Pre-Construction for Access Control - Before the Walls Close

Friday, 12 June 2026

Planning for Smart Locks, Gate Systems, and Security Cameras

Access control touches nearly every entry point of a luxury home. This is why it’s best to install the infrastructure before framing is complete. Smart locks, video intercoms, gate operators, and security cameras all depend on low-voltage wiring, power, and network connections. It’s easiest to set up this backbone before stone columns and millwork are in place.

At Aurum Home Technology, we map the full access control ecosystem during the design phase, coordinating with builders, electricians, and landscape contractors before those decisions get made by default.

A Systems Approach

Access control in a luxury home isn't about a set of devices or products; it's an ecosystem. Smart locks secure entry doors, video intercoms manage communication at gates and primary entries, and cameras monitor driveways, outdoor living areas, and key access points. Importantly, a smart control platform ties it all together.

Savant, the same platform Aurum uses to manage lighting, audio, and climate, can integrate access control so that a guest's arrival at the gate triggers a camera view on a keypad or mobile device, and the gate can be opened from anywhere. For this level of integration, we lay conduits, set up networks, and collaborate across multiple trades well before framing is complete.

Smart Locks and Entry Points

A large luxury home can have a surprising number of controlled entries: the main entrance, the mudroom, the garage doors, the pool house, the guest suite, and service entries. Each one is included in the plan before rough-in begins.

Smart lock and electric strike hardware depends on low-voltage wiring and often a network drop at each controlled door. Magnetic locks at gates need dedicated power. Hardware selection affects door and frame details, which means the millwork supplier is part of the conversation early. Aurum documents every controlled entry point and shares that information with the general contractor and electrician during the planning phase.

Gate and Intercom Infrastructure

Gate systems are among the most infrastructure-intensive access control elements on a luxury property. A gate operator uses dedicated power. The intercom station at the gate column is powered by conduit back to the equipment room, often a long run across the property. Camera placement at the gate entry is coordinated with the column design and landscape layout.

All of that conduit goes in during site work, before hardscape or fencing is in place. As with outdoor audio and site networking, once the ground closes, the options narrow. Aurum works with the landscape architect and site contractor to identify conduit routes and stub-out locations early, so gate infrastructure is built into the site plan rather than retrofitted around it.

Cameras as Part of the Access Ecosystem

PoE security cameras share infrastructure with the home network but have their own placement requirements. Entry points, driveways, and outdoor living areas all benefit from camera coverage, and conduit, junction boxes, and network drops are roughed in before those surfaces are finished.

Camera placement is also a coordination point with the lighting designer. A camera backlit at night or mounted at the wrong height is easier to fix on paper than on a finished wall. While Aurum designs and installs camera infrastructure, integration with alarm and monitoring systems involves coordination with the homeowner's security provider, another reason to have these conversations early.

Plan Access Control Before the Project Moves On

Aurum's deliverable at this stage is documentation. Plans showing every access point, conduit route, power requirement, and device location, shared with the general contractor, electrician, and landscape contractor before ground breaks. The access control conversation belongs in the design phase, alongside lighting, audio, and networking, when coordination is straightforward, and changes are still easy and inexpensive. Contact Aurum Home Technology to help plan access control and technology integration early in your next project.