Low Voltage Wiring – Why Your Home Needs It

A smart home has smart controls that allow you to control various aspects, such as lighting, sensors, and security, via a mobile app, downloaded to your smartphone. But these smart controls require low-voltage electricity to function. So, your home requires low-voltage wiring Hilton Head Island.

A smart temperature control device, such as a smart thermostat, requires a thin 18-gauge wire in a bundle of 5 (or less) carrying 24 volts to control your HVAC unit. Usually, low-voltage wire carries less than 50V of electricity.

Most smart controls require below 50V to power up and control connected devices. Since low-voltage wiring differs from standard wiring (usually carrying 120V), you want to consult a qualified technician to handle the project. Read on to find out why your home requires low-voltage wiring installation.

Common Uses for Low-Voltage Wiring in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

While homes have standard wiring designed to carry 120V or 240V of electricity, they need low-voltage wiring for powering various smart home devices and controls. Also known as structured cabling, low-voltage wiring carries 12V, 24V, or 48V of electricity to power the following devices in your smart home:

  • Video Doorbell

While the video doorbell monitors your front door and alerts your smartphone if it picks up movements, it requires low-voltage electricity to function, especially if you don’t want it to run off battery power. You will connect your video doorbell to a 24V AC transformer to power your security device. 

A doorbell wire is an 18 or 20-gauge wire arranged in a bundle of two wires to connect the push button and a chime centrally placed in your home. A video doorbell such as Ring only connects to an AC transformer using the doorbell wire, and this installation requires soldering the doorbell wire to the resistor.

Since Play Home Technology has knowledgeable and skilled technicians, they will handle the installation and connect your video doorbell to reliable power. The video doorbell could also have batteries for backup during a power outage, common in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

  • A Smart Thermostat

When you have installed a low-voltage smart thermostat in your home, you want it to control your HVAC unit efficiently, no matter where you are. But this temperature control device needs to sip from your low-voltage wiring. 

Usually, a low-voltage smart thermostat requires you to connect it to a 24V thermostat wire with 2-3 wires bundled. These smart thermostats work with various systems, such as air conditioning, heat pumps, furnaces, and baseboard heaters.

The smart thermostat wires could vary in wires used to connect the temperature controller to your HVAC unit – you can find 7+ wires for controlling heat pumps. The whole system receives power from a step-down transformer installed in your home.

  • Network Wiring

Your smart home also requires network wiring for your phone systems and internet connection; the network wiring comprises voice and data cabling for communication. Since the IoT network relies on network wiring (ethernet data cabling), it receives its low-voltage power requirements from the network wiring low voltage. Your home requires well-installed network wiring to establish a reliable network for your smart home devices.

Additionally, intercom systems require network wiring to connect to the internet. Some network wiring cables include Cat5e or Cat6 cabling. 

  • Landscape Light Wiring

Sometimes, all you need is to transform the outdoor space into a breathtaking night-time scene with landscape wiring. While you can find landscape lights that require 120V from your standard electrical wiring to function, it’s best to fit your outdoors with landscape lights operating on 12V.

These low-voltage landscape lights are easier to install and are less expensive. But most importantly, these landscape lights are safer as they use fewer volts. Also, your lighting expenses reduce since low-voltage landscape wiring reduces energy consumption.

  • Security Cameras

The security cameras installed on your residential building require voltage ranging from 12 to 48, and the power over ethernet (PoE) cabling provides the needed power. But security cameras differ in brand and specification. 

You want to consult Play Home Technology, which installs smart home systems for residents in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, if you want to secure your home with cameras. While most security cameras run on 12V DC power, many cameras use 24V AC power.

An 18 to 20-gauge wiring connects the cameras and powers them sufficiently to monitor your home. Additionally, you can find security camera wires that combine video coaxial and low-voltage cables for enhanced video recording.

Conclusion

Your home requires low-voltage wiring to connect essential smart home devices to a power source. But you want to consult an installation company with knowledgeable and experienced technicians to install low-voltage wiring for your smart home controllers (and devices). The technicians will assess your home and install low-voltage wiring with centrally placed wiring panels for easy access.

Play Home Technology installs low-voltage wiring for Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, residents. Whether your home needs audio lines tucked away behind your walls or RG-6 coaxial wire for your TV cable, our experienced technicians understand the requirements and will handle the needs of your home.