Smart Home Pre-Wiring: What to Run in Your Walls Before Drywall

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Once the drywall goes up in your Las Vegas new construction home, the window to run low-voltage wiring closes permanently. The cost to fish wire through finished walls is high, the results are often imperfect, and some runs are simply impossible without visible surface conduit. Pre-wiring during the framing stage is the solution, and it costs a fraction of what retrofit work demands.

Why the Framing Stage Is the Only Practical Opportunity

Builders schedule low-voltage rough-in alongside the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC rough-in, all of which happen before drywall. At this stage, the stud bays are open, conduit can be run freely through fire blocks, and wire can be pulled from any point in the house to any other point without cutting holes in finished surfaces. The cost to add a low-voltage wire run during this phase is typically $50 to $200 per drop depending on length and complexity.

After drywall, the same run requires cutting access holes, feeding a fish tape through insulation and around fire blocks, patching drywall, and repainting. A professional low-voltage technician doing retrofit work charges $200 to $500 or more per drop, and some routes through two-story walls or through cathedralized ceilings are simply not feasible without major demolition.

What to Run Before Drywall

Cat6 or Cat6A ethernet runs are the most valuable pre-wire decision you can make in 2026. Wireless speeds have improved dramatically, but a hardwired connection is still faster, more reliable, and lower-latency than WiFi for televisions, gaming consoles, home offices, and network access points. Run Cat6 drops to every room where a television or desktop computer will be located, and include at least two drops per home office. Each drop during construction costs $50 to $150; the average household benefits from six to ten strategic runs.

Structured media or a home network panel location should also be identified and blocked in during framing. This is a central closet or utility space where all ethernet runs terminate and where your router, switch, and any networking equipment will live. Identifying this location at framing costs nothing but planning and sets up your network infrastructure properly for the life of the home.

Pre-wiring for security cameras on all exterior corners, the front door, the garage, and any gate entry points is the next priority. Each camera location needs a conduit run from the exterior mounting point to the media panel or DVR location. During framing this costs $100 to $200 per location. After drywall and stucco the exterior runs require drilling through the finished wall and running visible conduit along exterior surfaces.

Audio, Smart Panels, and Dedicated Circuits

In-ceiling or in-wall speaker pre-wire for a great room, patio, or master suite is a popular addition for buyers who plan a home audio system. Speaker wire runs in-wall during framing for $50 to $100 per pair of locations; the speaker hardware itself is purchased later from any audio retailer. Pre-wiring also applies to motorized shade conduit in large window frames and to any smart home panel that requires its own dedicated electrical circuit.

The builder's own smart home package is often a poor value. Builders mark up pre-installed smart home technology at $200 to $1,500 above market cost, and the systems they offer are frequently proprietary or limited in compatibility. The better approach is to pre-wire for your own system and purchase and install the devices after closing.

Local Insight

As a Las Vegas real estate specialist, Ryan Rose recommends that every buyer have a pre-wiring plan ready before the framing walk-through. Many builders allow buyers to walk the framed structure with a low-voltage contractor before the pre-drywall inspection, and that visit is the moment to mark every desired wire location on the studs. Ryan Rose can connect you with trusted low-voltage contractors who specialize in Las Vegas new construction pre-wiring and work within builder timelines. Reach out before your build starts to make sure you do not miss this window.