Help me double check my wiring needs

I’m getting ready to sit down with the guy who will be pulling the LV cabling for my new house.  I have outlined which cables I need pulled to each location, but just wanted a double-check to see if I’m missing anything.  All equipment will be located in downstairs utility room (where FiOS comes in as well), so that’s where everything comes to: 


 


Lighting (RadioRa2) – Main Repeater in centrally located linen closet:  Serial cable for integration w/security panel, Cat 5e cable for internet.  (also told electrician to put an outlet in there) 


Security (Omnipro II):  22/4 runs for all sensor locations and siren.  Fire rated 22/4 for LV smoke detector (Electrician will be installing the 'real' smokes - this is just for monitoring)


22/4 and Cat 5e for keypad locations 


Audio (Leviton HiFi 2):  Cat 5e to each keypad location.  Cat 5e for each Remote Input Module, 16/4 speaker for each speaker pair location 


Cameras:  Cat 6 to each location for PoE cameras 


Wireless Access Point: Cat 6 for PoE WAP 


Video/Phone:  Cat 5e, Cat 6, RG6 to mapped out locations 


                           RF repeater cables from TV mount area to equipment closet 


Thermostats (Omnistat 2):  22/4 wire 


 


One thing I’m unclear on is if I should place the HAI Zigbee receiver and Wireless receiver (for the few wireless sensors I have) in the same central location as the RR2 Main Repeater.  I could pull some 22/4 cable out to there, but do you think I’d have problems from a radio interference perspective even though they all operate at different frequencies? 

 
 
I'd put another network cable in with anything serial......a lot of times distance becomes an issue with 232 serial so going to IP serial would be the suggestion. I probably wouldn't run 4 conductor to all the speakers, just a 4 to the first of the pair, then jump to the second.
 
Cat 6 is overkill for cameras. They are not going to be full gig in our lifetime. You'd be better off pulling a lesser cable and a separate power cable out there in case the need arises for more power, unless you need to step to POE+ or higher.
 
For video, you need to decide how the signal is getting to the monitors (TV), either via a matrix or STB. RG6 is the most likely to be used. The category cables for video most of the times would be useless without baluns, which opens up a bigger can of worms.
 
I'd pull category to the T-stats.
 
I really wouldn't spend for the 6 or 6A cable in a residence. You're not going to see the difference on 99% of hte items unless you're trying to push HDMI down it.
 
DELInstallations said:
I'd put another network cable in with anything serial......a lot of times distance becomes an issue with 232 serial so going to IP serial would be the suggestion. I probably wouldn't run 4 conductor to all the speakers, just a 4 to the first of the pair, then jump to the second.
 
Cat 6 is overkill for cameras. They are not going to be full gig in our lifetime. You'd be better off pulling a lesser cable and a separate power cable out there in case the need arises for more power, unless you need to step to POE+ or higher.
 
For video, you need to decide how the signal is getting to the monitors (TV), either via a matrix or STB. RG6 is the most likely to be used. The category cables for video most of the times would be useless without baluns, which opens up a bigger can of worms.
 
I'd pull category to the T-stats.
 
I really wouldn't spend for the 6 or 6A cable in a residence. You're not going to see the difference on 99% of hte items unless you're trying to push HDMI down it.
 
Thank you for the thorough response.  
I'll run the other network cable as suggested.  
I plan to do what you suggested with the speakers - I didn't explain it properly.  
Video will be fed locally from STB's in all but one location - the main family room b/c I want to hide the boxes.  Luckily it is only a 30ft run to the wiring closet, so I should be fine with a higher quality HDMI cables - that is my plan.
The Cat to the thermostats for future proofing, since I don't need it for the Omnistat's?
 
I'm torn on the cabling front.  I can see a strong case that a high quality Cat 5e is sufficient, but I keep reading that I should run Cat 6 for future proofing. But then everything is trending wireless.  Anyway, do you have suggestions on good quality Cat 5e cables?
 
I've got a closet chock-full of Lutron, z-wave, zigbee and wi-fi gear and it all seems to be working as expected.  I've got a wi-fi based Wink hub that occasionally freaks out, and potentially it's "too close" to the wi-fi router.  I say it's more like the Wink hub is a POS...
 
Linen closet?  How well ventilated is it?  You don't want to be smothering any gear you put in there. Nor do you want anyone cramming linens or other stuff in there and end up disrupting the gear.  
 
emrosenberg said:
Anyway, do you have suggestions on good quality Cat 5e cables?
 
When buying cable, stick to a good made-in-the-USA brand of cable.  Avoid copper clad aluminum (CCA), most of which comes from China.  If it doesn't say solid copper, it's probably CCA.  Look for the UL hologram sticker on the package.
 
Signal, General Cable (GenSpeed), Coleman Cable (CCI), Paige, Standard Wire and Cable Company, Structured Cable Products (SCP), Communications Supply Corporation (CSC), ICC, Siemon, Honeywell/Genesis, and Remy are all good brands.

Stay away from brands like Logico, Vivo, and no-brand cable.
 
wkearney99 said:
I've got a closet chock-full of Lutron, z-wave, zigbee and wi-fi gear and it all seems to be working as expected.  I've got a wi-fi based Wink hub that occasionally freaks out, and potentially it's "too close" to the wi-fi router.  I say it's more like the Wink hub is a POS...
 
Linen closet?  How well ventilated is it?  You don't want to be smothering any gear you put in there. Nor do you want anyone cramming linens or other stuff in there and end up disrupting the gear.  
The plan is for it to go near the bottom - my wife knows that's off limits for actual linens (and I should be so lucky that my kids actually put stuff away).  Now that you mention the circulation, I can easily put a small vent in the back - it backs up onto area that isn't often seen - thank you for that thought.  But do the Lutron repeater and the wireless receivers run hot?
 
Yeah, uh-huh.  Closets always get stuffed full of things, not always by someone that knows better.  Or we just forget.
 
The Lutron stuff isn't bad, but nothing benefits from not have clear and circulating air around it.  That and it's not just the box here, there's also the wires connecting with it.  Power, ethernet, etc.  Those also become risks for something jamming a box around into a closet.
 
You best best might be something like an in-wall recessed box, one that'd allow putting everything, power adapters included inside of it. I seem to recall some plastic ones, designed to avoid blocking RF signals.  Metal ones would be less than idea as they'd tend to block some amount of RF signal strength.
 
Audio (Leviton HiFi 2):  Cat 5e to each keypad location.  Cat 5e for each Remote Input Module, 16/4 speaker for each speaker pair location
 
Here did similar for the Russound zoned system.  Cat5e to a local in wall box and the 16/4 to same box with 16/2 going to each in wall speaker in rooms.  Relating to the zoned speakers placement was related to symmetry.  Easier with in ceiling speakers.  I over did it a bit in three rooms making them sub zones with their own stuff. 
 
 

Wireless Access Point: Cat 6 for PoE WAP

 

 
Utilize one main POE WAP centrally mounted on the second floor open area (front entrance foyer and back a bit).  I have no security / automation dependencies on the WAP other than for tablets / laptops or phones.
 
Utilize 300Mhz wireless stuff for this and for that with one antenna in the attic which works fine inside and outside of the home.  (attic is large - walk able).  OTA antenna is in the attic feed down to the basement utility area.  I utilize cable and satellite and OTA TV.  I made little KODI Gb connected boxes which serve as STB's for HD stuff.  I make use of the older installed RG6 for a backfeed and injection of channels to the OTA stuff feeding the TVs.
 
For CCTV (combo cams) originally installed RG6/Siamese plus two cat5e to each location.  Over the years moved the analogue cameras to cat5e baluns not using the RG6 and now using one cat5e for POE and the other for sensors on the cameras.
 
In wall  / tabletop 3rd party automation (Homeseer) touch screens are all POE these days.  Omnitouch 5.7's are using cat5e to touchscreen hub while Omnitouch 5.7e's are POE connected.
 
Still use cat5e / baluns for extending RS-232.   Not so much these days. 
 
IE: GPS/PPS to firewall NTP server is just a cat5e cable. Used to use it for irrigation system box in the garage to basement. 
 
Lighting is UPB (metal in wall boxes and conduit throughout the home).  Tinkering with Z-Wave and Zigbee.  Utilize X-10 for Christmas lighting.  (Omnipro has UPB, Z-Wave, Zigbee and X-10 (XTB) PIMs).
 
Left in the GC's installed 120VAC smokes and added zoned stuff to the panel (not noticed these days too much).
 
In one home built a centrally located closet with two cans (one is for OP2).  Not really ventilated as well as I would like but that said its now been over some 6-7 years and never touched and mostly it is aesthetically pleasing (good WAF).
 
Phone lines tiered a bit to old copper (WAF thing), VOIP and cellular (using a combo cellular box for internet fail-over which works fine these days with PFSense firewall).
 
Over the years have feed more wire to the electrical panel separating rooms a bit and adding multiple circuits to rooms.  (IE: family room has one circuit each for lighting, wall outlets and multimedia - bedrooms each have their own breakers except for master bath with multiple breakers - over doing it a bit ).  Neaten up electrical fuse panel with a small excel spreadsheet print out and a tiny map of house circuits and internally neatened up wiring a bit (along with automation stuff inside and a TVSS set up).  All wall switch boxes have a neutral, load plus traveller wires for multi switched lighting.  I have gone mostly over to virtual UPB links for this stuff and capped the travellers.  IE: 2nd floor there is a switch outside of every bedroom (4) for hallway ceiling lighting.  Chandelier has one switch on the top landing, bottom of stairs and back main hallway.  Just about every room had one ceiling can wired for two loads to the wall box and 1/2 wired to wall outlets.  (3 autonomous switch wired boxes).
 
Redid the attached garage HV wiring with more outlets / circuits / lighting.  Deck has LV/HV water and natural gas feeds (for grill).  Cooking lighting is HV, outlet there for rotisserie or whatever.  Outdoor landscaping lighting now is all LED using 12VDC LED power supplies.  Much nicer than multiple 1000watt multi voltage AC toroidal power supplies.  Also ran LV to peripheral edges of property for CCTV use.  LV for outdoor weather instruments.  These days though use a wireless Davis Vantage Pro.  Digital and analog rain sensors are still using wires. 
 
emrosenberg said:
I’m getting ready to sit down with the guy who will be pulling the LV cabling for my new house.  I have outlined which cables I need pulled to each location, but just wanted a double-check to see if I’m missing anything.  All equipment will be located in downstairs utility room (where FiOS comes in as well), so that’s where everything comes to: 


 


Lighting (RadioRa2) – Main Repeater in centrally located linen closet:  Serial cable for integration w/security panel, Cat 5e cable for internet.  (also told electrician to put an outlet in there) 


Security (Omnipro II):  22/4 runs for all sensor locations and siren.  Fire rated 22/4 for LV smoke detector (Electrician will be installing the 'real' smokes - this is just for monitoring)


22/4 and Cat 5e for keypad locations 


Audio (Leviton HiFi 2):  Cat 5e to each keypad location.  Cat 5e for each Remote Input Module, 16/4 speaker for each speaker pair location 


Cameras:  Cat 6 to each location for PoE cameras 


Wireless Access Point: Cat 6 for PoE WAP 


Video/Phone:  Cat 5e, Cat 6, RG6 to mapped out locations 


                           RF repeater cables from TV mount area to equipment closet 


Thermostats (Omnistat 2):  22/4 wire 


 


One thing I’m unclear on is if I should place the HAI Zigbee receiver and Wireless receiver (for the few wireless sensors I have) in the same central location as the RR2 Main Repeater.  I could pull some 22/4 cable out to there, but do you think I’d have problems from a radio interference perspective even though they all operate at different frequencies? 
Hope home electrical wiring service like the shock doctors might help you out in this ( http://www.theshockdoctors.ca/electrician-services/). Do check with them about their different services. I had them do some electrical wiring trouble shooting. Might help you with your wiring needs. Best wishes. Keep us updated.
 
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