ᐅ Practical Electrical Installation in the Entrance Area

Hello,

I am currently in the middle of a major renovation of an old house. Construction costs have risen so much that I want to postpone certain “extras” that I might have otherwise considered. In particular, I’m having some difficulty planning the electrical setup around the front door, as I want to allow for a possible future upgrade like a fingerprint reader and a motorized lock.

The entrance area will be on a raised platform (half recessed basement) and will have a canopy with a side panel. I plan to install a Reolink doorbell (PoE) in the side panel. The canopy will have integrated lighting, and I would like to add an outlet later on, for example for Christmas lights.

Currently, the exterior wall has provisions for a LAN cable (camera), a switched 230V (230V) cable (canopy lighting), and an unswitched 230V cable (outlet).

What else should be installed now to allow for connecting a fingerprint sensor later? To unlock the door, there would likely be a cable needed to control the electric strike. Would this be a low-voltage signal cable (12/24V) coming from the main distribution board?

If I eventually replace the fence, I could also imagine installing a video intercom system. What kind of wiring would be required outside for that?

Best regards,
Julian

Hey,
So, 5x1.5 for the motion detectors,
6 or 8-core bell wire for the front door (our sensor and motor lock are handled by the home automation system)
You already have POE,
6 or 8-core bell wire for the intercom,
POE for the camera if it’s not integrated into the intercom,
You already have power outlets,
Possibly an in-wall box with enough space and empty conduits for adding new cables later if needed.

I think this setup will cover your needs at the entrance area for the next few years.

Hi Malunga,

thanks for the information.
The electric strike and intercom are all controlled through the control panel in the fuse box, right? So, the cables, including the doorbell wire, all need to terminate there, correct?

JaiBee07 schrieb:

Hi Malunga,

thanks for the info.
The motor lock and intercom are all controlled through the panel in the electrical cabinet, right? So the cables, including the doorbell wire, all need to end there, correct?

In our case, yes. The cable runs from the frame of the house to the electrical cabinet.
Our panel houses the transformer, bus system, signal control, relay, and so on.
The doorbell wire for the intercom also runs to the cabinet since the video line is controlled separately.
This setup also makes future upgrades easier.
Basically, I have arranged most of the wiring (at least the controls and LAN) to terminate centrally in the electrical cabinet.
This way, you have a lot of flexibility.

You mentioned a motorized lock, but then referred to an electric latch. Those are quite different. Unfortunately, here in our office we only have an electric latch. This means the first person in the morning has to unlock with a key as usual. Everyone else can then open using the app. The last person must also lock the door "properly" again with the key. Pretty inconvenient that way.

At my home, I have a front door with a motorized lock, which is very convenient (keycard, fingerprint). I would definitely choose that again. It cost an additional 500€ (about $530) with the new front door.

@i_b_n_a_n: That's right, I lumped both together, which probably isn't correct. What would I need for a fingerprint access... more likely a motorized lock, right?