Pre-wiring for New Construction

[enthuzist]

I'm located in Hampton, Va. I am looking to pre-wire my new house for satellite (DTV), cable (just in case), phone and Cat6 for networking. I want to have it all routed to a central distribution panel or rack system. Considering that my area has been named for HD Locals (MPEG4) by year end, means I will need the new sat and stbs. How will this affect my setup and how can I set this up? (i.e. number of runs to each room, what hardware to use, what Cat of coax is best for this setup, etc). I can use as much help as possible. Also I will be using HD, DVR (HD and STD), and OTA.

P.S. It is a two story building plan.

 

[riggscm]

I'm located in Hampton, Va. I am looking to pre-wire my new house for satellite (DTV), cable (just in case), phone and Cat6 for networking. I want to have it all routed to a central distribution panel or rack system. Considering that my area has been named for HD Locals (MPEG4) by year end, means I will need the new sat and stbs. How will this affect my setup and how can I set this up? (i.e. number of runs to each room, what hardware to use, what Cat of coax is best for this setup, etc). I can use as much help as possible. Also I will be using HD, DVR (HD and STD), and OTA.

P.S. It is a two story building plan.

Quite a laundry list there!

Well for Phone and Data cabling you'll want to go with CAT-5 or better hands down.
As far as Coax is concerned, I'd suggest RG-6 dual shielded, quad shielded if you are near the airport, or radio/cell towers.

Since you are wanting to have DVR then you want to have 2 SAT runs to those locations. 1 run for a regular STB.

For your OTA, you need one run to each location you would want to use your OTA at.

As far as feed lines coming into the home, you'll need 4 for the new 5 LNB Dish, and 1 for the OTA.

Help that helps

 

[enthuzist]

Yes. That does help a lot. Thank you.

Any info on..."I want to have it all routed to a central distribution panel or rack system."?

 

[amp16751]

There are several residential boxes that are available where the main feeds for phone/cable/SAT can be split. This manufacturer has one that allows the owner to patch to different locations depending on which locations want to be live.

http://www.ampnetconnect.com/system...ECT Home Net-Works Residential Cabling System

 

[riggscm]

Since most of the homes in your area do not have basements perhaps the easist thing would be to install a "backer board" in your garage and have that as your central area. usually backer boards are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick plyboard.

Anyway, your Sat coax will all be feed out of a multiswitch, which for your setup will prolly be a 6x8. So all your runs to your outlets will need to come back to one location anyway. you can do the same thing if you want with your OTA and a splitter.

For your Phone/Voice cable I'd suggest a "66" block that you can most likely pick up at Home depot or Lowes. which basically acts like a hub for your voice lines.

If you are going to have a data network, you could bring all your data cables back to the same location and install your network hub, or switch in the same area.


I grew up in Chesapeake, so I know the area fairly well...style of homes etc.

 

[Phoenix1]

I'm actually looking at doing the same thing you are. A lot of the builders here are recommending On-Q for in-home centralized wiring. They have a wide variety of products for Sat/Cable/Phone/Data structured wiring, as well as home theater and multi-room sound systems. Check them out at On-Q/Legrand

 

[cheebs]

I would suggest running one of the cable "bundles" available from vendors like Smarthome that have 2 or 3 RG6, 2 CAT5, 2 fiber optic cables, all in one easy to fish package.

You can set up a central distribution point and send all signals to the rooms from there.

Smarthome is actually very good with all the structured cablig stuff.

Here's a link to the wiring bundles:

http://www.smarthome.com/prodindex.asp?catid=326

 

[enthuzist]

You guys are such a wealth of knowledge!

I am planning a basement for this house which is not the norm in this area. After talking with a few friends who opted for basements, I don't think I can do without it now.

My wife and I have been mapping out the wiring schematics all weekend. We are both in the IT Industry. She is an IT Engineer and I am an IT Manager. So I am making sure I have her input since she is a closet geek too.

So far we are running 4 RG6/3 CAT6 to two locations in each bedroom, family room, HT room and office. I have found some wall plates that allow you to run any A/V connection via Cat5/6 cable. I use these commercially with no issues so far.

Thank you all for the links provided. I will let you know which hardware I decide on after the misses and I research them.

P.S. Should I plan on some sort of extra roof support for the Slimline? I have read here that it is very heavy and needs added support.

 

[bertbarndoor]

I would suggest running one of the cable "bundles" available from vendors like Smarthome that have 2 or 3 RG6, 2 CAT5, 2 fiber optic cables, all in one easy to fish package.
You can set up a central distribution point and send all signals to the rooms from there.
Smarthome is actually very good with all the structured cablig stuff.
Here's a link to the wiring bundles:
http://www.smarthome.com/prodindex.asp?catid=326

What is the fiber for and what does it do?

 

[bertbarndoor]

I would suggest running one of the cable "bundles" available from vendors like Smarthome that have 2 or 3 RG6, 2 CAT5, 2 fiber optic cables, all in one easy to fish package.
You can set up a central distribution point and send all signals to the rooms from there.
Smarthome is actually very good with all the structured cablig stuff.
Here's a link to the wiring bundles:
http://www.smarthome.com/prodindex.asp?catid=326

What is the fiber for and what does it do?

 

[enthuzist]

I'm actually looking at doing the same thing you are. A lot of the builders here are recommending On-Q for in-home centralized wiring. They have a wide variety of products for Sat/Cable/Phone/Data structured wiring, as well as home theater and multi-room sound systems. Check them out at On-Q/Legrand

Do you know anyone that has used this company? Their products are exactly what I want to setup, but I have never heard of them.

 

[enthuzist]

I would suggest running one of the cable "bundles" available from vendors like Smarthome that have 2 or 3 RG6, 2 CAT5, 2 fiber optic cables, all in one easy to fish package.

You can set up a central distribution point and send all signals to the rooms from there.

Smarthome is actually very good with all the structured cablig stuff.

Here's a link to the wiring bundles:

http://www.smarthome.com/prodindex.asp?catid=326

They do not carry CAT6 yet (I called), but they do have some other items I may want. Thank you for the link.

 

[enthuzist]

What is the fiber for and what does it do?

Fiber Optics is used for network cabling and audio transfer. Most A/V components today offer Fiber Audio connections. I use it for my HDTV setup. Fiber offers the least impedence of all cables allowing less drop over long distances. It is made of glass fibers so it can not be used in applications where sharp bends are necessary. Also special fiber connectors and converters are required in most setups. If one can afford this type of setup, then I would definitely recommend it. The link provided to smarthome can give you an idea of the prices. They actually have some good deals on fiber suprisingly.

 

[tds4182]

I'm located in Hampton, Va. I am looking to pre-wire my new house for satellite (DTV), cable (just in case), phone and Cat6 for networking. I want to have it all routed to a central distribution panel or rack system. Considering that my area has been named for HD Locals (MPEG4) by year end, means I will need the new sat and stbs. How will this affect my setup and how can I set this up? (i.e. number of runs to each room, what hardware to use, what Cat of coax is best for this setup, etc). I can use as much help as possible. Also I will be using HD, DVR (HD and STD), and OTA.

P.S. It is a two story building plan.

Since you're building the home from scratch, you may want to "future proof" your installation by running all your lines through some sort of extra large conduit so that if you ever wanted to pull any new cabling anywhere in the house you could do so fairly easily.

Most installers will nail or staple cabling to wall studs or plates, making it impossible to do new cable pulls.

It'll cost a little more up front, but you'll probably be glad you did it at some time in the future.

Wish I had done it in my home, it would have saved me a lot of grief over the years.

Good Luck!

 

[grydlok]

Do you know anyone that has used this company? Their products are exactly what I want to setup, but I have never heard of them.

I've dealt with the products, I can tell you this much, Pay very close attention to whoever installs it for you.

 

[Mike500]

do a lot of new work and old work home theater, cable, dbs, and high speed network systems.

I like the open work method. Run all cables drilled through one inch holes through the top plate or the sill plate centered in the width of the stud and right next to it. If doing new work, use nail on electrical boxes, but cut off the nail holders along with the nails. Cut two 3/8" holes on one side of the box spaced 3 inches apart and 1/2 inch back from the lip. Using a 2 inch hole saw cut 2 inch holes at the top and bottom of the box where the cable entry holes reside. When installing the boxes in new work, drive 1-1/4" dry wall screws through the sides of the plastic boxes into the studs. The reason for this preparation will be clearly seen, if you will ever have to upgrade. Run all of the cables necessary. Apply clips or staples in the attic or in the basement to lightly tension the cables. It is important that the clips or staples are only in areas accessible after the walls and floors are finished. After installing all of the cables, tape the front of the box and all of the cables in place with blue masking tape.

If you never staple the cables onto the studs inside the wall, you will be able to take off the accessable staples and use the existing cables to pull new ones. The side of the studs will also direct push rods and guide any new cables you need to pull.

By preparing the box as stated above, a screwdriver can be used to remove the two dry wall screws holding it to the studs. Since the nail holding protrusions are gone, the box will also come out the front hole in the dry wall without making the hole larger. It can also be easily replaced.

 

[fkostyn]

Its always easy and cheap to run cables while building. I added mine after the fact - but - didn't cost a ton since I did it myself.

My Primary area (HT) has 6 RG6, 5 CAT 5, an 2 CAT 3 (voice)

Most other locations in the house have two RG6, 2 CAT5, and 1 voice.

One thing to consider with ethernet, is I prefer to use hard-wired wherever possible. The CAT5's with by the equiptment are almost all eaten up. One for the XBOX360, one for the Playstation, one for the Tivo, and one used for return video - only leaves one free.

I myself have the Leviton structured meda, and like it alot. I would reccommend installing into a central location in the house (I have mine in a hallway closet)

One additional thing to consider would also be multi-room audio (and even video) - its a nice feature to have. (I'm "slowly" in the process of adding it to my house)

I am using the video over CAT5 for the bedroom - since I want to have the TIVO's accessable to that TV also.

 

[enthuzist]

Since you're building the home from scratch, you may want to "future proof" your installation by running all your lines through some sort of extra large conduit so that if you ever wanted to pull any new cabling anywhere in the house you could do so fairly easily.

What size conduit would suffice considering the size of the bundled cables?

 

[enthuzist]

One for the XBOX360, one for the Playstation, one for the Tivo, and one used for return video - only leaves one free.

Man! I forgot about my XBOX and other consoles. Thanks for the wakeup. I would have been pissed if I had overlooked that!

 

[tds4182]

What size conduit would suffice considering the size of the bundled cables?

I'd go as big as I could find and route. 2" minimum, bigger if you can find it in either metal or flexible plastic.