Hello everyone,

I figured I would ask here rather than electronics as I am sure this is something anyone building their home has considered and they may have answered.

What are people pre-wiring/running these days? I'm in the middle of a total gut/remodel and am at the point now that the rough electrical is coming to an end that I need to think about cable, phone, internet, speakers, etc.

Personally, I only use a cell phone and watch my TV shows online. But, given that the house is two units, I want it wired in advance to avoid the seemingly inevitable "helpful" service installers who drill unsightly holes and stable cables along baseboards for a tenant.

I am thinking of using Leviton QuickPort Decora Inserts for all applications. They come with 2, 3, 4 or 6 changeable ports.

One unit (to be rented) has two bedrooms, a living room where all the TV-related electronics will be contained together, and a kitchen, all rooms where I have tentatively installed low voltage boxes. I want to terminate all of this in a data closet of sorts. Are people still adding phone jacks to bedrooms? Should I add ethernet ports or would I just assume they will use wireless? Do I run two cat5e or cat6 to each of those jacks? What is appropriate for the kitchen? A phone jack and maybe and ethernet jack? Anything else? I think behind the TV only needs cable (coax), phone and ethernet?

The *other* unit will be owner-occupied (unless minds change and the units are switched). Things are a little trickier here, I think. The living room is small, so any equipment associated with the TV is going in the data closet for this unit. There is one bedroom, I suppose it would be treated as the two bedrooms in the first unit.

I want surround sound (five speakers plus bass) and anything that would be connected to the TV would need to be communicated through a jack in the wall to whichever equipment and then to the TV. The only equipment visible in the room would be the speakers and TV.

I figured a double-gang box behind the TV (up to 12 ports) would handle the left, right and center speakers as well as the coax and HDMI connections. Am I missing anything else? Ethernet?

I also figured that boxes on either side of the couch (across from the TV) would handle the back left and right speakers and the bass. I think I have to give up two ports each for those. I'd also stick a phone line there, just because.

Services for both units are totally separate because cable, internet, etc, will be billed separately, so none of the wiring will be common.

Sorry to have rambled, please ask me to clarify anything. I can also provide basic floor plans and jack/port locations if needed.