Streaming, working from home, cameras, KNX: everything in your house depends on the network. We plan structured Cat 7 cabling and Wi-Fi without gaps, before the first wall is plastered.
Streaming in 4K, video calls when working from home, cameras, multiroom audio, KNX visualisation — every smart home stands or falls with its data infrastructure. We plan structured Cat 7 cabling to every relevant point: TV positions, study, access points, technical room. The result: full bandwidth at every outlet, no interference, no compromises.
One router in the hallway is not enough: reinforced concrete, underfloor heating and modern insulation absorb wireless signals. We position access points according to the floor plan and the building fabric — in the ceiling, discreet, each fed by its own cable. That way the Wi-Fi carries from the cellar to the terrace, and you never need makeshift repeaters again.
A network cable costs little while the shell is still open: pull the cable, fit the outlet, done. The same cable added later means chasing channels, opening walls, repainting — many times the cost and the mess. That is why the network planning belongs at the start, alongside the electrical planning, with spare conduits at the key points.
Whatever the provider supplies becomes the backbone of the house — until the first dead spot.
Copper to every fixed position, Wi-Fi as a planned addition — measured and documented.
Four access points, all on the same channel, all at full transmit power — and the Wi-Fi is worse than with one. A wireless network is planned the way lighting is: coverage where it is needed, clean separation of the bands, and regard for the building fabric. Beneath it a cabled foundation that carries whatever is hanging on it in ten years.
We plan the access point positions from how the rooms are used, the floor plan and the building materials — reinforced concrete, screed reinforcement mesh and metal-coated glass attenuate the signal considerably. The aim is even coverage where people work and stream, not maximum transmit power everywhere.
2.4 GHz for range and simple IoT devices, 5 GHz for bandwidth. We set the channels so they do not overlap, limit transmit power deliberately and set up proper roaming — so the tablet hands over as you walk through the house instead of clinging to a distant access point.
Wireless, bus and power cabling otherwise get in each other's way: we keep the separation distances, route cables cleanly, watch for sources of interference such as inverters and charging infrastructure, and record where screening is needed — electromagnetic compatibility is a matter for planning, not for chance.
If you want to be free of wireless at night or in the sleeping area, you can be: the Wi-Fi switched off per access point by time or by scene, wired alternatives at the important positions, and a plan that works fully without wireless too.
Family, guests, building services, cameras and the smart TV do not belong in the same network. We segment with VLANs and firewall rules — the camera may reach the recording system but not the internet, the guest may reach the internet but not the building services.
Remote access over VPN instead of open port forwarding, encrypted connections to the visualisation, proper certificates and separate user permissions. Where the requirements are higher we plan additionally secured paths for security-relevant systems.
Between technical rooms, outbuildings and over longer distances we use fibre: electrically isolated, immune to interference and with spare capacity for bandwidths nobody needs today. Conduits and splice points are planned during shell construction, not looked for later.
Cat 7 installation cable in a star to the technical room, every workplace twice over, access points, cameras and door station each with their own cable. Outlets, patch panel and labelling to one system — so that in five years nobody has to guess where which core goes.
Access points, cameras, door stations and panels run over Power over Ethernet: fewer power supplies, fewer sockets in impossible places. We calculate the power budget of the switches, plan an uninterruptible power supply for the equipment cabinet and the alarm transmission paths, and keep spare ports free.
Network cabinet and electrical distribution board are planned together: rack units, ventilation, cable management, accessibility. A technical room is not a storeroom — it is the place where, in ten years, it is decided whether an extension takes an hour or a day.
A house with a good network is not noticed — only the one with a bad network is: in the video call that stalls, in the camera image that stutters, and in the wall that has to be opened up again because of it.
From the usage profile to the measured link — ready for execution and documented.
Where you work, stream and play decides the outlet positions and cable routes — not chance.
Access points positioned according to the floor plan and the building fabric — in the ceiling, each fed by its own cable.
Patch panel, PoE switch, router and room for later — ventilated, labelled, in the right place.
Planned in at the key points, so your house stays open to whatever comes later.
After commissioning every link is measured through — you know at any time which cable goes where.
Planning and execution within one group — one point of contact, nothing lost at the interfaces.
It starts with your everyday life: where do you work, stream, play? Which cameras, panels and audio zones will be added? Out of that comes the list of requirements for your network.
We plan outlet positions, access points, switch sizing and the central network cabinet with a clean patching structure — coordinated with the electrical and KNX planning, ready for execution by any specialist contractor.
The installation is carried out by our sister company elektrofabrik or by your own electrical contractor working to our drawings — during shell construction, before the plastering, with spare conduits at the key points.
After commissioning every link is measured through and the network fully documented. You receive the drawings and the documentation — your house belongs to you, digitally as well.
Complete electrical and network planning across 450 m² — including a cinema with projector and screen that depends on stable bandwidth.
Complete electrical installation in an existing building — with smart office, DoorBird door station, shading and Occhio lighting on new infrastructure.
Basalte, bespoke multiroom solutions, pool and garden irrigation — many trades that have to work together as one system.
smartfabrik is a smart home planning practice based in Düsseldorf (Reisholzer Werftstr. 31A). We plan for private clients and companies in Cologne, Düsseldorf and across North Rhine-Westphalia — and, where wanted, nationwide and internationally. A selection of the places we have already planned and delivered in:
As a rule of thumb we plan at least two connections per habitable room, and considerably more at the TV position and in the study. What decides it, though, is your usage profile: working from home, streaming, gaming and smart home technology all make different demands. We settle the positions together on the floor plan — including spare capacity, because a double outlet during shell construction costs hardly more than a single one.
For the phone on the sofa: yes. For 4K streaming, video calls, cameras and multiroom audio: no. Wireless shares the bandwidth with every device and with the neighbours, a cable does not. Our rule: anything with a fixed position gets a cable. Wi-Fi stays for mobile devices — but then without gaps, with access points placed properly.
Cat 7 cabling carries 10 Gbit/s over the link lengths usual in a house and is sized adequately for decades. Cat 8 was developed for data centres with short distances and brings practically no benefit in a single-family house. More important than the category are clean installation, screened outlets and a complete measurement of every link — which is exactly what we plan and document.
Yes, but with considerably more effort: opening walls, chasing channels, decorating. In a refurbishment we use existing conduits, service risers and suspended ceilings to keep the intervention small. If you are refurbishing anyway, that is the right moment — the network cable then costs a fraction of what a separate job later would.
The heart of your house: patch panel, switch with PoE for cameras and access points, router, and if needed an uninterruptible power supply — plus room for what comes later. We plan the cabinet with spare capacity, provide for ventilation and a sensible location. Properly labelled and documented, it is still maintainable in ten years.
During shell construction a cable costs little — arrange your planning consultation for Cologne, Düsseldorf and NRW.
Request a consultation →You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Facebook. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information