Questions on Materials

[phenix]

Well, I’m past the design phase of my structured wiring now I need some help finding some good prices and products. I need to find good sources for Cat5e, RG6 Quad, Speaker wire and Security System wire for the Omni pro and all the needed connectors for each cable type. Also I have a few questions. When buying cable is there a difference between generic and name brand if so what and which brands do you recommend? I will be buy several thousand ft of each so I defiantly need to find a good deal but I also want a good product. Structured wiring systems: Does anyone have any suggestions of which company to go with for example Channel Vision, Future Smart, Leviton, OnQ or any others. And are there any must have tools to make the job easier?

Thanks

 

[edgedestination]

phenix,

www.automatedoutlet.com

Martin will treat you right and they pretty much have all you will need.

Good Luck...

David

 

[Steve]

AO can supply your needs for most anything, but they don't typically stock alot of wire, but check with them. Look at this thread. I buy stuff locally at Keystone wire and cable and prices are very competitive, plus if he will still ship orders > $500 for free that will make it that much better. There are debates on wire and specs but my personal feeling is if the cable is certified to a certain spec then it is fine. For example, Cat5E certified to 350Mhz and RG6QS certified to 3Ghz.

I suggest a good labeler like the P-Touch 1400 or 1650 or a RhinoPro. If you will be doing terminations, invest in some decent tools like strippers and crimpers. For Cat5 I like the EJ45's and RG6 use compression end, not the simple crimp on ones.

Channel Vision and Leviton cans are mostly interchangeable although there are a few devices that need slight modification. Never used the others. CV makes cans up to 50". I use mainly CV equipment and it has been good to me.

 

[hucker]

Channel Vision and Leviton cans are mostly interchangeable although there are a few devices that need slight modification. Never used the others. CV makes cans up to 50". I use mainly CV equipment and it has been good to me.

When you use the ChannelVision/Leviton cans how do you mount bulkier items that aren't designed with CV's/Leviton mounting scheme? Does one of these companies offer better options?

I have a fire wall, a pretty heavy power supply and an amplifier that are too heavy for tape. If possible I'd like to mount them in a way that wires could pass beneath them. Is there a generic raised platform or some other way to mount things so they look clean?

 

[AutomatedOutlet]

There are a lot of accessories that are designed for mounting non-module devices. Here are a few examples:

 

[chaseru]

For wire try:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/department.asp?c_id=102