TV mounting, smart home and Wi-Fi in Garden City, NY

Garden City was one of Long Island's early planned communities, and it shows in the tree-lined streets, generous lots and classic architecture: Tudors, Colonials, Georgians and some large older homes near the Cathedral of the Incarnation, along with newer homes built on subdivided or rebuilt lots. Many residents commute on the LIRR, and many families stay in their homes for a long time, renovating rather than moving.

Older homes here were built with plaster walls, heavy trim and solid doors, which look beautiful and block Wi-Fi. A single router in a front hall closet rarely covers a large center-hall colonial plus a finished third floor. Wired access points on each floor, fed from a central location in the basement, give dependable coverage. We route cable through laundry chutes, closets and basement ceilings where possible, so original plaster and moldings stay intact. Many of these homes also have a sunroom or enclosed porch with walls of windows, which is a great reading or TV room once motorized shades handle the glare and an access point is placed close enough to reach it.

Formal living rooms and dens with fireplaces are often where people want a TV, but the mantel wall is not always the right spot. We look at sight lines from the seating, window glare and how high the screen would end up, and sometimes suggest a side wall or a frame-style TV that looks like artwork when off. Whole-home audio fits well here too, with discreet in-ceiling speakers in the kitchen, family room and patio playing from one app.

With good-sized backyards, many Garden City families add outdoor speakers, landscape lighting and cameras that cover the driveway and detached garage. If a detached garage is far enough from the house, a buried cable or a small wireless bridge brings it onto the main network. Motorized shades for tall front windows and a video doorbell on the front porch round out a common set of upgrades for classic homes in Garden City.