Posted 2026-04-26 by the Oz Smart Home team. Written for architects, interior designers, and custom builders briefing residential projects.
If you're specifying smart home for a residential client in Greater Sydney, this is a decision-and-detail guide you can use at design and tender stage. We've written it so you can copy whole sections into your specification documents.
What you actually need to specify
You don't need to specify devices. You need to specify:
- Cabling and power. Where the cables run, what type, where the power is.
- Panel and switch locations. Where the wall-mounted control surfaces go.
- Network infrastructure. Where the rack lives, where APs go, where the cabling terminates.
- The integration scope. What the smart system is responsible for and what it isn't.
- The supplier or installer. Who delivers and stands behind the system.
Get these five right and the device-level decisions can be made later, with the homeowner, by the installer.
1. Cabling and power — what to call out at design stage
Cat6A to every:
- Wall TV point
- Wall-mounted control panel location
- WiFi access point location (allow 1 per ~80m² living area, plus 1 per outdoor area)
- Camera location
- Smart appliance (oven, fridge, etc. — for future-proofing)
- Door station / intercom
Power (240V GPO) to every:
- Wall-mounted panel location (most panels are PoE-only, but allow GPO above ceiling for hub)
- Camera location (some cameras are PoE; spec a GPO if hardwired)
- AV rack location
PoE switching capacity
At least 24 ports of PoE+ (802.3at) for a 4-bedroom home. Allow for switch + UPS in the rack.
Conduits to call out
- 2× 25mm conduits from rack to TV wall (for HDMI / fibre / future)
- 25mm conduit to every panel location (for cable replacement in 10 years)
- 25mm conduit from inside to outside for any future external camera
Specification line you can copy
Provide and install Cat6A structured cabling to all locations marked SH on plans. Terminate at central rack location TR.1 to manufacturer spec. Provide 24-port PoE+ patch panel and managed switch (Ubiquiti UniFi or equivalent). Allow 6 unused drops for future expansion.
2. Panel and switch locations
The biggest mistake in smart-home design is putting wall panels in the wrong place. A panel works if it's:
- Where you'd reach for a light switch. Not the middle of a feature wall.
- Eye-height for the household, not the architect. 1100mm AFFL for adults; 800mm for kids' rooms.
- One panel per zone, not three. Hallway, kitchen, bedroom — one each. If you spec four panels in the kitchen, you'll regret it.
Recommended panel locations for a typical 4-bed home
- Front entry hallway (door release, scenes, intercom video)
- Kitchen island end or wall (scenes, AC, lighting)
- Master bedroom — bedside or near wardrobe (Goodnight scene, blinds)
- Lounge / family room (movie scene, lighting, AC)
- Optional: each bedroom (basic scene control)
- Optional: pool / outdoor area (lighting, audio)
Standard switch locations
You still want physical switches everywhere a light controls — but use smart switches, not regular ones. Akubela touch switches, or wireless retrofit switches (Aqara, Sonoff) at minimum.
Specification line you can copy
Provide and install Akubela touch panels at locations marked TP on plans. Provide PoE drop and 25mm conduit to each panel. Wall-mount at 1100mm AFFL unless noted otherwise. Coordinate exact locations with smart-home installer prior to first-fix.
3. Network infrastructure
The single most important system in a smart home, and the one most often under-spec'd.
Rack location
- Dedicated, ventilated, accessible. Garage, laundry, or dedicated comms cupboard. Not in a wardrobe with no ventilation.
- Power on a UPS. 1500VA minimum. Critical because if the rack loses power, the smart home dies.
- Cool. Temperature in the rack should stay below 35°C even on a Sydney January day. If the rack is in a hot space, allow for a vented door + small fan.
Wireless access points
- Ceiling-mount, in-wall, or wall-mount disk. Not a desktop modem in the entertainment unit.
- PoE-fed. No GPO clutter at the AP location.
- At least 2 for a 200m² home. More for two-storey or wide-footprint homes.
NBN handoff
- Specify a separate location for the NBN ONT (utility cupboard, garage) — feed the rack from there.
- Don't put the modem in the lounge.
Specification line you can copy
Provide dedicated comms rack location TR.1 with ventilated cupboard, 240V GPO on UPS-protected circuit, and Cat6A trunk from each WiFi AP location. UPS to be APC Smart-UPS 1500VA or equivalent. Provide structured cabling termination, PoE switching, and managed router/firewall installed by smart-home installer.
4. The integration scope — what's in and what's out
This is the conversation that prevents scope creep at handover. Be explicit at design stage:
In scope (typical)
- Lighting control (every fitting controllable)
- Window automation (motorised blinds / curtains)
- Climate control (AC, optionally heating)
- Security (cameras, alarm, sensors)
- Access (locks, intercom, gate)
- Network (WiFi, structured cabling)
- Entertainment (multi-room audio, TV/AV control)
- Scenes (Wake Up, Goodnight, Movie, Away, Welcome Home)
Out of scope (typical, unless called out)
- Solar / battery energy management (separate trade)
- Pool automation (specialist)
- Garage door automation (often separate, but easy to bring in)
- Irrigation (separate)
- Sauna / spa controls (specialist)
Where energy management sits
Solar and battery are typically a separate trade. But smart climate, lighting, and blinds are the levers a smart home pulls to cut a household's power bill — and they should be in your scope from day one. If the client has solar, flag it: scheduling laundry, hot water, and EV charging to run while the sun is on the panels turns the smart-home build into a meaningful cost-of-living lever, not just a convenience layer.
Specification line you can copy
Smart-home installer to provide complete integration of lighting, window automation, climate, security, access, network, and entertainment systems per the schedule attached. Excludes solar, pool, and irrigation systems unless noted. Coordinate with electrical, AV, and AC trades.
5. The supplier or installer — and why this matters at design stage
The smart-home installer needs to be on site for first-fix (cabling), second-fix (panels and devices), and commissioning. If they're brought in after the house is closed up, scope is compromised.
What to brief your client
- Get the installer engaged at DD or pre-tender.
- Budget for a paid design phase (
[STAT-PLACEHOLDER]— typical range to be published once we've finalised our public design-phase pricing). - Allow 1–2 site visits during construction for cabling QA.
- Allow 1–10 days at completion for install + commissioning.
What we (Oz Smart Home) deliver to architects
- A written design document (panel locations, cable schedule, scene list) you can attach to your specification.
- A coordinated cabling schedule for your electrician.
- Consultation calls with you and the client during DD.
- Fixed-price install quotes once the design is locked.
[SPECIFIER-KIT-PENDING-PHASE-3 — printed specifier kit (panel samples, switch finishes, sample drawings) and downloadable PDF land in Phase 3 alongside the broader architect/builder outreach campaign.]
Common mistakes we see
- Panels specified as decoration, not function. Three panels in the entry hallway look beautiful and confuse everyone.
- No budget for the network. Network is the foundation. Skimping means the whole smart home is unreliable.
- Bringing the installer in too late. First-fix cabling is one-shot — you can't add it back without smashing walls.
- Mixing cheap and premium. A $500 lock on a $200 unreliable hub will ruin the whole experience.
- Not specifying who does the commissioning. "The electrician will figure it out" doesn't work for smart homes.
- Forgetting outdoor. Pool area, alfresco, garage — these need WiFi, lighting, and often audio. Spec at design stage.
A specifier's checklist
Use this as a quick QA before sending tender drawings:
- Cat6A structured cabling specified to all SH locations
- Comms rack location identified, ventilated, on UPS circuit
- Panel locations marked, dimensioned, with conduit
- WiFi AP locations marked, PoE drops shown
- Camera locations marked (if applicable)
- AC controller locations marked (if AC is in scope)
- Smart-home installer engaged at DD stage
- Integration scope written into specification
- Coordination meetings scheduled with electrical / AV / AC trades
Want to brief a specific project?
We work directly with architects and designers across the Greater Sydney area. We can join a design meeting, review your drawings, or produce a smart-home spec document for inclusion in your tender.