TV mounting, smart home and Wi-Fi in Toms River, NJ

Toms River covers a lot of ground, from inland neighborhoods to lagoon homes along Barnegat Bay and the barrier-island section at Ortley Beach. Near the water, the first question for any installation is where the equipment will sit if water ever comes in. Many bayfront and lagoon homes have been raised or rebuilt after past storms, and the ground level is now a garage or storage area. Network switches, recorders, Control4 controllers and power supplies belong on a living floor, in a ventilated closet, not on a shelf at grade.

Elevated homes also change how wiring travels. With living space up a full story, cable for exterior cameras, dock or deck lighting and outdoor speakers often has to run along pilings or through the underside of the house. That calls for outdoor-rated cable, protected conduit and fittings that will not corrode. Near salt air and bay spray, choose cameras, speakers and mounts rated for marine or coastal use, and plan on stainless hardware.

On lagoon lots, the back deck and dock are often where you spend the most time. Wi-Fi rarely reaches there from an interior router, so an outdoor access point mounted under an eave can cover the deck and dock without a mess of extenders. A camera on the dock and one covering the driveway give you a good view of a boat and vehicles from your phone. For homes used part of the year, water-leak sensors and temperature alerts can warn you about problems before they become expensive. A battery backup on the modem, router and cameras keeps them running through short outages, which are common during summer storms and nor'easters near the bay. When the power returns, you can confirm from your phone that everything came back online.

Inland neighborhoods like Silverton and the areas off the main roads are mostly typical suburban homes, where the usual projects apply: a TV mounted with wires hidden, a basement media room, better Wi-Fi upstairs and a few cameras. Whatever kind of house you have in Toms River, it helps to start with a strong network and add rooms as you go.