Recommended Shop or Brand of 22/4 Security Wire

[johngalt]

Greetings,
 
I am ready to start wiring my house and I think I have narrowed the wiring down.
 
Ethernet

Monoprice 1000-Feet 23AWG Cat6 500MHz UTP Solid Riser Rated, CMR Bulk Ethernet Bare Copper Cable , Blue (108103)
 
Security Wire
I think I have decided on 22/4 solid wire.  The house is small and windows will be wireless sensors so I would prefer to just stick to one type of wire and not mess with 22/2 even though some of the times I won't use all 4 conductors.
 
Does anyone recommend a good brand of wire and/or store that sells good wire for a decent price?  It seems most stores sell more 22/4 stranded and not solid...so I guess maybe I haven't made up my mind.
 
Thanks
 
 
 

 

[RAL]

In selecting cable, I would avoid any that is Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA).  This wire is an aluminum core with a thin coating of copper over it.  It's cheaper to manufacture, and has a lower selling price, but can cause problems in your system.
 
It's not always obvious whether a box of cable is CCA or not.  Some manufacturers make it clear, while others hide the fact.
 
My preference is to buy cable that is made in the USA and has a brand name.  Avoid the no-name, no brand, cable in plain brown or white boxes. Avoid brands like Logico and Fluid.
 
Some trustworthy brands:
 
Amp/Tyco
Belden
Carol (General Cable)
Comtran
Coleman Cable (CCI)
General Cable (GenSpeed)
Honeywell/Genesis
ICC
Paige
Remee Wire and Cable
Siemon
Signal
Southwire (Tappan)  Saber Link
Standard Wire and Cable Company
Structured Cable Products
Superior Essex
Vertical Cable
 
I've seen some good quality cable in Home Depot, but also CCA.  So be careful with what you buy there.
 
You can often get a good deal on cable on eBay, but again, look for a name brand and make sure it is not CCA.
 
If the box has a UL hologram on it, that is a good sign that it is a quality cable.

 

[johngalt]

Thanks for the advice.  I found a decent deal on some Honeywell/Genesis solid copper wiring that was UL approved.   
 
1035809 Honeywell Cable 11035809 22/4 Sol Jkt Cm/Cl2 5C Sb Gry

 

[pvrfan]

Greetings,
 
I am ready to start wiring my house ...  The house is small and windows will be wireless sensors ...

 
Sorry, maybe I've missed something in previous postings, but why wireless for the windows?  
 
Craig

 

[johngalt]

Hi Craig,
 
You didn't miss anything.  My real reason is I am scared to drill the windows for a sensor.  I don't really know how, worried about warranty issues, etc.
 
However, I can fix that with education. Any suggestions of a YouTube or two to watch? I just haven't got around to it.  And the Elk Two Way Wireless Slim sensors aren't too bad looking.
 
Thanks 

 

[pete_c]

My real reason is I am scared to drill the windows for a sensor.  I don't really know how, worried about warranty issues, etc.

 
@John
 
Have a read here and yes look on youtube for videos about wiring your windows without having to drill through window frames.  The wiring has to be done before the window is installed and is easy.   Ask other folks on the forum that have DIY'd their own LV cabling.
 
I didn't see anything about audio prewiring.  Here I utilized 16/2 and 16/4 jacketed cable for all of my inwall speakers.  Some folks prefer 12 or 14 guage speaker wire.  Thinking 18 guage is too thin though.
 
I also ran catxx for controllers for each pair of speakers. 

 

[bucko]

I would re think wireless. Since this is a new house it is not smart to not prewire and use 100% hardwire for security. Wireless means more expensive and prone to problems. Not to mention the batterys you will be replaceing. 
 
Wireless is ok if you are adding a system to a pre built home. It is not hard to use wired at all.

 

[johngalt]

Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
It is actually an old house and it is going to to through a remodel.  All the exterior walls will remain the same, but I am getting all new windows and doors.
 
Sticking to the topic of cable selection, I also want to pick out wire for my speakers.
 
I think I am going to stick to 16/4 and 16/2 wire for all my speakers.  It looks like HTD and Monoprice both have decent wire.  HTD is a little more expensive but it looks to be shielded where I don't believe the Monoprice cable is.
 
Any other suggestions for speaker cable?  Depending on the cost difference I might just do 16/4 even where I only need two conductors to save on having different kinds of wire, and a little potential flexibility in the future.
 
The walls aren't going to be open except in certain sections.  So i don't want to snake too much extra wire that I don't need, since the labor difference between now and later is not much different.  Which would be very different if this was a new house.

 

[pete_c]

Here ran the 16/4 to LV boxes and wired 16/2 to speaker locations.  The 16/4 and catxx go to equipment room and patch panel and connected to a zoned amplifier.   Thinking started with 2 1000 foot spools initially mostly because of a good deal.  I though though I would have spare wire left over; but didn't and had to purchase more.
 
Initially set up an AB8SS speaker switcher to 8 speaker zones in a two story home.  I did use up the 2 1000 foot speaker wire spools right away.  I also use the Leviton Digital Chopin volume controls (using the cat5e run to the boxes) in the beginning.  Just maybe a year or two later purchased a Russound CAA44 and integrated that with my speaker switches installing the Russound keypads with the setup.  After that went to two Russound CAA66's.  I am now though at much more audio zones (IE: added the deck and garage and bathrooms and basement).  I have made it all play together still using some 3 regular audio amps stacked on the top of two CAA66's.