For each room, cut paper into shaped for various furniture. For example, cut out a bed, dresser, and nightstand for bedrooms. With various configurations, it will then become obvious where cable and network ports are best located.

For example, doing so will make obvious where furniture cannot be so that doors can swing and window access exists.

Also install some plastic pipes, for example, between basement and attic. So that future low voltage wires are easily installed for features we do not yet know we need.

Dedicate a location for all communication, network, and security hardware. With enough AC plugs to power those devices. Bringing all wires to a common point (with a large plywood sheet on that wall for mounting) makes upgrades and debugging much simpler.

AC wired in a manner so that a future generator or power wall can power only items that must always have power.

All incoming TV, network, etc wires must enter a structure at one service entrance. So that all share same earth ground electrodes with AC electric.

Ufer grounds (using rebar) should be installed when footing are poured. Essential for all low voltage cabling.

What high voltage telephone equipment? Telephone hardware is low voltages just like networking voltages. Why would ethernet transceivers be in hardware? Low voltages.

We are now discussing people who invent lies - to sound honest. Ethernet transceivers are required to be some of the most robust. Will withstand 2000 volt transients without damage. Some are even more robust.

We engineers constantly deal with IT people. Who know as much about computer hardware as a taxi cab driver knows about V-8 engines.

How many computers have you designed? Not assembled. Designed by first drawing schematics. My first design was over 45 years ago. Stop trying to claim knowledge. Your examples are disinformation.

Anyone with minimal IT and computer knowledge knows telephones are low voltage. Ethernet ports are among the most robust ports in electronics

Only the most electrically ignorant constantly promote expensive magic boxes. You don’t even know that lightning protection is compromised (bypassed) because converter connect to AC mains. But then you are an IT guy. Who has no idea how robust hardware really is.

Has no idea that direct lightning strikes all over the world, over 100 years ago, caused no damage to low voltage hardware (ie telephone equipment) when and because earth ground was properly implemented.

Please stop claiming superiority using ‘IT’ as proof. If informed, then stated is why ALL professionals required low impedance connections to earth ground. So that surges (including direct lightning strikes) cause no damage. Cited professional sources. What have you posted? Technical lies justified only by hearsay and tweets.

IT people, so often, have no idea how a computer or electricity works. A perfect example of ignorance is “high voltage telephone equipment.” The lie suggests knowledge only as a salesmen or accountant for Nokia.

Copper wires without damage even from direct lightning strikes have always been a best solution even over 100 years ago. This sub has one so ignorant as to not know this. Cannot dispute it. So he cheapshots - downvotes.

Ground has always been the solution. However which ground? Your house could have 100 electrically different grounds. Word ‘ground’ must always be preceded by a relevant adjective. Neither digital ground, floating ground, nor wall receptacle safety ground does any such protection. All over the world (today and over 100 years ago), even direct lightning strikes did not cause damage. But only when ‘earth’ ground was properly implemented.

Many urban myths are posted. What most call surges are only noise. Always made irrelevant by what exists inside all appliances.
Some even foolishly call an outage a surge. Connecting IT equipment to safety ground does not avert surge damage. Nor addresses other electrical noises. Fiber does not solve the problem. Since fiber converters are connected directly to the most common sources of surges - AC electric.

Stated repeatedly was what professionals say. With numbers. Tweets (ie use fiber) without any reasons why is classic junk science. Easily promoted because it is a tweet - does not say why.

OP need only do what is found inside every communication switching facility (ie COs) all over the world. Since those suffer about 100 surges with each thunderstorm. And no damage. Homeowners implement same (inexpensive) solution. For protection from all surges including direct lightning strikes. Since a home might suffer one surge in seven years. Again, numbers.

Notice: not even one can dispute the science. Or contradict numbers. First indication of someone who knows this stuff, professionally, maybe even before others were born.

Fiber converters only do something useful when all other incoming wires (especially AC) have well proven protection as implemented over 100 year ago. If every other incoming wire is not properly earthed, then irrelevant is whether a data cable is fiber or copper.

Surges are not induced. Surges are (for example) lightning’s current incoming and outgoing. A direct connection.

Lightning current (a connection from cloud to distant earthborne charges) is even incoming on buried wires. As this Tech Note clearly demonstrates. Even underground wires can be part of lightning’s current path. As demonstrated in the 1950s when telcos did research for COs. That would be filled with germanium transistors.

Surges (including lightning) are always a direct current flowing in and out between two charges. For lightning, a path from charges in a cloud to charges (maybe four miles away) in earth. That path must not connect anywhere inside a structure. For surge protection to exist.

Concepts (also defined elsewhere by the IEEE) dictate a “single point” ground. And when properly earthed, the protection is 99.5% to 99.9%. From all surges - especially direct lightning strikes.

For example, lightning struck a tree. That electric current went 100 feet underground to the building’s earthing electrode. Up into the house. Through appliances. Then out so earth via electrodes on the other side. Then that current flowed some four miles to distant charges.

Damage because a best path to those distant charges was up through appliances in that house. Damage because earthing was not single point.

Only wild speculation claims E-M fields at that tree caused damage 100 feet away. Surges are always a current that directly flows through a structure to cause damage. For lightning, damage is in the path that connects a cloud to distant earthborne charges.

Why were church steeples damaged? Even wood is an electrical conductor. But not a very good one. So wood is damaged. Franklin’s lightning rod (like all surge protection) was only a more conductive path to distant earthborne charges. Protection is always and only about providing a better path, outside, so that surge currents are nowhere inside.

In another venue, they had Fios - fiber optics. Lightning struck cause damage to various networked appliances. Fios ONT also was damaged. How can this be? It is a fiber converter? They did not have properly earthed protection on every incoming wire. So a direct lightning strike out at the pole flowed destructively through the ONT (fiber optic box) and other appliances. To connect to distant charges.

Surge damage is always about the current path into and out of a structure. Protection only exists when that current has a path that need not go into the building.

Box (Fios ONT) “powered by an electrical source means protection is gone - compromised.” Protection only exists when every incoming wire connects to the same earthing electrodes. Either directly or via a protector. Those connection to and earthing electrodes require most all attention. Virtually all professionals say that.

NEC only defines a barest minimal earthing.

Regarded as legendary are Polyphaser’s application notes that discuss this extensively. In one note, lightning struck the manhole cover. Which connected lightning destructively underground into a communication building maybe hundreds feet distant. Not damage induced by induced fields as so many only wildly speculate. Damage is always about where that direct strike current flows. Its incoming and outgoing path. Even on underground cables.

Boxes powered by an electrical source means protection is gone - compromised.

All over the world even over 100 years ago, copper wires were connected to effective (earthed) protectors so that even direct lightning strikes caused no damage. So effective that damage from lightning is routinely considered a human mistake.

If lighting burns out one media converter, that solution is bogus.

Effective protection all over the world (even 100 years ago) meant direct lightning strikes without a surge anywhere inside.

Electronics atop the Empire State Building are struck, typically, 23 times annually. Electronics atop the WTC - about 40 times annually without damage. How can this be when wild speculation says something different?

Or learn from the IEEE. Properly earthed solution is only 99.5% to 99.9% protection. So it is not perfect. Then the IEEE (being an honest and professional organization) says this:

Still, a 99.5% protection level will reduce the incidence of direct strokes from one stroke per 30 years … to one stroke per 6000 years … Protection at 99.5% is the practical choice.

Best protection is routinely on copper wire between buildings. If earth grounds at both ends are properly connected. Either directly or via a protector. Best solution costs tens of times less money.

A protector that fails is no effective protection. Even over 100 years ago, protector meant no damage from any surge - including direct lightning strikes. Effective protectors do not fail. Profit centers do.

After a lightning strike, does a telco replace 10,000 or 30,000 protectors on all those incoming wires? Of course not. They do not waste vast sums on puny (high profit) protectors.

Same applies to effective protection routinely implemented by informed homeowners. For about $1 per appliance. To protect from all surges including direct lightning strikes. But and again, only if that protector connects low impedance (ie less than 10 feet) to what is doing all protection. To the only item that harmlessly dissipates hundreds of thousands of joules.

Protector (if not promoted by swindlers) remains functional after many surges - including direct lightning strikes. With specification numbers that say so. Proven all over the world for over 100 years.

National Electrical code defines human protection. Says nothing about appliance protection. Two electrodes is an absolute minimal only to protect humans. Relevant are factors such as geology; that may make those electrodes insufficient.

Does not matter if chassis ground, virtual ground, equipment ground, or motherboard ground exist. Only ground that does appliance protection is single point ‘earth’ ground. Word ‘ground’ without that preceding adjective implies one who does not yet understand how to protect from all surges, including direct lightning strikes. Knowledge that was well understood and routinely implemented even over 100 years ago.

An honest solution will always answer this question. Where are hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly absorbed?

You have assumed the word ‘ground’ without an always required adjective. Numerous grounds exist. For transient protection of appliances, only ‘earth’ ground matters.

The concept first demonstrated by Franklin over 250 years ago. Surges (lightning is only one example) are hunting for earth ground. How that current connects to earth defines damage.

A most common incoming path is AC mains. Once anywhere inside, then that transient hunts for earth destructively via appliances. A most common destructively path is into networked hardware on AC mains. Then out to earth via networking hardware.

Damage is often on the outgoing path - ie an ethernet or HDMI port.

If any wire enters without making a low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection to single point earth ground, then protection is compromised.

Protection only exists when a surge is not anywhere inside.

Ethernet must make that low impedance (ie hardwire has no sharp bends or splices) connection via a protector. Coax cable has best protection without any protector. Only a hardwire makes a low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection to same earthing electrodes. Every wire inside every incoming cable (without exception) must make that earth ground connection.

How good is protection? Defined by that connection to and quality of earth ground electrodes. Wall receptacle safety ground is all but disconnected - never is an earth ground. Number of electrodes may be dependent on factors such as geology.

Products from APC do not claim effective protection. One need only read specification sheets. How does its hundreds or thousands joules ‘absorb’ a surge that can be hundreds of thousands of joules? How do 2 cm protector parts ‘block’ what three miles of sky cannot?

Scams target consumers who ignore these and other numbers. No protector claims protection. Either it makes that low impedance (ie hardwire not inside metallic conduit) to single point earth ground. (All four words have electrical significance.) Or may give a surge more paths to earth via nearby appliances.

Type 3 (plug-in) protectors cannot be anywhere near earth ground. To not try to do much protection. To avert what tiny joules protectors do - fire.

Don’t take my word for it. Professionals have been both saying and doing this stuff for over 100 years. Only recently have companies such as APC been selling magic boxes to consumers who ignore numbers and all this well proven science.

Detached building is more than 30 feet away. So AC (and any other cable that connects) must have a low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection to an earth ground for that detached building. Only that (never any plug-in protector) is the only protection from surges.

Of course, a surge is quite rare. Maybe once in seven years. Many do not see one in twenty years. But a surge in that detached garage can also (otherwise) connect destructively to appliances also inside the main building.

Fiber is an expensive option that does not eliminate the need for properly earthed protection. And only does what a MoCA or ethernet cable already does - for much less money.

What is called a MoCA broadcaster, I assume, is an access point. Another solution is a directional antenna on that access point (if it has a removable antenna) directed at the garage office.