeAutomationConsulting.com where I sell long-distance consulting services for homeowners, and a do-it-yourself Home Automation book. But I'm not really trying to push that here (not hard anyway).

I'm going to publish some ideas, thoughts, etc. and invite feedback from whoever has gray matter between their ears (if that's not you please refrain). Should I spell "gray" with an "a" or an "e"?

Be back shortly with wonderful thoughts about cabling, and my take on user-friendly home automation gear.