Smart Home Wiring

The Need for Structured Wiring

Over the years there have been enormous changes to the way we live in our homes. Not so long ago, the inside look was a luxury, heat came from open fires, and parts of the kitchen were open to the elements to stop the butter from going rancid. Now we treat central heating as a human right, the fitted kitchen as a fundamental requirement, and all the electrical gadgets as essential for survival.

Such devices are designed to make life easier, but still require some kind of elementary programming - even the simple off/on switch calls for affirmative action. Then it is almost certain that you switch on your TV with one remote and operate the channel changer for the cable system with another. Then you hunt down the back of the sofa for the VCR or DVD remote, and so that you can watch your favorite movie, you turn down the lights and draw the curtains. A lot of effort isn't it? And it's all completely unnecessary.

Imagine if you had a central control for all the systems in your house, not just to control each component, but one that would almost intuitively maintain the living environment of heating, lighting, security and entertainment systems, and initiate intelligent interaction between them. So if you want to watch that movie, it will turn on the relevant amplifier, DVD and television, turn down the lights and draw the curtains - in any room that you choose. It is this kind of effortless 'smart' control that home owners now seek.

But 'smart homes' are not only for the rich. When you consider how many TVs and computers are dotted around the average home, how much we spend on home entertainment equipment, and how more of us are using the Internet, you realize how useful a simple network can be to the average home owner. Yet many homes lack the wiring necessary for even the most basic connections. Typically, the wiring has either been modified, badged or is simply the product of lazy practices. The result is, literally, dead-ends.

It is surprising however, what can be achieved with a little forethought and the application of certain wiring principles. It starts by introducing what is commonly referred to as 'structured wiring.'

Certain developers are now offering their clients 'future-proofed' homes by accommodating communications, entertainment and security in a structured wiring regime, following a trend established in the US, a market which has seen an explosion in structured wiring sales in recent years. So let us see how adding a little structure to the wiring plan can make a huge difference at the other end.

The standard TV network comprises a ring-main of TV points, which have been daisy-chained together, usually using cheap co-axial cable (10p per metre). By the time the RF (radio frequency) signal reaches the third or fourth room (or point), picture and sound are distorted because the signal has run out of 'juice'. By adding a signal-boosting amplifier at the aerial end, and a level-balancing termination point (TAP) after the amplifier, which ensures all points are driven individually at the correct level, and by replacing the cheap coax with decent CT100 co-axial cable (50p a metre), the poorly-performing RF distribution system can be transformed into an embryonic structured wiring system with real growth potential.

If you want to share the system in the living room, which might include a satellite box, DVD and VCR, with other rooms, you would install another length of CT100 to a splitter-box before the amplifier. At the equipment end of this 'return' cable is an RF modulator, which allows the installer to pick specific VHF frequencies to carry audio and video. Plug your gear into the modulator and there you have it: video and audio from your sources (DVD, video, satellite etc), available through all screens on your network.

Alternatively, a simple RF distribution system can be achieved using a 'smart-switch' (or multi-switch), from which TV/SAT/FM signals are sent to dedicated 'tri-plexed' room outlet sockets down a single CT100 cable. You can plug gear such as a SAT receiver into every room, and share what you are watching with other rooms through a return cable back to the smart switch.

The key technique in all structured wiring schemes is the use of the return cable, through which all sources are referred back to a central point in the network for distribution. This is known as the 'home run' principle and is found in every structured wiring plan. Another standard practice, and a by-product of the home run principle, is to collect all the sources and the smart distribution devices in one place in the home, often called the MEC (Main Equipment Centre). This can be the living room, or in more elaborate systems, a dedicated room for storing racks of equipment.

Another structured wiring scheme uses a specialized multi-room controller in the MEC and distributes stereo sound. The hi-if, and other stereo sources plug into the controller, and are switched on a network of loudspeaker cables and CAT 5 (Category 5) control cables using small keypads in every room.

CAT 5 is a key technology in the smart house repertoire, and is a standard that establishes the minimum requirements for telecommunications cabling. The CAT 5 cable comprises a core of eight cables, in four twisted pairs, and is designed for low noise and high speed. CAT 5 cable (and sometimes the more advanced version CAT 5e), is used in many structured wiring schemes to carry audio, video and control signals around the network. For instance, the keypads in the last example are connected back and forth from the multi-room controller using CAT 5.

CAT 5 is a specialised cable and requires careful application if it is to operate correctly: no more than 20mm of the outer sheath should be removed, no more than 10mm of the signal-carrying core should be untwisted, sharp bends in the cable should be avoided, the cable should be kept at least 160mm away from 230V mains cable, no more than 25lbs of pull tension should be used, and you should not step-on, kink, snag or splice CAT 5 cable. It should be treated with respect because it is the main highway for signals in all advanced structured wiring schemes that regularly use three CAT 5 outlets in every room, one for broadband A/V signals and control signals, and the others for the telephone and PC networks.

The ultimate smart house systems introduce more specialized, and much more expensive, digital interfaces, routers and in-room LCUs (Local Control Units). Some routers are capable of multiplexing 32 sources in 64 rooms, converting all audio and video to digital signals alongside the digital data control signals, and converting them back to analogue at the LCUs. All audio and video sources, including those from entertainment portals such hard disk media servers and PVRs (Personal Video Recorders), as well as video from security cameras, can be sent anywhere in the home on CAT 5 cable. Lighting and heating controls are on separate structured networks under the intelligent control of dedicated, centralised hubs, usually situated in the MEC. Remote touch panels in each room talk to LCUs via infra-red (IR) and can communicate with heating and lighting systems via RS232, 485, 422 and other data languages through wall-mounted interfaces.

Such systems can cost as much as $250,000, but deliver the most sophisticated smart-house utilities. They give the client control over all services anywhere in the home via very cute, portable IR panels, and embody a high level of intuitive management.

The basis of any successful structured wiring system is good planning, and adherence to certain principles and techniques enshrined in the laws of custom installation. You can do wonders with them, transforming bog-standard home wiring into something far more useful, for as little at $1,200. However the more complex systems are more likely to require the expertise of a specialist.

Consider a Home Entertainment System BEFORE You Build

Make the right connection

Tucked into the framing of your home is the lifeline that connects everything. It turns on the lights, runs the computer, monitors the security system, brings the television signal and provides your family with the things that make life safe, convenient and enjoyable.

Wire Before Walls - It's Cost Effective

A home electronics network creates a local area network (LAN) throughout your entire house, bringing multiple telephone jacks, computers, cable/satellite hookups, and standard outlets to each and every room in your home. For the first time, you can access all your electronics through one multifunctional outlet.

Before hanging the first sheet of drywall, consider the electronics you'll want in your new home:

• Telephone
• Television
• Stereo
• VCR-DVD
• Computer
• Modem/Internet access
• Fax Machine
• Cable access
• Home Theater
• Satellite Dish
• Security System
• Home Automation

Building a new home is the opportunity to make sure everything meets your lifestyle needs today and in the future. That's why it's so important to consider all the options in protecting the functionality and resale value of your home - including the wiring.

Most homes today still use wiring technology from the 1950s making it impossible to accommodate the flow of information available.

Don't Build Into Regrets.

A well-planned wiring structure yields virtual plug-and-play tomorrow.

Move your laptop to any room and use your modem, your fax and printer from any Multi-Media Port. Access Internet and complete downloads faster with business grade telecommunication lines. Watch a video playing from the VCR on any television in the house. Tune into "baby cam" and check up on your children from any television in the house. You wouldn't skimp on the amount of insulation in your home because you think the weather will be mild for the next 5 years. Don't do the same thing with your home's wiring.

A general rule is the earlier the better. The sooner we are added to the team of design professionals and contractors the more effort and worry we can eliminate for everyone, making the job carefully tailored and cost-effective.

With the right wiring, your home can be the wave of the future, connecting all your systems - TVs, phone, appliances and more - with the touch of a button. It is a virtual "smart house" made into reality.

But, your "smart house" isn't so smart if you have the wrong person wiring it. Let ASI Interiors Inc. consult with you and help you with wiring before you build. This will make your home entertainment system run smoother and allow for increasing future technology to come into your home.

Why SMART Wiring Is Important...

Why it is Important:

The most relevant aspect of this technology is that it is for NOW. Many will refer to this as "future proofing " the home, IT IS NOT THE FUTURE ANYMORE! In today's world, especially in Central Texas, there is abundant technology available and uses for it.

HOW IT WORKS:

Smart wiring uses a star configuration. All of the audio, video, voice and data outlets are "home run" back to a central location. There is a central distribution point and inputs and outputs.

The Information Superhighway is no dream of the future. It is in place now, even though it continues to evolve. Within its vast network of cables, wire and fiber optics, it carries more information in a few seconds than has been recorded in all previous history. We have multiple telephone lines, cable and satellite television, multiple computers, home offices with fax, modems and the Internet at our service. Not to mention home shopping, banking and interactive television. It would have been difficult to imagine these things just ten years ago.

What is in store for the next ten years?

New and existing homes need an improved wiring method to handle all of these new electronic services and equipment, now and into the future. A Structured Wiring System provides this critical wiring infrastructure for whole house distribution of multiple telephone lines, high speed data, cable and satellite TV, cable modems, as well as security, video cameras and other internal video sources. All of this, in a flexible modular installation which can accommodate future changes, additions and even home automation.

The heart of the system is the Connection Center where all incoming service cables terminate. From here they are distributed to any or all rooms of the home with high speed, high quality telephone, computer and video cabling, terminating in attractive multimedia wall plates.

Traditionally, homes have been wired for two things only - power and telephone. Add to this a couple of haphazardly run cable TV outlets and some doorbells and you have the whole sum of wiring for most homes. Some people have an alarm system put in, with its own unique set of wires, and maybe an audio system, again with its own set of wires. Put it all together and you have a bunch of wires running throughout your house, each group doing its own thing, none of them talking to each other or, for the most part, being good for anything else.

Even more important than the quantity of wires in most homes is the quality. Talk to a home automation expert or a cable company engineer who is working on bringing high speed data services to residences and you'll find that one of their biggest concerns, if not the biggest, is the quality of the wires inside of most homes. And this problem doesn't just apply to homes that were built 50 years ago - many brand new homes are being built with wiring systems that are just plain inadequate for the requirements of today's wired citizens.

The low voltage wires (telephone and cable wires for example) don't have adequate capacity for high speed data use, or for multiple phone lines. They don't go to enough places in the house, and they have no flexibility of configuration. Often they are not adequately isolated from interference and line noise caused by electrical power cables.

In other words, you're stuck with what you have, and if your needs change - and they will - you'll most likely have to go through and rewire to accommodate them.

Luckily overcoming these difficulties isn't hard - or even terribly expensive. All you need is a little knowledge and a good plan. Smart Wiring is really pretty simple. Outlets in your home are wired with high bandwidth wiring that replaces ordinary telephone and cable wires with so much more. This wiring all 'home-runs' to a central control panel, making it easy to connect new services and distribute them throughout your home.

Make your home ready for a Broadband computer network, satellite, HDTV, networked security, Home Entertainment Networks, and whole home audio. Our systems will allow you to do more with your home today and will keep you ready for the future as well. Home control and automation, energy management, even smart appliances will all run on our Smart Wired Systems. You will only wire your new house once. Wire it for today and tomorrow.

For your next project, be sure and contact us for a free estimate.