New Construction Low-Voltage Prewire Checklist: Room-by-Room Planning

Use this checklist with a marked floor plan and a location schedule. It is a discussion tool for residential builders, not an engineered design or universal specification. All counts below are examples contingent on plans, equipment, room use, and the agreed scope. There is no single correct Cat6 count for every house.

Create a location register before counting cables

Give every endpoint an identifier. Record room, exact wall or ceiling location, mounting height or coordinated detail, cable type, cable quantity, destination, intended use, and approval status. Keep one current drawing revision. A room total without marked locations can hide conflicts with cabinetry, windows, furniture, fireplaces, and lighting.

For example, an office might need two Cat6 home runs at the main desk and a separate run for a second workstation. Another office may need a different arrangement. Count the devices and planned spare connections before deciding. Do not multiply a generic number of drops by the number of bedrooms and call that a design.

Room-by-room Cat6 and TV checklist

• Home office: mark primary and possible alternate desks, printer or other wired equipment, and any business-specific requirements. Decide whether a second cable at a desk is useful or whether a separately powered local switch is intended.
• Living or family room: mark the display, media equipment, and possible furniture layouts. An example TV wall could use two Cat6 runs for planned devices; AV transport may require additional or different cabling. Confirm equipment requirements before specifying it.
• Bedrooms: decide individually whether a desk or TV location is needed. One room might have one Cat6 at a desk and another at a TV wall; an unused room may have a different approved plan.
• Kitchen and shared areas: identify control panels, touchscreens, or other actual devices. Coordinate with cabinetry and electrical plans; do not place data outlets merely to satisfy a room count.
• Garage, workshop, and exterior: identify wired devices and coverage needs. Detached buildings and outdoor routes require separate review of distance, environment, and appropriate connectivity.

For every TV location, decide whether coax, network cabling, speaker cable, or another AV path is actually required. Confirm display and equipment positions together. Coordinate power with the electrician; network cabling does not replace an electrical outlet.

Central distribution and service entry

• Identify where the service provider enters and how service reaches the central equipment location.
• Choose an accessible cabinet or rack location with room for termination, cable management, and the agreed equipment.
• Coordinate power, ventilation, working access, and any backing or structural requirements with the responsible trades.
• Assign an identifier to both ends of each cable and define the final port schedule.

A cabinet location should not be approved solely because it is hidden. Check that future service access and heat management are compatible with the planned system. Record who supplies the cabinet, patch panels, patch cords, switches, and related accessories.

Wi-Fi access points

Mark candidate access-point locations separately from general room data outlets. Consider floors, wall materials, occupied spaces, and outdoor needs. Do not promise coverage from one centrally placed device without a project-specific assessment. Confirm the selected access point’s cable and power requirements, including any compatible power-over-Ethernet equipment. Final placement and commissioning are separate from simply leaving a cable in a ceiling.

Cameras, audio, security, and controls

• Cameras: mark the intended view, mounting surface, cable destination, weather exposure, and service access. Coordinate privacy and obstruction concerns; a cable position alone does not establish camera coverage.
• Audio: mark speaker pairs or individual speakers, zones, control locations, and amplifier position. Identify cable type and route rather than assuming Cat6 replaces speaker cable.
• Security: coordinate contacts, motion devices, keypads, alarm equipment, and any monitoring requirements with the selected system provider. Keep life-safety scope and approvals explicit; do not assume they are part of general pre-wire.
• Smart home and shades: confirm the actual product family and its power/control requirements. Coordinate line-voltage work with the responsible trade.

Spare capacity and pathways

List foreseeable expansion locations and identify which spare cables are worth including in the current plan. Spare capacity is a documented allowance, not a promise that any future technology will work. Coordinate pathway requirements with the responsible trade. Conduit installation is not TVS’s standard scope and should not appear as an assumed included item.

Pre-drywall review and handoff

Before walls close, compare installed cable identifiers and locations with the approved revision. Resolve missing or moved locations, check that cables are protected and accessible for trim, and record approved changes. Agree who signs off and who coordinates correction before drywall. Identify what photographs, cable schedules, tests, and results are actually included.

Define whether the handoff ends at rough-in, termination, installed equipment, or commissioning. A cable labeled for a future camera is not an operating camera; a planned Wi-Fi location is not a coverage guarantee. Keep unresolved selections and the next responsible person visible in the handoff notes.

Turn the plan into a project-specific scope

For residential projects in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, and the Treasure Valley, start with our new-construction low-voltage contractor service. Compare illustrative pre-wire scope frameworks and review the rough-in scope and trade handoffs. These are planning resources, not fixed products, promised prices, or construction specifications.

Request a Bid — Submit Your Plans for one project or a repeat production scope. Partnership membership is not required. PDF plans are submitted privately for staff review; this does not book an appointment or automatically send a quote.