If you run a home lab and renovate your home, here's what to wire before the walls close up

When renovating a home, the open-wall phase is the ideal time to run network infrastructure for a home lab. Key advice includes upgrading old Cat5e runs to Cat6A to support 2.5/10 GbE speeds, running ceiling drops for PoE-fed wireless access points, installing conduit sleeves through concrete or masonry foundations, and planning for future lab growth rather than current needs. The core message is to wire more than you think you need, since adding cables after drywall is reinstalled is costly and difficult.