TV mounting, smart home and Wi-Fi in Metuchen, NJ

Metuchen's tree-lined streets near the downtown and train station are full of early twentieth-century homes: Victorians, foursquares, colonials and bungalows, many with deep front porches, detached garages and lots that sit close to the neighbors. These houses have character worth protecting, and they also come with plaster walls, irregular framing and fewer outlets than a modern family expects.

Mounting a TV on plaster takes a different approach than drywall. Plaster can crack if it is drilled carelessly, and studs are not always where you expect them. We locate solid framing, use the right anchors and drill slowly so the wall stays intact. For sound, a slim soundbar or a pair of wireless speakers often makes more sense than cutting into original walls, and a Sonos system can grow room by room as you go. Front porches are a favorite spot in summer, and a pair of covered outdoor speakers under the porch ceiling can bring music outside without being obvious from the street. Fireplace mantels in older living rooms are often shallow or decorative, so we check the chimney and heat before suggesting a TV above one.

Wi-Fi is a frequent frustration in these homes. Plaster, especially over metal lath, can block signal between floors, and a router in the basement rarely reaches a third-floor bedroom or attic office. A couple of ceiling-mounted access points connected by cable usually solves it. The detached garage is another common dead zone; an outdoor access point or a wireless bridge can extend the network so a camera, a garage door opener or a workshop gets a dependable connection.

Close neighbors mean cameras need some thought. We aim them at your porch, driveway and back door rather than the house next door, and many cameras let you mask areas you do not want recorded. A video doorbell can usually be fitted to an older door frame without changing the look of the entry. In Metuchen, the best results come from blending new technology quietly into a house that already has a lot of personality.