A modern projector is equipped with plenty of wireless features. These wireless features eliminate the use of wires entirely.
You can also wirelessly connect your projector with Xbox, PlayStation, TV Tuner, Computer, and other devices by using a Wireless HDMI Extender Kit.
The only wire a projector compulsorily needs to have is its power cable. Currently, there’s no turnaround to it. If you place your projector on a TV shelf or coffee table, there are plenty of ways to power it and hide the power cable. However, with a ceiling-mounted projector, things get a little tricky.
Hence, we will learn about How to Run Power to a Ceiling Mounted Projector in four simple steps with this small guide.
Are you ready?
Let’s get started!
How to Run Power to a Ceiling Mounted Projector?
- Look for a power outlet within the ceiling or in the attic
- If not, then use a power kit or add a new power line
- Get sufficient-sized power cable
- Using the new power outlet, test the projector
Is there a power outlet in the ceiling or attic?
Most modern houses and apartments are built with the idea of having a TV in the living room or bedroom. Thus, there are sufficient power outlets in a place where the TV would sit. Moreover, other outlets around the room are close to the floor, while other power outlets are at waist-length or shoulder-length height.
With the increasing popularity of projectors, there might be a chance that your house or apartment has a top-mounted or ceiling-mounted power outlet. In case your house has an attic, there’s a possibility of a power outlet being present in the attic.
Before you make any connection, make sure your projector is placed in the center with respect to the projector screen. The projector needs to be in the horizontal center of the screen.
Once you finalize the projector placement, you can move to worry about powering the projector.
Suppose there’s a power outlet within the ceiling or in the attic. In that case, you can easily connect the projector’s power cord to the power outlet. The power cord provided with most projectors is usually 3 to 4-foot long. If the power cord’s length isn’t sufficient enough to reach the power outlet, make sure to get a longer power cord.
In such a scenario, you might be tempted to use a power cord extension cable. However, projectors draw a large amount of power. A power cord extension cable might not handle the immense power surge or provide clean power to the projector. Moreover, an extension cord can also turn out to be a safety hazard as well if not used correctly.
Using a Cable Power Kit system
Fundamentally, a Cable Power Kit runs an extension cord from a power outlet to the power grommet. A cable power kit like the Legrand-Wiremold CMK70 [LINK] comes with the entire wall cable management system. This system will take a little bit of handy work; hence, it is essential to know what you’re doing beforehand.
Let’s say you want a power outlet in a different location (for example, ceiling). Still, there’s already an unused power socket nearby yet far away from the projector. In this scenario, using a cable power kit will draw power from the unused power socket and supply it to a power grommet via a power cord extension.
The video embedded below gives a good idea of how to use a cable power kit. Later, you can use the cable power kit and place the power grommet near to your projector.
Adding an entirely new Power Socket
Suppose the idea of using a Cable Power Kit seems a little troublesome for you. You can opt to call an electrician and ask him to add a new power socket near the projector.
Depending on the electrician’s experience, this task might take a bit of planning to get the desired result. Also, make sure to explain in detail (to the electrician) what you want to do and the results you’re trying to achieve.
Later, it is also crucial that the work is done safely without any loose ends. A shoddy work might result in electrical problems later on.
To be future proof, make sure to add a couple of power sockets instead of one. It will ensure that you won’t have to do all this work all over again while using another ceiling-mounted electrical device.
Get sufficient-sized power cable
As mentioned above, projectors usually come with a 2 or 3-foot long power cord.
Suppose the placement of the power outlet is very close to the projector. In that case, the longer power cord will either hang unnecessarily or might be required to roll the power cord around the ceiling mount, which isn’t recommended. In such a scenario, I recommend going with a 1-foot power cord, which will prevent additional slack.
On the other hand, if the power outlet is quite far from the projector, you should get a longer 6 or 10-foot power cord depending on the distance. On Amazon, you can find 25-foot and longer power cords as well if you want to use an exceptionally far power outlet.
Testing the projector
Once you’re done with the power outlet and power cord procedure, now’s it’s time to check it all works or not.
Before you directly connect the projector to this new power outlet, I recommend connecting an old electrical device or lamp to the power outlet first. If in case something goes wrong, it will save your projector from going kaput.
If everything goes well, you shall now connect the projector to this new power outlet. If all works well, then congratulations, you’ve successfully powered a ceiling-mounted projector.
Later, you can make sure the projector is properly lined up and make the required adjustments.
Conclusion
As you know, most houses are designed in a way to accommodate a TV. Hence, all the power outlets are placed according to a TV and its complementary accessories.
Thus, if you want to ceiling-mount a projector, then it can be a little tricky at first. However, with the above steps, you can ensure to first look for any ceiling-mounted power socket or a power socket in the attic. If not, then you can add a cable power kit or a new power socket to the desired location.
Once everything is done correctly, make sure this new setup works appropriately, and there are no hiccups during future usage.