I am building a house and trying to avoid power bricks and cables hanging on the wall for motion sensors, blind shutters, “add next smart house blinky here”.
This is just an aexample photo:
So I was thinking each IOT needs to have internet connection anyway. What about if I run a single CAT cable to each room, and position a switch in each room to split to couple CATs in each room (power socket, tv socket, window, ceiling fan). Main CAT from each room to go to the server room router. That way I can have one cable per room coming out from the router. And with some inexpensive POE switches in each room I can split to extra IOTs.
That way I wont be saturating the home wireless and needing expensive APs. And in the same time can deliver POE. Alternatively I can modify the CATs to run only 4 wires for 100MB network and remaining 4 for 12V if POE injection is complicated or routers cant deliver required IOT current.
I must say most IOTs will be DIY ESP/Arduino/MCUs
Is it possible you guys think?
I adore your shot mate
None of my IoT has an internet connection. I suppose that makes it a NoT.
I use the spoke and star topology in my home. Hardwired CAT5/6 to each main room and switches there. Most have a PC + TV with ethernet ports.
The bedroom CAT5 is provided by the Office netdoor. This was cheaper than running both (or all) rooms to the hallway.
If you are going DIY eco-system don’t ruin the flexibility by focusing yourself on a single platform like HA. HA is no longer generic, it’s pretty opinionated and bespoke these days. It can afford that as many people produce compatible firmware for HA.
Start with something lower level like MQTT as your core data architecture. HA will consume that fine, but it will give you more options.
Another suggestion. Power monitoring smart plugs (Tasmota or ESPHome) these will allow you to monitor and manage your “device clusters” such as shutting down all the standby power in the living room from a switch beside the light switch.
I don’t use IoT, I use zwave so power budgets are small. Wireless sensors get a cr123 battery that lasts a year or more.
PoE is an option for things like shades/blinds. Alternately you can get those AV-style recessed wall boxes that have 110 outlets that you put a cover over, though you need to plan for a large enough valence to conceal it or some architectural detail.
If you are building a house from scratch, do it right.
Put a room in the basement and call that the IT room. Run Cat6 from everywhere to that room. Every room, everywhere you might have a phone, TV, computer, etc. All of it gets at least one cat6 run. Many runs get more than one cable- anywhere you might have a computer put 2x cat6, anywhere you might have a TV put one Cat6 and one Cat7 (for HDbaseT (HDMI over CatX)). Run a Cat6 to anywhere you’ll want a smart device, including things like window blinds.
Have your builder terminate these in patch panels, ideally in fairly deep wall mount racks, spaced with 24 per 1.75" ‘rack unit’ and one open unit between each two patch panels.
Thus, if you buy 48 port switches you can easily run PoE ethernet to every port in the house and it’ll look really slick like this.
Consider a hardwired alarm to do hardwired alarm things. A Honeywell/Resideo Vista 20 alarm and an Envisalink will get you tons of sensors, and hardwired contact sensors in doors/windows are always better. Find a LOCAL INDEPENDENT alarm company, tell them you want an alarm installed but you are an automation nerd and need the installer codes after installation. Not all will want to work with you in this regard. Find one who will. Or say you’ll hire them for the physical install but just want to buy hardware and installation and have no need for monitored alarm service.
That all said- all of this is way more expensive than a couple of $180 Ubiquiti 6 Pro access points and the 3-4 cat6 runs to feed them.
Everything in my prewire guide. 👀