What future-proofing should I include when refurbishing an apartment?

Question

I will soon be renovating my apartment, going to the bare bricks (removing the floor, electricity, plumbing). Would you have some advice on what not to miss, from the perspective of cabling and domotics (home automation)?

I may not be able to immediately have a science-fiction-like automated home but I want to make reasonably sure that I will not have to do major works afterwards to be able to.

Things which come to mind are:

• Ethernet cabling
• power cables to less obvious places like the cupboard where the systems will be stored
• home cinema cables
• maybe something with the entrance door to install an NFC card reader

Any other ideas?

Answer 1

Although all those things are good, and in fact I always do the first three on your list, the important thing is not actually installing them, but ensuring you run cable ducts.

If you have ducting, then you future proof the apartment - need another cable? just run it through.

So plan as follows:

• Decide where you will need Ethernet, power and audio wall plates
• Plan your server closet
• Identify ducting size to cope with the planned cables plus more as yet unknown ones
• Ensure ducts for power cabling are as far away from signal/low voltage cabling ducts as possible
• Install cable ducts to all those points
• Also install cable ducts to useful positions on walls in other rooms

I typically also leave a pull-wire in each duct just to make life easier if I do need to add something.

Answer 2

• Ceiling Ethernet drops for wireless access points (POE)
• RG6 Coax for CATV
• Wiring for alarm systems
• Wiring for Security cameras (sometimes coax, sometimes Ethernet, etc.)
• Low voltage wiring for lighting controls?
• Central Vac