// NYC · Master Licensed · All 5 Boroughs
Smart Home Wiring & Automation in NYC
Licensed smart lighting, home automation wiring, EV integration, whole-home audio rough-in, and security wiring — designed for NYC’s older buildings and done to DOB code.
- Smart lighting — Lutron, Leviton, Brilliant
- EV charger + solar integration
- Whole-home audio & AV rough-in
- Smart thermostat and HVAC wiring
- Security camera and access control wiring
- Neutral wire assessment for older NYC buildings
Smart home wiring in NYC — what’s different
Smart home installation in a newer suburban home is relatively straightforward. NYC is more complex — and most national smart home companies don’t understand why.
Neutral wire problem: Most NYC apartments and brownstones built before 1990 have switch wiring without a neutral wire at the box. The majority of smart dimmers and switches require a neutral wire. We assess every switch location before recommending a system — and we know which platforms work without neutrals (Lutron Caseta is the most reliable for older NYC buildings).
Co-op and condo restrictions: Many NYC buildings restrict modifications to electrical systems, require licensed and insured contractors, and have rules about wireless access points, ethernet runs, and in-wall wiring. We navigate this regularly.
Pre-war construction: Plaster walls, older conduit, and irregular stud spacing all affect how wiring is routed. We’re experienced with NYC’s building stock specifically — not just suburban drywall construction.
Platform-neutral approach: We don’t sell specific smart home ecosystems. We wire your home for the platform you choose — Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Lutron, Control4, or any combination. We focus on the electrical infrastructure; you own the platform choice.
What we wire — smart home services in NYC
Smart Lighting
Lutron Caseta, Leviton Decora, Brilliant panels. Dimmer switches, scene control, occupancy sensors. We assess neutral wire availability first.
EV Charger Integration
Dedicated 240V circuits for EV chargers with smart scheduling capability. Paired with solar or whole-home energy monitoring where applicable.
Whole-Home Audio
In-wall speaker wire rough-in for Sonos, Denon HEOS, or custom AV. Structured media center wiring for clean, organized AV closets.
Smart Thermostat Wiring
C-wire installation for Nest, Ecobee, Honeywell, and other smart thermostats. Many older NYC buildings lack the C-wire — we add it cleanly.
Security & Access Control
Camera power and data wiring, video doorbell wiring (including Ring and Nest), smart lock wiring, and access control rough-in.
Network & Structured Wiring
Cat6 ethernet rough-in throughout the home. Dedicated circuits for network equipment. PoE wiring for cameras and access points.
Solar & Battery Rough-In
Conduit and panel prep for future solar and battery backup (Powerwall, Enphase) installation. Plan the infrastructure now even if solar comes later.
Dedicated Circuits
Home office circuits, dedicated circuits for high-draw appliances, UPS circuits for server equipment. Clean power for everything that needs it.
The neutral wire issue — smart switches in older NYC buildings
This is the problem that trips up smart home installs in NYC more than any other. Here’s the full picture:
Standard smart dimmers and switches (Caseta, Kasa, Leviton, most others) require four wires at the switch box: line (hot), load, neutral, and ground. In older NYC wiring — roughly pre-1990 — switch loops were typically wired with only two conductors: line and load. No neutral. No ground in many cases.
The options we assess:
- Lutron Caseta — the most reliable no-neutral solution. Works with a 2-wire switch loop. Excellent app, great dimming, compatible with HomeKit/Alexa/Google. Our most common recommendation for pre-1990 NYC apartments.
- Run a neutral wire — if you’re doing a renovation with walls open or if your wiring is in exposed conduit, we can add a neutral. Enables any smart switch platform.
- Relay modules — smart relay devices that sit inside the electrical box and enable smart control without a neutral. More complex installation, works well for non-dimming applications.
We check every switch box during our assessment and give you a platform recommendation based on your actual wiring. No assumptions, no installs that fail later.
Smart home wiring for NYC renovations
If you’re renovating — full gut renovation or even partial — smart home wiring is significantly cheaper to add during construction than after. With walls open, running structured wiring (ethernet, speaker wire, smart switch neutrals, dedicated circuits) costs a fraction of the post-construction price.
What to rough-in during renovation:
- Neutral wire to every switch box (even if you’re not installing smart switches immediately — future-proofing costs almost nothing during renovation)
- Cat6 ethernet to every room, home office, and AV location
- In-ceiling speaker wire rough-in for whole-home audio
- Dedicated circuit for home office, home server, or UPS equipment
- Conduit from panel to exterior for future EV charger or solar
- USB outlet rough-in at kitchen, bedside, and workstation locations
We work alongside general contractors regularly and can coordinate wiring rough-in with the construction schedule. Ask us about construction-phase pricing, which is substantially lower than post-renovation wiring.
Frequently asked questions
Smart home wiring in NYC starts at $450 for basic smart switch installation and scales with scope. Smart lighting for a whole floor runs $1,500–$4,000. Full home automation wiring for a renovation project runs $5,000–$20,000+. We provide itemized fixed-price quotes after a site assessment.
Many do — but older NYC apartments (pre-1990) often lack neutral wires at switch boxes, which most standard smart dimmers require. We assess every switch location and recommend systems that work with your wiring. Lutron Caseta is our most common recommendation for older NYC buildings — it doesn’t need a neutral wire.
We’re platform-neutral — we wire for the platform you choose. For most NYC apartments and brownstones, Lutron Caseta (lighting) combined with Ecobee (thermostat) and Apple HomeKit or Google Home (hub) is a reliable, NYC-compatible setup. For full home automation with more complexity, Control4 or Savant are worth considering. We advise based on your wiring, budget, and preferences.
Yes, with board approval. Smart lighting switch replacements typically don’t require board approval (they’re replacing existing devices). Running new wiring for ethernet, speakers, or cameras usually does require an alteration agreement. We provide all required documentation.
A C-wire (common wire) provides continuous 24V power to smart thermostats like Nest and Ecobee, which need constant power for WiFi connectivity. Many older NYC thermostats were wired without a C-wire. We add a C-wire cleanly — either by running a new wire or using a power adaptor kit where running wire isn’t practical.
During a renovation with walls open. Adding neutral wires, ethernet, speaker wire, and dedicated circuits during construction costs a fraction of the post-renovation price. If you’re planning a renovation, tell us upfront — we can coordinate with your general contractor and rough-in everything in one pass.
What our customers say
“We renovated our Cobble Hill brownstone and MP Electric handled all the smart home rough-in. Neutral wires to every switch, Cat6 throughout, speaker wire for Sonos. Everything worked perfectly with our Lutron system. Worth every penny during the renovation.”
“They assessed our pre-war apartment and correctly identified that we had no neutral wires. Recommended Lutron Caseta, installed it throughout, and everything works flawlessly with HomeKit. No one else even checked before quoting.”
“Had them run ethernet and smart switch wiring during our Queens kitchen renovation. The fact that they coordinate with general contractors made the whole project much smoother than I expected.”
Get a free smart home wiring assessment
We’ll assess your existing wiring, identify neutral wire availability, and give you a platform recommendation and written quote — before you buy any equipment.