Concealed conduits being installed in an under-construction home before automation wiring

Planning · Article

When to Plan Home Automation in a New House

Six months of lead time turns a smart home from an add-on into part of the architecture. Here is the timeline, stage by stage.

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Quick answer

Decide your home automation scope at the conduit stage — after the slab, before the electrician pulls wires. Practically, that is 4–8 months before possession. The three decisions that must be made in that window are neutral wires at every switch point, circuit splitting for lighting scenes, and one network point per room.

The Timeline That Matters

Map your automation decisions against your builder's schedule, not against your move-in date.

What is still possible at each stage of your new home
Stage	Wired automation	Wireless retrofit	What to do now
Planning / pre-construction	Fully possible — best outcome	Possible	Lock the automation scope before the electrical drawing is frozen
Slab & conduit stage	Possible — conduits can still be added	Possible	Add extra conduits, deeper boxes and a network point per room
Wiring done, interiors starting	Partly — surface routing may be needed	Fully possible	Coordinate switch-plate locations with your interior designer
Ready / possession taken	Rarely worth the civil work	Fully possible	Retrofit modules behind existing switch plates, wireless curtains, smart locks

The Three Decisions You Cannot Postpone

Everything else in a smart home can be added later. These three cannot be added cheaply once the walls are closed.

1. Neutral wire at every switch point

Almost every smart switch and dimmer needs a neutral. Adding it later means chasing the wall from the switch box back to the distribution board — the single most common retrofit blocker in Indian homes.

2. Circuit splitting for scenes

A 'Movie' scene means cove lights dim, spots go off and the TV wall stays lit. That is only possible if those lights are on separate circuits. If your electrician wires the whole living room on two circuits, no amount of software fixes it.

3. One network point per room

A CAT6 run to each room costs a few thousand rupees at conduit stage and enables access points, cameras, TVs and wired hubs for the next twenty years.

What You Can Safely Decide Later

Do not let vendors rush you into buying hardware early. Panels, hubs, cameras and speakers all get better and cheaper. Lock the infrastructure now, choose the devices at the finishing stage.

Brand and model of switches, panels and hubs
Curtain fabric and motor selection
Camera count and placement
Multi-room audio and home theatre scope

Already Late? Here Is What Still Works

If your wiring is done or you have already moved in, wireless retrofit covers lighting, fans, curtains, climate, locks and cameras with no civil work. Read the apartment retrofit guide for scope and costs.

Get a Stage-Wise Plan

Tell us your property type and where you are in the build — planning, under construction, interiors or possession. We'll send a room-by-room automation plan with an indicative budget. Free, no obligation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many months before possession should I plan automation?+

Four to eight months. That usually puts you at the conduit or pre-wiring stage, where circuit and cabling decisions are still free to make.

My builder says automation is not allowed. What now?+

Many builders restrict changes to their standard electrical package but allow customer-specified additions during fit-out. Ask specifically for neutral wires, deeper switch boxes and network conduits — these are rarely refused.

Do I need to choose brands before wiring?+

No. Infrastructure decisions are brand-agnostic. Choose neutral wiring, circuit splitting and networking now; choose devices at the finishing stage.

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Book a free, no-obligation demo at our Hyderabad or Vijayawada experience centre and hear it for yourself.

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