TV mounting, smart home and Wi-Fi in Brooklyn, NY

A typical brownstone or limestone rowhouse in Park Slope, Fort Greene or Bed-Stuy is narrow and deep, with a garden level, a parlor floor and two or three floors above, all separated by solid party walls. Wi-Fi from a router in the basement often never reaches the top floor. The fix is usually an access point on every floor or two, connected by cable run through an existing chase, a closet stack or the old dumbwaiter shaft if the house still has one. During a gut renovation, it is worth running a cable to every floor and every likely TV spot even if you do not use them all yet, because opening finished walls later costs far more.

Parlor floors with tall ceilings, ornate plaster and original marble mantels need a light touch. Mounting a TV over a mantel means checking what is behind the chimney breast, and many owners prefer an art-style TV or a swivel mount so the room's details stay the focus. Speakers can go in the ceiling where plaster allows or into slim bookshelf models when cutting is not an option. If your house is in a landmarked district, we keep exterior work such as cameras and doorbells discreet and reversible.

Lofts in converted warehouses in Williamsburg, Dumbo and Gowanus have different problems: exposed brick, concrete ceilings and open plans with few interior walls to hide cable. Surface raceways painted to match, wireless speakers and well-placed ceiling access points keep things clean. Newer glass condo towers along the waterfront bring building rules, so we plan around management requirements, insurance certificates and freight elevator reservations.

Outdoor space is precious in Brooklyn, and backyards and roof decks deserve the same thought as the living room. Weather-rated speakers, a covered outdoor TV, string or landscape lighting and a camera on the back gate turn a small yard into usable space. For homes that are split into a rental unit plus an owner's triplex, separate networks and a video intercom at the stoop make shared entrances easier to manage.