Room Decision System

Power, data & security

Where power, data and security sit — decided before the walls close so nothing is short or in the wrong place.

Each decision below is shown three ways — what it changes in use, which way it moves the cost, and how it looks. Price-free; ALUMAX confirms the figure.

Room

Specialists: Electrical · Data & security

Power & switch points

SpecialistElectricalTechnical decisionGet specification / site review

Specialist tradeELS coordinates

Standard socket layoutBaseline
Planned density + positionsEssentialLow
USB-integrated / designer platesSignatureModerate
Smart / dedicated circuitsBespokeHigh

Your choice · Whole home

See what each option changes

Standard socket layout

In use: The minimum socket and switch count — cheapest, but too few points means trailing extension cords and awkward reaches later.
Cost impact: Baseline — specialist quotation required
How it looks: A basic count of white sockets in default positions.

Planned density + positions

In use: Sockets and switches placed against how you actually use each room — bedside, desk, kitchen appliances, hallway — decided before wiring so nothing is short.
Cost impact: Low — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Points fall where you need them, aligned to furniture and joinery; tidy, deliberate positions.

USB-integrated / designer plates

In use: Sockets with built-in USB-C and matched finish plates cut adapters and lift the detail at bedsides and desks.
Cost impact: Moderate — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Coordinated plate finishes instead of default white — a considered, consistent detail.

Smart / dedicated circuits

In use: App- or scene-controlled points and dedicated circuits for AC, oven and high-load appliances — safer and more flexible; the most first-fix.
Cost impact: High — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Minimal visible switching; scene keypads replace banks of switches — the cleanest walls.

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Data & WiFi

SpecialistData & securityTechnical decisionGet specification / site review

Specialist tradeELS coordinates

Single router (as-is)Baseline
Wired data pointsEssentialLow
Whole-home mesh WiFiSignatureModerate
Structured cabling + comms rackBespokeHigh

Your choice · Whole home

See what each option changes

Single router (as-is)

In use: One router serves the whole home — fine for a small flat, but thick walls and a long terrace leave dead spots.
Cost impact: Baseline — specialist quotation required
How it looks: One visible router and its cabling in one room.

Wired data points

In use: Network points cabled to the rooms that matter — TV, study, work-from-home — for a stable, fast connection; conduits are planned before ceilings close.
Cost impact: Low — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Discreet wall data points; the router and modem tidied into one location.

Whole-home mesh WiFi

In use: Several access points give even, strong WiFi across every room and floor with no dead spots — back-hauled on the wired points.
Cost impact: Moderate — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Small ceiling or wall access points, barely noticeable; devices roam seamlessly.

Structured cabling + comms rack

In use: A central comms rack terminates every data, TV and CCTV line — the backbone for a serious smart home; the most planning and first-fix.
Cost impact: High — specialist quotation required
How it looks: A neat rack in a cupboard; every outlet labelled and terminated — invisible in the living space.

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Safety & security measures

SpecialistData & securityTechnical decisionGet specification / site review

Specialist tradeELS coordinates

Quality locksetsEssentialBaseline
Security grilles / roller shutterEssentialLow
Alarm systemSignatureModerate
Smart lock / access controlSignatureModerate
Reinforced safe roomBespokeHigh

Your choice · Whole home

See what each option changes

Quality locksets

In use: A solid deadbolt and quality lockset on every external door — the everyday first line against forced entry. Stainless or solid-brass internals resist the corrosion that seizes cheap locks in coastal humidity and salt air, so they keep turning smoothly for years on key or thumbturn.
Cost impact: Baseline — specialist quotation required
How it looks: A well-made handle and escutcheon that reads as considered detail, not a hardware-store afterthought — it blends quietly into the door.

Security grilles / roller shutter

In use: Powder-coated aluminium or galvanised-steel grilles and roller shutters that physically stop entry at windows, gates and shopfronts — the deterrent an intruder sees first. Marine-grade coatings shrug off the rust that eats untreated steel through monsoon damp, and metal gives termites nothing to attack; a little lubrication keeps them sliding or rolling smoothly.
Cost impact: Low — specialist quotation required
How it looks: From heavy traditional bars to slim modern vertical rods or a clean box-housed roller — the pattern sets the tone, anywhere from fortress to barely-there.

Alarm system

In use: Door and window contacts, motion sensors and a loud siren that raise the alarm the instant a boundary is breached — deterrence plus a fast response, day or night. A battery backup keeps it armed through the power cuts that follow a storm, and sealed sensors tolerate the constant humidity.
Cost impact: Moderate — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Discreet — slim sensors tuck into frame corners and a small keypad sits by the door; the system is felt as reassurance, not seen. Almost no visual footprint.

Smart lock / access control

In use: Keyless entry by PIN, fingerprint, card or phone — no keys to lose or copy, and you grant or revoke access for family and helpers remotely. Weather-rated units withstand Sarawak heat and humidity, while a mechanical key override and backup battery cover a flat cell.
Cost impact: Moderate — specialist quotation required
How it looks: A sleek, screen-faced handle that signals a modern, well-run home — a contemporary upgrade over a traditional lockset, in brushed metal or matte black.

Reinforced safe room

In use: A single room — often a master wardrobe or store — hardened with a solid-core reinforced door, deadbolts and a secure frame as a place to retreat and call for help during a break-in. Sited above flood level, it doubles as a dry, secure store for documents and valuables through the wet season.
Cost impact: High — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Invisible by design — the reinforced door is finished to match the surrounding joinery, so the room reads as an ordinary wardrobe or store. Nothing announces it.

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Safety monitoring

SpecialistData & securityTechnical decisionGet specification / site review

Specialist tradeELS coordinates

Video doorbellEssentialLow
CCTV + NVRSignatureModerate
Cloud CCTVEssentialLow
Perimeter sensorsSignatureLow
Integrated smart-home monitoringBespokeHigh

Your choice · Whole home

See what each option changes

Video doorbell

In use: A single camera-and-intercom at the front door — see and speak to whoever calls, from your phone, before you open up. Mount it under the porch eave and specify a weatherproof, high-protection unit so driving rain, heat and UV do not fog the lens or crack the housing.
Cost impact: Low — specialist quotation required
How it looks: A small, discreet fixture beside the door — it reads as a doorbell, not a security rig. Choose a housing tone that matches the entry hardware.

CCTV + NVR

In use: Wired cameras across entrances, driveway and blind corners, recording to a local NVR box — footage keeps saving even when a storm knocks out the internet. Site the recorder high and dry above any flood line and back it on an uninterruptible supply so it rides through the power cuts that come with heavy monsoon weather; outdoor cameras need proper high-protection housings and sun-shields against glare, rain and UV.
Cost impact: Moderate — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Neat cameras on eaves and corners with concealed conduit — a considered, permanent layer rather than boxes bolted on as an afterthought.

Cloud CCTV

In use: Cameras that save footage off-site to the cloud, so a recording survives even if the on-site box is stolen, submerged in a flood or lost to a lightning surge. It leans on a steady connection, so pair it with a reliable fibre line and a backup, because Sarawak storms take out power and internet together. Cloud recording usually carries an ongoing subscription.
Cost impact: Low — specialist quotation required
How it looks: The same tidy cameras, with no recorder cabinet to house — the on-site footprint is smaller and cleaner.

Perimeter sensors

In use: Contact, motion and beam sensors along the boundary, gates and openings — they raise the alarm before anyone reaches the house, not after. In the tropics, specify pet-immune, weather-tuned units so drenching rain, swaying foliage and heat haze do not trigger false alarms, and run the outdoor wiring in sealed conduit against damp and termites.
Cost impact: Low — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Small, near-invisible fittings on frames and along the fence line — you feel the coverage more than you see it.

Integrated smart-home monitoring

In use: One system and one app tying the cameras, sensors, alarm and lighting together — arm the house from anywhere, get an alert the moment something trips, and let motion switch on the lights after dark. Because storms here cut power and connectivity, it should sit behind surge protection and an uninterruptible supply, with local fallback so it keeps watching when the line drops.
Cost impact: High — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Nothing extra on the walls — the parts stay discreet and the whole system disappears into a single tidy interface on your phone.

Take this into your room plan

Each decision's badge shows who supplies it. A real figure belongs only to what ALUMAX supplies; appointed-trade works — electrical, air-conditioning, ceiling, flooring, painting, data and security — are quoted by the trade, and loose items are the owner's own purchase. ELS specifies and coordinates throughout. Cost is a relative direction only, never a price; maintenance is described in each option's “In use”.

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