Structured wiring

[Volvelle]

Hi, I'm new here but I thought it would be the best place to get an unbiased answer to my problem.
I've been looking at building a new home, and in particular been interested in ensuring that I have the right wiring behind the plaster to allow me to do what I need to when I want to with respect to AV solutions.

I'm not putting the home theatre or a majority of the AV technologies immediately but I want to make sure that as much pre-work is done at the point of building so that I don't have more expensive retrofit costs.

I have read a couple of articles and a mate in Australia has told me about an Australian accreditation called Smart Wiring.
Has anyone heard of this approach, or can recommend something else?

 

[royalj7]

Hi, I'm new here but I thought it would be the best place to get an unbiased answer to my problem.
I've been looking at building a new home, and in particular been interested in ensuring that I have the right wiring behind the plaster to allow me to do what I need to when I want to with respect to AV solutions.

I'm not putting the home theatre or a majority of the AV technologies immediately but I want to make sure that as much pre-work is done at the point of building so that I don't have more expensive retrofit costs.

I have read a couple of articles and a mate in Australia has told me about an Australian accreditation called Smart Wiring.
Has anyone heard of this approach, or can recommend something else?

Volvelle, welcome to Cocoontech. I'll take a stab at your question. I have not heard of the Smart Wiring standard, but there has been copious amounts of discussion on the boards about this very topic...what to do for a pre-wire. There are to things you should look at first if you haven't already. First is the Wiring 101 document in the How-To section. Next, try searching for Prewire in the forums and see what you come up with. Specifically, look for threads by broconne, MavRic, and beelzerob who have all recently gone through what you are going through. After you get a feel for what is standard, come back and ask any questions you have.

--Jamie

 

[sic0048]

Yeah, there is just so many possibilities. You really need to think about what "systems" you want in your house. Most people will wire for telephone and home network, but what about an Alarm? Audio? Video? CCTV? Lighting Control? HVAC Control? etc, etc, etc.

How much wire, what type of wire you use and where you put the wire are all decisions that will be based on the answers to those questions.

I am not familier with the Smart Wiring idea either, but there is a potential problem with trying to run one type or wire (or one bundle or wire) for all uses. The problem is that each "system" has very different wiring needs. Both the type of wire used, and the location where those wires needs to be run is very different depending on the system.

 

[Volvelle]

The amount of wire to put in the wall isn't an issue for me - I think it will work out cheaper doing at the time of building, rather than trying to retrofit it at a later stage.

I have heard others recommend putting conduit in the walls to allow for easy retrowiring, but I'm not sure about this.

I'm thinking that audio cable, ethernet (for both networking and phone?), tv. Security is a good point that I hadn't considered.

 

[Neurorad]

Briefly, put the time in to decide what you want, before you start building. If you don't have the time to put into the project, consider hiring an experienced professional, as a consultant. Ask around for referrals. Read all you can, to make informed decisions.

For new construction, run wire in the wall, and install conduit for future cable additions.

If you decide to hire a professional, bounce recommendations off of us, here at CT. Lots of helpful people here.

Prepare to spend a lot of money, if you are not running the wires yourself. You will have sticker shock, and you can't have everything you want.

You can save a lot of money by terminating cables yourself.

Many builders won't let you run wire yourself, in new construction - you may be forced to use his installer, possibly raising the costs considerably over DIY or professionals you hire.

You'll find out the cost of the low voltage installation well after you sign the contract for your house, and your builder will have a significant advantage.

Some builders try to make a lot of money on the low voltage wiring, and others are pretty cool about it.

Edit - have you considered any automated lighting?

 

[Volvelle]

Edit - have you considered any automated lighting?

I have looked at lighting control - but I struggle to see the advantage. I think I can walk around and actually turn lights on and off. The scene stuff is pretty cool, but again, not a lot of value for the investment required. Am I missing something more than this?

 

[Volvelle]

Here's an article about the Smart Wiring stuff I mentioned earlier - www.connectedhome.com.au/article/smart-wiring-home-owner

 

[Neurorad]

I'd like to have lighting control tied into security - outside securtiy lighting (6 zones), interior lights on and off while on vacation. Closet lights turn off, when my wife leaves them on. Control of the basement playroom lights from the first floor (3 little kids leave lights on). Occupancy sensors in the basement workshop, tied into the lights. Lights in the family room tied into the remote control. Lights in the garage and first floor tied into the alarm. Landscape lights controlled through a timer, tied into security. Some lights tied into fire/smoke alarms - easier egress. Nightlights controlled by a timer.

My wife wants nothing to do with scenes - gotta get creative.

 

[Volvelle]

I'd like to have lighting control tied into security - outside securtiy lighting (6 zones), interior lights on and off while on vacation. Closet lights turn off, when my wife leaves them on. Control of the basement playroom lights from the first floor (3 little kids leave lights on). Occupancy sensors in the basement workshop, tied into the lights. Lights in the family room tied into the remote control. Lights in the garage and first floor tied into the alarm. Landscape lights controlled through a timer, tied into security. Some lights tied into fire/smoke alarms - easier egress. Nightlights controlled by a timer.

My wife wants nothing to do with scenes - gotta get creative.

Great ... something else to think about. I hadn't actually looked at it from the energy management / saving perspective.

It's amazing how one little thing keeps expanding to fill the dollars allocated to it - isn't that the theory of chaos?

 

[JimTaco]

Hi Volvelle,

I'm pretty familiar with the Smart Wiring standard... A 'smart wired' installation consists of at least one outlet in each room connected back to what they call a 'home distributor' in a star wired configuration. If you get one of the packages supported by the Smart Wired Consortium it will typically include phone, boradband, FTA and Pay TV.

There is the theory that if you get smart wiring installed you will add that value onto you home's value, but that is really up for debate. If you are going to have quite a large system I would go for it, but if you're only going to have a few components installed you can probably pull a few cables yourself...

 

[Ed Nelson]

Hi Volvelle,

A couple of points based on just completing this in my home about a year ago.
In each room I ran:
2 CAT5e and 2 Coax to each telephone/data wall plate
I also ran 2 additional CAT5e, 2 coax and 2 (18x2) power wires to a 2double gang box that would house a touch screen
I also ran 2 CAT5e, 1 (18x2) and 3 Coax to a spot that I would situate a wall mounted flat screen. This was positioned near an electrical outlet.
: I opted to go with Component HDTV distribution via the Coax
: Be diligent in separating data cable runs from power cables
Finally I ran 2 speaker wire pairs to the ceiling for in wall speakers.

Special considerations:
In my central wiring closet I have 2 dedicated 4 gang 20 amp electrical outlets to house all of the AV gear
I separated AV and data/security into 2 separate OnQ cabinets in my wiring closet
I made sure to insert 4 double gang boxes below the QnQ cabinets to support wire management and allow me to close the cabinets
I ran a couple of CAT5e connections on opposite sides of the home to support irrigation control
I also ran a CAT5e to each thermostat location to support future HVAC control
I did not run HDMI for two reasons:
1. I could not find the lengths I needed
2. I do not believe HDMI is certified to be run behind sheetrock and as such you may fail inspection in some areas.

If you plan to use smart lighting (e.g. Insteon) make sure your electrician runs a neutral (usually white) throughout the home in addition
to the standard Load, Lead and ground wires.

Things I missed:
Running a CAT5e to the door bell location
Running a CAT5e to support a front door IP Camera
Running CAT5e to the windows to support automate blinds

Finally, I opted to have the local security company run and terminate all security wire and contact points in windows and doors.
Later on, I removed the alarm companies gear and replaced with the Elk M1 System. I went this route to avoid installing and testing the contact points

I wish I could claim credit for this design, but as someone recommended earlier, much of this came from reading what others had done on this site.

Good luck.
- Ed

 

[Volvelle]

Hey Ed,

Thanks for such a comprehansive response and tips

 

[Volvelle]

Hi Volvelle,

I'm pretty familiar with the Smart Wiring standard... A 'smart wired' installation consists of at least one outlet in each room connected back to what they call a 'home distributor' in a star wired configuration. If you get one of the packages supported by the Smart Wired Consortium it will typically include phone, boradband, FTA and Pay TV.

There is the theory that if you get smart wiring installed you will add that value onto you home's value, but that is really up for debate. If you are going to have quite a large system I would go for it, but if you're only going to have a few components installed you can probably pull a few cables yourself...

Hey JimTaco,

The site where I found the referenec to Smart Wiring (www.connectedhome.com.au/article/smart-wiring-home-owner) is an Australian site. Is this only a standard / certification in Australia or do you know whether or not it is more widely spread. The article refers to a website which is run by Copper Development which looks like a copper lobby body (go copper wire, forget the wireless path) and therefore may have a global position.

WDYT?

 

[JimTaco]

At the moment it is only an Australian standard - although 'standard' may imply that it's mandatory when it isn't. It was put together by a group of companies called the 'Smart Wired Consortium', which the CDC is a major part of. (As is the magazine whose website you found)

With different wiring laws in different companies each country has its own requirements so it's best to check before you go ahead with anything - these laws are more likely to relate to powerlines than anything else, but it's still best to air on the side of caution.

As for 'Smart Wiring', it's slowly taking off in Australia but is surely finding its foothold in the industry. I think people like the fact it makes it easier.

 

[JimTaco]

Edit: That should be 'countries', not 'companies'... and the mag is part of the consortium, not the CDC.