Structured Wiring Panels for Toronto Homes: Leviton SMC vs ICC SOHO vs OnQ

What a Structured Wiring Panel Actually Is

A structured wiring panel is the hub of your home network. Every Cat6a drop, every coax run, sometimes a few speaker wires — they all terminate here. The active gear (modem, router, switch, PoE injector) lives here too, either inside the same enclosure or on a small shelf next to it.

There are three brand families we install regularly in Toronto. Each has trade-offs.

Leviton SMC (Structured Media Center)

The most common pick. Leviton's SMC line covers most Toronto retrofits and renovations.

Structured Wiring Panels — tools and materials staged in a Greater Toronto Area home

Sizes:

14 inch — small, basic, fits a few terminations and a small router. Tight for anything beyond a condo.
28 inch — the workhorse. Fits a 24-port patch panel, modem, router, small PoE switch, coax splitter. About 90 percent of our installs.
42 inch — larger homes with more drops and a real switch.

Strengths:

Widely stocked at every Toronto distributor (Westburne, Nedco, Acme Tools)
Modular brackets for patch panels, telco modules, coax splitters, AC outlet strips
Hinged door, paintable cover
Recessed-mount kit for clean drywall finish

Weaknesses:

Not a true rack — no rack rails for standard 19" gear
Cable management is good but not great
Active gear sometimes runs warm in a closed enclosure

Best for: Most Toronto homes. Standard pick for our retrofits and pre-wires. Cost: 28" enclosure $250 to $350, plus brackets and panels $100 to $200.

ICC SOHO Cabinet

A true wall-mount rack with rack rails for 19" gear. Comes in 6U, 12U, 18U sizes.

Strengths:

Real rack rails accommodate proper switches, UPS, NAS, NVR
Better cable management
Better airflow
Lockable
Vented and ventilated options

Weaknesses:

Looks more like office gear, less like residential
Larger physical footprint
More expensive
Surface-mount only — does not recess into drywall as cleanly

Best for: Power users with a real switch (16-port+), NAS, NVR for cameras, or any rack-mount gear. Cost: 12U SOHO cabinet $400 to $550, 18U $600 to $800.

OnQ / Legrand

OnQ (now Legrand) makes premium structured panels with cleaner aesthetics.

Strengths:

Most attractive enclosures in the category
Thoughtful internal layout
Good selection of expansion modules (audio matrix, video distribution)

Weaknesses:

More expensive than Leviton for equivalent capacity
Less stocked locally — sometimes long lead times
Modules are proprietary

Best for: Custom homes where the panel is in a visible location, or projects already standardized on OnQ for whole-home AV. Cost: 30 to 50 percent premium over Leviton equivalent.

How to Pick

You have a small condo or townhome:

Leviton SMC 14" or 28". Done.

Average detached Toronto home:

Leviton SMC 28" with 24-port patch panel and a small PoE switch on a shelf below.

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Large home with cameras and NAS:

ICC SOHO 18U cabinet — switch, NVR, NAS, UPS all rack-mounted.

High-end custom build with whole-home AV:

OnQ if you are integrating with their AV modules; otherwise ICC SOHO.

Where to Mount the Panel

Three good locations in a typical Toronto home:

1. Basement mechanical room — best for noise isolation, easy cable runs up.
2. Main floor utility closet — fine if you have one with adequate depth (panels need 4" of clearance behind).
3. Garage — works in newer homes but watch for temperature swings (active gear hates heat).

Avoid: bedroom closets (noise), exterior walls (condensation), under stairs without ventilation.