A home network might once have consisted of two or three telephones and a cable or satellite TV service. In just under a decade, home networks have come to mean the meshing of voice and data, audio and video, as well as home security and environmental control.
Additionally, services within services are becoming more common. Video applications in a home might include not only cable service, but also satellite signals, images generated from digital cameras, and video from DVDs.
These services continue to grow together. In October 2000, it was reported that more than 50 per cent of homes have more than one computer, and they often have dedicated lines for primary and secondary phone service, fax, and the internet.
In 1999 the Parks Report in the US described the residential structured market as the fastest growing vertical within the structured cabling industry. It is currently worth $300 million, but estimated to hit $2 billion by 2004. Maybe that is why they call it the fourth utility. So isn't it time the UK did the same?
When building or remodelling a home, most builders focus on construction basics such as the foundations, plumbing and electrical system. Unfortunately, many builders ignore the electronic foundation that supports high-speed voice, video, and data communications.
So how can homes be taken into the next century? Read on …
Wiring the home
Structured wiring can mean different things to different people, but nearly all professionals agree on using a "star" wiring strategy. With star wiring you make all the wiring runs from a central point in the house, usually in a mains cupboard or a basement.
At the central point, the wires terminate at various types of patch panels that let you connect to equipment such as signal amplifiers or network hubs and to external sources such as the incoming telephone, audio and cable TV lines.
For voice and data networking applications, the wiring of choice is Category 5E, which consists of four twisted pairs of copper wire in a protective plastic or Teflon jacket. When properly connected and terminated, Category 5E cables can handle 100 megabit Ethernet data traffic, and they are more than sufficient for standard voice telephone lines or DSL data service.
Video applications use coaxial cable to prevent interference. The most common type of coax used for home video applications is triple-shielded or quad-shielded RG6.
In addition to the types of wiring to use, consider where to run wires and how many runs you should make. Install at least a 'two-by-two' run from a central location to each room in the house: two Category 5 twisted-pair and two RG6 coaxial cables, generally, one of the Category 5 runs is used for telephone, one for network; the RG6 cables are used for incoming and outgoing video.
Plan ahead with as many outlets as possible – people don't think they will need wiring to the baby's nursery, but five years later that room may be a home office. Generally, it is best to consider security system wiring deployment separately from TV, network, and phone.
Although it is low-voltage wiring and can be run in proximity to the others, security wiring is usually installed by an alarm system professional along with the associated alarm panel, motion detectors and magnetic contacts. The security system usually won't need any interconnection with these other systems, so it doesn't need to be installed in the same area.
Finishing outlets
The most common and versatile way to finish low-voltage wiring is with "Tracjack modules" faceplates. These consist of a finish cover plate with four rectangular slots in the plate.
You can snap a variety of different modules into the faceplate, such as telephone, networking, cable TV, or audio connectors.
Because the cover plates don't dictate a particular layout, you can customise each location depending on the equipment you plan to connect there.
The wiring centre
The central wiring area, where all the wires meet, really comes into its own, as being modular in nature it allows for the future expansion of the system depending on the customer's requirements.
For telephone and networking, wires are usually connected to "punchdown blocks" using a special tool. The tool pushes the insulated wire into a v-shaped metal fork on the block, which cuts into the insulation and creates a good electrical contact.
On the networking side, the punchdown block connections usually go to RJ45 jacks and each line is plugged into a network hub or switch through a patch cable.
Other equipment, such as wireless access points and network routers, will usually be located in or near the wiring centre, and these will also be plugged into the networking hub or switch.
Video wiring is usually terminated with a threaded "F" connector on each wire. The connections go to a video distribution panel that amplifies incoming signals and splits them out for outlets around the house. The incoming signals include cable TV, satellite or antenna, but can also include video sources inside the house such as CCTV, DVD and VCR players. These video sources can then be modulated on to a spare TV channel allowing them to be viewed anywhere in the house.
Wired for the future
For a building equipped with a full structured cabling system, the options open up a new quality of lifestyle – perhaps to provide audio around the home so that you can be playing your favourite CD, or keeping an eye on the kids playing in the garden while you work.
You want a coffee – so as you go into the kitchen you simply turn up the music in the kitchen speakers (and in the hall or any other rooms on the way) or switch the TV over to the CCTV system.
For someone considering the modern preference for working from home, the benefits are even greater. No more working from a cramped back bedroom or converted loft, you can work in whichever room you want, whenever you want, with immediate and uninterrupted communication facilities to your colleagues and customers. The flexibility in lifestyle that a residential structured cabling system can bring is almost unbelievable.
Isn't it time the UK had a fourth utility?
Source
Security Installer
Postscript
By Ray Ashby, Manager of Gardiner Security's Integrated Systems Division
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