Last stages of prewiring ..Advice Needed Please

[snickster]

I have 4 more days to finish whatever prewiring I can do until insulation and sheet rock begin.

The system I have is the ELK M1 Gold , and I really started this with just a general idea of what I wanted , and no knowledge of the system and it's components.

So far I have run the following:

1 .Home audio through out the house with volume controls with a CAT5 and speaker wires going to speakers in each room , and wiring for HT 7.1 in family room

2 . 2 RG6U QS SC core and Cat 5 cable to each room for Satellite TV. I have 4 Rg6 and 3 Cat 5 to main TV area in Family Room

3. Magnetic contact sensors on all (38 windows, 5 garage doors , and 11 exterior doors) Motion detectors and Glass breaks in critical areas. CO detector in bedroom areas and smoke alarms.

4 CAT6 to areas for Ethernet connections.

I have not yet provided for microphones and related speakers , keypads , cameras , alert sirens and strobes.
It is unclear to me how these devices are mounted (wall , or gang boxes), what wiring is needed to power and operate them. I don't think I am really interested in a dedicated intercom system , but would like to be able to monitor certain areas , such as a child's bedroom , front door , and while home and away. It would be nice to have 2 way communication occasionally and to be able to see with a camera. I understand some cameras , keypads , and sirens need 110 AC and others can just with CAT5 DC power.

I have a lot of CAT 5 and CAT6 left and may if time allows , make runs to selected wall switches . If I understand it right , That is all I need to do to have wired control of lighting.

I am acknowledging my ignorance and I'm sure after we are living in the house and have had weeks with the system, it will seem very straightforward and simple. However , then it will be to late to do anything about it.

I would appreciate any tips on what you would add to this system and how to wire and prepare for it.

It seems that it is a project without end , because there is always something that could be added.

Thanks for your help !

snickster

 

[RobWalker]

Sounds like you have made a great start ... just a couple of quick ideas.

• * 22/4 to any area you might want a want sensor (washing machine, hot water tank, bathrooms)
  * 22/4 for any interior door that is usually closed, but which you might want a light to come on when you open it: understairs closet, mechanical room, etc.
  * If you've planned motion detectors for security then think about adding some more for occupancy detection and lighting control
  * How about a second CAT5 to each audio point in case you change your mind on intercom functionality in the future

I have not yet provided for microphones and related speakers , keypads , cameras , alert sirens and strobes.
It is unclear to me how these devices are mounted (wall , or gang boxes), what wiring is needed to power and operate them.

Keypads just require a single CAT5. I mounted mine with a mud ring, but I believe they can also be flushmounted in which case the box would just get in the way.

For cameras I ran a bundle of CAT5/18.2/RG6 ... though it should have been CAT5/18.2/RG59. I haven't mounted any but figured that covers all the options!

I have a lot of CAT 5 and CAT6 left and may if time allows , make runs to selected wall switches . If I understand it right , That is all I need to do to have wired control of lighting.

I'm not aware of any that use a complete homerun CAT5 layout for lighting control, maybe OnQ. Products like Centralite homerun all the 110V wiring. Others like EDT's iLine use a small number of daisy chained CAT5 runs. This is really quick to pull though. You simply need to pull the cable to the further point and then drop a loop into each box in turn (without cutting it), working your way back towards the source. Much quicker than individual runs to each switch.

One point to be careful of though is that if you are mixing HV and LV wiring in the same box the CAT5 should be UL rated with a 300V jacket. This usually means it will be more expensive.

Oh, and you can almost certainly gaurantee that however much you choose to run it won't be too long after you close up that you find something else that you wish you had!

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

http://www.cocoontech.com/index.php?showtopic=6700

 

[snickster]

Thanks for the detailed reply Rob. Concerning the daisy chain Cat 5 lighting wiring .
I just want to be sure I understand this before I start.
1. Run a Cat 5 to the switch located farthest away in a particular zone and terminate it there.
2 Using a separate wire loop it through all desired switch boxes on the return. I assume I should leave excess Cat 5 in each return loop box. I have many 3 and 4 gang boxes.
I cant really seem to find good pictures on line of what this looks like.
I am a very visual person !

Now , Back to WIRING !!

Thanks again
snickster

PS , I am not sure if the CAT 5 I have is UL rated or not. There will be no wiring inspection of the house , but I don't want to burn it down !

 

[ccrrar]

Thanks for the detailed reply Rob. Concerning the daisy chain Cat 5 lighting wiring .
I just want to be sure I understand this before I start.
1. Run a Cat 5 to the switch located farthest away in a particular zone and terminate it there.
2 Using a separate wire loop it through all desired switch boxes on the return. I assume I should leave excess Cat 5 in each return loop box. I have many 3 and 4 gang boxes.
I cant really seem to find good pictures on line of what this looks like.
I am a very visual person !

Now , Back to WIRING !!

Thanks again
snickster

PS , I am not sure if the CAT 5 I have is UL rated or not. There will be no wiring inspection of the house , but I don't want to burn it down !

One thing to keep in mind if you are going to daisy chain cat5 for lighting control. Depending on the system there may be a limit to the number of nodes on the chain. I did a system like that about 7 years ago and if I remember correctly the limit was less than ten. I do not remember exactly but I would suggest doing some research first just to cover yourself.

Rob

 

[RobWalker]

1. Run a Cat 5 to the switch located farthest away in a particular zone and terminate it there.
2 Using a separate wire loop it through all desired switch boxes on the return. I assume I should leave excess Cat 5 in each return loop box. I have many 3 and 4 gang boxes.

PS , I am not sure if the CAT 5 I have is UL rated or not. There will be no wiring inspection of the house , but I don't want to burn it down !

Yes ... you are using a single run of CAT5 for each zone and pulling it to multiple boxes. By working from the far end you aren't pulling extra cable through any boxes you have already run a loop to.

I left about a 18" loop in each box. When you come to install the switch you cut the cable and crimp an RJ45 plug onto each end.

You don't need more cable in a 3 or 4 gang boxes since switches in those boxes are daisy chained together using short patch cables you can make any time. There is still only one wire bringing the network into the box and one taking it out (except for the last box in the zone which just has one coming in).

For an iLine network you would want a maximum of 4 zones typically since that is all a controller can handle. See their documentation at http://edt.biz/2004/Files/M-05010967-A%20(...stallation).pdf

I can't comment on how flexible this wiring layout would be for other automation systems since I only have experience with iLine. You can probably check the rating of your cable online with the manufacture. I found a number were rated by the manufacturer at 300V but didn't have the UL designation on them.

Oh, and make sure you make a note of the order you pull the cable to the boxes in. I didn't do this and it makes trying to attach the cable tester to cable once you cut it a real pain (where does this wire go to next ...)