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

Manhasset is known for handsome older homes on the North Shore: Tudors, Georgian and center-hall colonials and larger estate properties, many on hilly lots with mature trees and some with views of Manhasset Bay. Plenty of these houses have thick plaster walls, stone or brick exteriors, solid wood trim and multiple additions built over the decades. Those materials look beautiful and last a long time, but they also make wireless signals and new wiring more challenging than in newer construction.

Masonry and plaster absorb Wi-Fi, so a router in one room often leaves the far end of the house, the third floor and the detached garage weak or offline. The reliable solution is a wired backbone with access points placed in each wing and on each floor, carefully positioned so they blend into the ceiling or wall. Running cable through basements, attics, closets and old chases keeps original moldings and plaster intact, and a quiet equipment rack in a utility room keeps everything organized. On sloping lots, a pool house or garage below the main house can be linked with buried conduit or a wireless bridge so it shares the same network.

Renovations are frequent here, and they are the ideal time to plan a full system. While walls are open, you can add cable for TVs, speakers, keypads, shades and cameras, and create pockets above windows so motorized shades disappear when raised. A Control4 system can then bring lighting, shades, music, climate and security together, with engraved keypads in each room that match the finishes rather than a cluster of different switches and remotes.

Many Manhasset households commute to Manhattan on the Port Washington branch or work from home, so a dedicated home office with a wired connection and good lighting for calls is a common request. Families also use their yards heavily, with patios, pools and play areas that benefit from outdoor speakers, landscape lighting and cameras that cover the driveway and back door. Each of these can be added on its own or planned together so the whole property runs from one app.