WholeHome

You will notice a previous blog entry on this same topic, but it has been such an overwhelming topic of discussion lately that I need to update a few things.

Why is it such a big topic? Mainly because Comcast has done such a poor job of explaining what they are doing and why. The best example so far? I was standing in a Comcast office recently and this poor guy came in with a stack (6) set top boxes that he had ripped out from all his TV locations. He said he had received a letter saying Comcast was going all digital and that he needed to get equipment for all his TVs to be able to view the new digital channels. What a huge waste of this guy’s time – having to rip them all out and then just put them all back when the lady behind the counter said he didn’t need to change anything… He was pissed, and all it would have taken was a little bit better consumer education.

Instead of the standard – almost unreadable – red screen saying Comcast is converting, how about putting up a simple 1 minute instructional video that repeats… Come in, I mean this really is not that hard.

Bottom line, we have tried to explain the “backside” of what the cable companies are doing – with a new set of webpages – why, how, when, and how much it will cost you… Check it out here.

If you want the condensed version, just check out the youtube video (but if you get hooked on the video you will go to the website anyway… It is an addiction.

If it has not hit your area yet, it will, and soon. Change is part of life. Before I tear into them, let me say I am a loyal Comcast customer and a huge fan. BUT the latest digital move is a crock and makes me want to rethink my whole relationship with them. i.e. This SUCKS.

Marketing at cable and satellite companies is now completely out of hand – you get about the same thing with any of them yet they insist on trying to compete with each other by making my life harder. The ONE distinguishing characteristic of cable (not having to have a set top box under every TV) is now gone. Just to keep what I have I now must pay Comcast MORE for renting a new cable box for every TV. Really?

Lets examine:

• Do I really need them to “add more bandwidth” so I can get another hundred worthless cable channels? NO
• Does my cable bill go up? YES
• Do people really like having extended basic cable service directly to every TV? YES
• And what did they replace my beloved SciFi channel with ?? You guessed it – QVC – again really?
• BOCS really does make it all better – yeah, I’m shameless, but it is exactly the feedback I’m getting from new customers!

Want more information – I just published a new page describing the whole conversion, what you have to do to get ready, and how to cope.

I also previously did a little presentation on why digital gives you more channels with some cool graphics to make the technology come to life.

Couple of quick comments on the “DTA” (the new little cable box) Comcast wants you to put on every TV:

1. It does NOT have a guide – you get channel up/dn and a very basic Comcast remote.
2. ONLY the new remote works with it – you need to reprogram any universal remote you have – see my XMP posts for more information
3. It does NOT have power off pass through – so if you want analog cable and/or BOCS with it you MUST use the RCA jacks.

So – Comcast… you suck, but like everything else, we Americans have a short memory. We will adapt and forgive you before our morning coffee. sigh…

DF

I did a post a while back on XMP based remote controls, and I’ve noticed a LOT of interest in the subject so it’s time to give a bit more detail since Comcast, in particular, is beginning to hand those remotes out like candy.

So, let’s start with the basics – most people are trying to get more information because they got a new Comcast DVR and suddenly neither their old Comcast remotes or their fancy universal remote will work with the new box. In fact, in many cases, a code does not exist in your universal remote nor can it learn the codes for the new box. Your first thought is, “What, are they insane? – putting out a system that completely cripples all my controllers dooming me to have to explain to my wife again how all the fancy toys are worth it when no one can even change the TV channel anymore…”

There are three “typical” remotes being handed out right now, and it is easy to tell the difference -

The one on the left is the standard Comcast remote and works all of the legacy Motorola and Scientific Atlanta Boxes. The old familiar black(SD) and Silver(HD and DVR) boxes as well as the newer “compact” SD box (Not the DTA) all work with the legacy remote only.These are the ones to look for…

Newer boxes – namely the Cisco RNG/PNG200 series and the latest Motorola boxes (look for the more square front ones)

and the new Mot boxes (the top one in this pic) use the newer XMP protocol (the middle remote above – the “dark grey one”)

The bottom box is a DTA – and uses a completely different remote… (The litle black one in the top picture)

One note, some of the newer Motorola DVRs will accept EITHER the legacy silver comcast remote or the dark grey one – A very nice thing indeed.

To decode a little, the silver remote uses a legacy code that nearly every universal remote already has in it and it is easily learnable.

The dark grey remote uses the XMP protocol and the DTA is different than both of them.

The XMP protocol is a new development from Universal Electronics – bottom line is that it functions much like a standard code but they tightened up the specs. Specifically the tolerances are such that without a patch, a standard universal remote cannot learn the codes. Why? because according to the older specs, it is ok to be a little sloppy – that rising edge of the pattern might be off by 7% or so and nothing in the system really cares. The new protocol has to be much more accurate. Here is the really fun part, most legacy UEI remotes cannot even learn the new codes. In their brilliance, UEI made it so they obsoleted many of their own remotes in the field.

Why would they do this? Opening the door for later two way communications is one good reason – future remotes that can actually receive data about what is being played and show it right in your hand – cool (but dont count on ever getting anything like that free from Comcast – are you kidding?)… More likely it is a competitive thing – what better way to step on UEI competitors than making it so that the latest cable systems won’t work with competitors products – because UEI has BOTH Comcast, DirecTV and Dish contracts as well as a very healthy stand alone universal remote  business. For shame.

And, Cisco implemented the remote receiver extremely poorly – even with a really good remote control, the suckiness of the Cisco box means you almost have to be right in front of it to change the channel – forget about changing the channel from the kitchen. Makes sense I suppose as Cisco is new to the business just having purchased Scientific Atlanta, and when one company buys another they always seem to know more about how to do things than the expert company they bought – this is the perfect example. My suggestion, if Comcast tries to hand you a Cisco box – refuse – demand Motorola.

As a side note, BOCS systems actually use a uEI chip and a simple firmware upgrade solves the issue (more suspiscion that this is a competitive strike), and like new DVD encryption that comes out periodically (like on the latest Twilight-New Moon DVD) it is quickly broken and systems are patched.

Bottom line – if you got a new dark grey comcast remote and your older universal will not work with your new set top box, go to your universal remote’s website and see if there is an upgrade – likely it will take a little work but you can do it.

I’ve collected a LOT of data and scope/screen shots of the new protocols and happy to share that with anyone that wants to take the next investigative step -

Good luck and don’t forget that with the new Comcast “going all digital” changeovers, there is no better way to get all your channels back than to install a new BOCS system.

DF

So, you have a TiVo, you recorded a really great episode of CSI and you want to share it with your best friend. If it is not clear, TiVo absolutely does not allow that, and while the networks also frown on it, you really really want to do it. Keep in mind that before the days of Comcast DVRs and TiVos there was a nifty startup called ReplayTV that allowed just this sort of thing – sharing between boxes and even [carefully] over the internet. TiVo, however, is careful to encode/encrypt everything and make it nearly impossible to access anything beyond the confines of their own walled garden.

There is a Chinese company, Moyea, that has released a new version of their video transcoder software that at least offers some hope in this area. I’ve purchased previous versions of their software – specifically to convert my video camera files to flash (Check out my flash creation – I sneak out from behind an active BOCS demo on the virtual BOCS page). Their software is extremely easy to use and worked exactly as advertised.

But, there are a few issues: Getting video off of a TiVo is a real pain in the first place. For some reason, downloading video from a TiVo (Series 2 and beyond only) is about the most frustrating thing a human can do. It is basically only a real time transfer – meaning a one hour show takes an hour or longer to get it off the TiVo. They have posed plenty of excuses, but personally I think they did it on purpose – perhaps even at the request of the ever-evil MPAA. So once you get it off of a TiVo, run it through the Moyea conversion software (assume again at least real time kind of time to convert unless you have a screaming computer) and then the time to upload… Yes, you can share your stuff with a friend, but something like three hours of effort to share a 1 hour show? It better be a friend-with-benefits. All kidding aside, this is at least a good step in the right direction…

DF

Even if you are a minimalist, every home needs phone, TV, doorbell, and at least support for internet. Forget about you having sworn off TV, you have to put in at least the basic services for resell value. I hear from realtors all the time that the lack of phone and cable outlets in each room is frequently a turnoff in older homes.

This section attempts to provide the future homeowner with the tradeoffs between keeping costs low and providing as much functionality and planning for future needs. We highly suggest that you read through the other chapters that go through other home systems and options before you complete your home plan, but please – at least put in what is in this chapter for the sake of the next owner of your home.

Key philosophy: If you are going to do it, do it right!

Bottom line – the list first:

Outside-IN:

4 RG6 Sat: To the central media cabinet, run 4 RG6 outside to the south facing side of your home.
2 RG6, 1 Cat5e: 2 RG6 and 1 CAT5e to your cable TV demarc point.
2 Cat5e: 2 Cat5e to the phone demarc point.

Media Cabinet to Rooms:

2 RG6, 3 Cat5e: Homerun 2 RG6, 3 Cat5e to every room (kitchen, playroom, garage, den included).
16-2 for surround: Pre-wire for surround sound (2 rear, 2 side, 2 front, center, subwoofer) in the    main TV location and at any home theater locations using at least 16-2 lamp cord.
Be sure to wire for doorbell and at least a couple of motion sensor locations for a future security system.

Where to get supplies:
While everything you will need should be available at your local Home Depot or Lowes, if you are doing any project that requires more than 1000’ of wire, you can usually save some money by ordering online. [url]www.monoprice.com[/url] has a nice selection of wires, terminations, and media cabinets to choose from. If you plan ahead, you can even get different color wires so you can more easily keep things organized.

Details Outside-In:

4RG6 for Satellite – These should all be RG6 Quad Shield coax. While any kind will work, if you have a choice get exterior grade, and if possible get coax screened to 3GHz.

Dish network – requires one wire from the dish (or from a switch) for every two tuners (that is two boxes or one DVR). Even if you run 8 tuners in your home, you will need at least two wires from the dish to feed the switch(es) in your media cabinet.

DirecTV has three predominant systems currently in use:

With a “Legacy” setup (More than one wire comes down from the Satellite dish)
If you have only Standard Definition boxes, you need TWO wires in from the dish to a switch that will reside in your media cabinet.
If you have ANY High Definition boxes you will need FOUR wires in from the dish to a switch.

With a SWM (Pronounced Swim) system (Only one coax comes down from the Satellite dish), that one wire comes down to your media cabinet, goes to a power inserter then into a splitter (looks much like a cable TV splitter) to feed all your TVs. The standard system, however, only will feed 5 tuners (again a standard box is 1 tuner and a DVR is two).

A Hybrid system combines the two and gives extra benefits but you usually have to prearrange this kind of installation as the pieces are not always on the installer’s truck. This kind of system uses a “legacy dish”  a 5LNB dish, 4 wires out, and a stand alone SWM-8 switch in your media cabinet. This more easily allows expansion to more tuners and allows you to insert a locally generated set of channels that all the TVs in the home can see. This is particularly good for in-home A/V distribution, or adding security cameras to your home’s TV system. If you already have a “legacy” system, the stand alone SWM-8 switches are readily available on the internet for around $120 including the needed power supply from sites like [url]www.weaknees.com[/url]. Be sure to check that all your receivers are SWM capable – most will be marked with SWM near the satellite connection on the box, or check with the folks at weaknees for more information.

If you live in a particularly cold/snowy climate, consider wiring for a dish heater.

2RG6, 1Cat5e to the Cable TV Demarc point – These should be RG6 Quad shield and exterior grade Cat5e if possible. The absolute minimum here is one RG6 coax, but the extra coax and cat5e are good safety precautions in case you need to add:
•    an amplifier at the demarc point, the extra coax can carry power to the amp.
•    a legacy voip system – older units have the voip modem on the outside of the home and/or at the demarc point
•    a cellular repeater
•    Satellite Radio, FM antenna etc.

2 Cat5e to the phone demarc point – A single Cat5e can carry up to 4 individual phone lines so one is usually enough, but as wires corrode and have trouble over time exposed to the elements, it is recommended installing a second just as a backup.

Details Inside the Home:

2-RG6, 3-Cat5e: From the media cabinet to each room in the home forms the core of the communications and entertainment system in your home. Let’s run through them one at a time, and point out the versatility this setup gives you.

Dedicated line to Cable Modem: Be sure to run a dedicated line directly from the demarc point to the location where you plan to put your cable modem. The cable company will install a tap off the main line that runs to the modem.

2 RG6: Video. Whether cable or satellite using a SWM or legacy system, having 2 RG6s to each room will allow you to have a DVR in any room. If you only end up using one of the two coax wires, the other can be used for a security camera backfeed, as an extra audio or video distribution point, or even running spdif audio as part of an audio distribution system.

3 Cat5e:
One is for phone lines – a single cat5e can supply up to 4 individual phone lines to each room.
One is for Ethernet. Yes, wireless is a great thing, but wired will always be faster and more secure. Keep in mind that in the future your whole-home entertainment system might very well be IP delivered over Ethernet.

Two are for Audio/Video. By adding a low cost balun (a device that lets you connect audio and video wires to an Ethernet cable) you can transfer high definition component as well as full digital Spdif audio from your media cabinet to any room. For more details, see the Home Distribution Systems chapter.
NOTE: Keep in mind this is an “absolute minimum so you can sleep at night” chapter. If you think you might want whole-home HDMI upgrade this to TWO Cat6 wires.

Surround Sound at your main TV watching location.

You will need to make a few decisions – where you’re A/V receiver will be located, whether you will use standing, hanging, or in-wall speakers, and how many speakers. Regarding the last, the most common today is a 5.1 system, which means 2 “front” Left and Right main speakers, two “rear” Left and Right speakers, one “center” speaker usually located just above or below the main TV, and one subwoofer. If standing or hanging speakers, you will terminate the wire using low voltage boxes (basically just orange “frames” readily available at your local home improvement store, if in-wall, you can coil the end of the wire around a nail so that the hole can be cut later for speaker installation.

While there are plenty of specialized wires available, the absolute minimum would be to use 16-2 zip cord. For a more professional installation, a two conductor red/white speaker wire in a common grey outer wrap is a nice upgrade 16 or 14 Ga wire can be used (CL-2 or CL-3 normally). 16Ga is usually good up to about 50’. That would allow you to make sure you get the polarity right on each speaker so you do not get strange phasing effects.

Note that the subwoofer commonly takes a different wire. A COAX makes a good choice for that connection instead of the lamp cord, and keep in mind that the subwoofer will need power so make sure it is located near an outlet.

Good general rules for speaker locations:

Center channel: right above or below the main screen.  Main front: Left and right of the main screen at the midpoint screen height or slightly above. Optimal placement is in a box or rectangle around the main seating location (usually 8 to 20’ from the main screen directly in front of it). Imagine that seat in the center of a box/rectangle, the two front and two back speakers should be at the corners of that box. It is ok if the rear speakers are closer to you than the front as their volume can be adjusted to “virtually center” you in the box by the receiver. Ideally rear speakers are at about head height when seated, but as that is not always possible, mounting standing head height on a wall is also common. Your receiver should come with good instructions for balancing your system, and some, using a microphone, will do it themselves.

Doorbell and Basic Security System Planning:

Your builder should take care of the doorbell, but you can always double check and upgrade just a little. For the doorbell, the common wire is an 18-2 solid “bell wire”. Somewhere there needs to be a transformer – it is usually mounted on a metal electrical box and fastened to a stud or ceiling joist either in the attic or the basement. From that location you need one run to the front door (and any other doors you want bells), and one run to each place you want the actual bell. If you are running more than one door and/or more than one bell, you should bump the wire guage up one (up means to a 16 guage).

A simple upgrade would be to add a CAT5e cable to the front door as well. One of the most common security additions people want is a front door camera. The Cat5 wire should go to your media cabinet.

For the Security system, the absolute minimum would be to run from the media cabinet (or right next to it for a future security cabinet) to at least one motion sensor location near each main open area, entrance, or location of valuables. Keep in mind you don’t have to cover every square foot of a home, just places that an intruder would have to walk through to get to your stuff. There is specialized security wire available both for sensors and for motion sensor locations, but a Cat5e to that motion sensor location will also work just fine.

Future Proof – at least a little. See the section on future proofing. Consider putting conduit in some places to let you expand later.

The Official Standard TIA-570
The latest version released in 2004 states that at a minimum, one RG6 and one data (they actually say cat 3) should be taken to each of the following rooms and placed every 25 feet on a wall:
•    Each bedroom
•    Kitchen
•    Living Room
•    Den/Office
Obviously the “minimum” stated in the document is significantly more.

Wire Types, Uses and Substitutions:

A later chapter will go through wires types by systems used in detail, but by way of general overview the following wires are preferred:

RG6QS: RG6 Quad Shield should be used anywhere coax is needed. 
It is generally good up to and including satellite frequencies. Most places sell RG59 but it generally only is good up to 700MHz or so and will not carry the higher cable channels or satellite frequencies. Coax generally can be had in red, blue, black and white; color coding is a huge help for identifying wires for trim out work. If you have a LOT of camera runs, then RG59 can be used, but if you are buying 1000’ rolls anyway, just stick with RG6QS everywhere. What about RG6 (no quad shield)? Yes it is cheaper, but will be more susceptible to interference and noise – you get what you pay for.

Ethernet, Phone, Keypads: For almost every residential application, Cat5e is sufficient and will work up to 1GB/s. Cat6 is better, but unless you terminate it properly, use the right ends and techniques, and have equipment capable of using the advanced wiring, you might as well stick with Cat5e.

Solid or Stranded? It Depends:
Cat5e and Cat6 comes in both solid and stranded formats. Solid means for each individual conductor (8 in a Cat5/6 cable) there is only one solid round conductor. Stranded means that for each conductor there are actually multiple wires wrapped around each other – typically 7.

Solid Conductor Cable: Turns out that solid wire theoretically has better conduction characteristics although the difference is negligible and most likely unnoticeable in a typical installation. Solid conductor wire works much better for punch down blocks and keystone jacks since it tends to hold its shape better when punched between the knives of a terminal. Solid wire, however, kinks and breaks easier than stranded wire so extra care must be taken when pulling to insure that it comes off the roll smoothly and does not kink. If it gets kinked it should be replaced. Solid conductor wire also does not work as well with typical RJ45 connectors – although most will accept either stranded or solid. The little teeth that get pressed into the wire can break solid wire. Special triple tooth connectors work best for solid cable if you need to go that way.

Stranded Conductor Cable: Is more flexible and much better for patch cords. It is better for crimp style connections, and much easier to roll.

Bottom line, use solid for in-wall and connections to patch/punch panels and use stranded for patch cords. The best advice, however, is to buy all solid bulk wire and buy pre-made patch cords. They will be better performance and last longer than anything you create yourself due to the molded ends.

Cat5e, Cat6, Cat7/ClassF??? Help
It is actually more complex than choosing a speed and putting in the right cable.

Cat5e is the most common installed cable at the moment and with good install techniques will support 1Gb/s speeds and will even support 10Gb/s speeds up to 15 or 20 meters. Since that is not long enough for many installations and existing installations are almost certainly longer than that, cat5e was written out of the 10Gb standard.  So the standard now includes cat6 up to 55 meters, augmented cat6 as well as cat7/ClassF supporting up to 100 meters at 10Gb/s. Generally a cat6 installation will run 30% more than a cat5e installation, and a full classF installation will run triple.
* Cat5 – some installations capable of supporting Gigabit Ethernet – see TIA/EIA-568-B-2 annex D for more information
* Cat5e is good to 100MHz – upgrades NEXT loss, return loss, and ELFEXT loss, 1Gb-T
* Cat6 is good to 250MHz – doubles S/N ratio – 1Gb-TX, some can support 10Gb
* Cat7 is good to 600MHz
Gigabit Ethernet uses full bi-directional and 4 pair schemes.

That said, it is absolutely as critical to install your chosen cable properly. The system is only as good as its weakest link. If you choose Cat6, install Cat6 keystones, patch panels and patch cords. Keep the twist tight all the way up to the punch. Cut ends very close. Use gradual bends in the cable, support it properly, and stay away from electrical lines.

Station wire: Generally, 22-2 or 22-4  works for about any security application. Things needing power need 4 wires, otherwise 2 is sufficient, but check on pricing. The price difference may be small enough to just run 4 wires everywhere. Note that Cat5e can be easily substituted.

Speaker/Audio: 16Ga speaker wire home wide is preferred – to walls and ceilings, with Cat5e run to keypad locations for future upgrading.  The easiest is usually to run 4 wire cable to each room for stereo, then run the two wire variety to each individual speaker.  If you cheap out and use zip cord, give it a twist – at least one twist per foot, preferably two. Long story short, twisted wires reject noise better than long runs of parallel wire. Theoretically, noise picked up on one is nullified by noise picked up on the other. Either way, it can’t hurt.

Extra Definitions: – Plenum wire can be used in “air duct spaces” , specifically it is used in commercial applications in suspended ceilings where air returns are common. It helps keep burning insulation, in the event of a fire, from contaminating the air system.
- Riser wire is preferred when making vertical runs between floors (it supports itself better
- U/V wire should be used where exposed to sunlight
- Booger wire should be used for direct burial

Got something really cool working this weekend that I wanted to share: I can now use my BOCS remote (you know, the one that already controls all your home A/V stuff and works all over your home) to control my lights, drapes, and adjust the temperature in my home.

I’ve always had everything hooked up with X10 controllers (www.x10.com) and activehome running on my home server (so I can control my devices on a schedule, run macros that activate when I get home, and control everything from my phone), but over the weekend, I was able to tie it all into my BOCS remote.

Why? Now I have a SINGLE remote that does everything – all over my home – AND since the range on the BOCS remotes is so much better than what I get on the standard X10 remotes I am in control regardless of where I am at home.  The system is much more reliable since the BOCS remotes know if an RF signal got through and keep trying until it does – so a button press ALWAYS turns my light on – no more hit and miss!!

OK, so I’m a little excited, but this is so easy. Just contact amperordirect.com to get a BOCS-to-X10 interface – all the instructions on how to implement this can be found at www.bocsco.com/x10

And – combined with the new macros available on the remote, you can hit a single button on the remote to fire up the tv, turn down the lights, close the drapes, and start a movie – your significant other will be secretly impressed even while she is rolling her eyes at you – I promise.

D

As you know, we decided to go open source on the firmware – and that is huge for the remotes as this is the only remote on the market with both full IR local (yawn) and TWO-WAY RF capabilites. The BOCS unit itself is a very capable basestation that has routable IR outputs and is all controlled by the 900MHz BOCS remote (repeaters also available) …

So – a customer has already taken us up on this and added full macro capabilites (yeah – just like a Harmony remote) – so now you can program sequences and even completely reprogram the function of the BOCS buttons. More info can be found on the AVSforum thread HERE.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1218246

Programming is very simple – you know you need a new weekend project!

Thanks to all who have been providing such kind and generous comments regarding the eBook I’m writing. It is very fulfilling to know that in some small way we are helping people.

That said, I’ve basically just realized that although there is a lot of good information and some great pictures in the book, it is getting to be a pretty hefty read. I’ve begun to put in more bulleted summary lists and keep extraneous words to a minimum, its long enough now that it is a full evening of dedicated study.

So, I’ve decided to attempt to put as much of the basic information as possible into a single color coded spreadsheet – the goal of which is to be printable on a single page. The concept being that you should be able to get the basic “what belongs where” info in a single glance and then refer to the full text for details, tips, and installation tricks.  So watch for drafts of that document to come out shortly.

Also, I’m still looking for guest authors on the following topics:

1) Calculating, sizing, and constructing in wall and in ceiling boxes for speakers

2) Home Automation and control (focus on pre-wiring, but a brief explanation of system types – see the whole-home audio chapter)

3) Lighting control and automation.

Let me know if any of you are interested.

David

I just go through creating two new installation documents – both are available for free download (links below)

The first goes through the considerations and installation details for those of you who would like to install TWO BOCS units in your home – Why you say? Becasue each BOCS supports 3 inputs so a second BOCS gives you a total of 6 inputs that are available homewide.

The satellite document covers the details of the various install methods in a satellite enviornment – and specifically, if you are considering putting in a DirecTV system the set of things you need to prearrange with your installer and the type of system you need to make both systems work together.

As always, feel free to ask any questions.

Install a second BOCS instructions HERE

Install in a satellite environment HERE

David Feller

One of the most frequently asked questions is “What wires should I install in the new home I’m building?”

Keep in mind that most builders are pretty touchy about you meddling in their project. In fact, I spent two full days pulling extra wires all over my own home right after it was framed, only to come back the next day to see all my extra wires pulled out and neatly coiled on the living room floor. So a couple of suggestions: don’t try to sneak it, buy your builder a case of beer, tell him exactly what you are going to do, and make sure you get his blessing. If you are building a two story home with a basement, make absolutely sure that there is a chase of some kind from the attic to the basement or install a good sized 2 or 3″ conduit or you will be sorry later. And finally, if you are working with the builder, make sure you strap all your new wires properly – according to local code. It has to look like it was professionally done or the inspectors might cause the builder trouble and make that case of beer less valuable.

Absolute Minimum:

As for wiring, if you are going for absolute minimum, my recommendation is (2) RG6-quad shield coax, (1) Cat5e for phone, (2) Cat5e or 6 for Ethernet and a spare for video, and (2) 16GA lamp cord for in-room speakers. Everything but the speaker wire should go to a single “mudring” (orange box frame for low voltage wiring). The Speaker wire should go to a “switch height” box near the room entry and then continue to optimal in-ceiling speaker locations so you can later put in volume controls. And don’t forget pre-wiring your living room and/or home theater location for surround sound. 2 rear, 2 side, 2 front, center, and sub locations – for the sub, I would double wire with speaker wire (same 18GA lamp cord) plus an RG6 coax in case the output you choose is RCA.

One extra upgrade:

Consider running one more cat5 to the location where you put the speaker control in each room – this will allow for future upgrade to a keypad that allows you to choose sources for the room.

So – where should all those wires go?

Telephone (one cat 5), TV (Coax), and Ethernet (Another Cat5) should all go to a single wiring panel – usually centrally located to minimize run lengths – closet, basement or preferably somewhere with attic, ceiling, chase access so you can run more wires later if needed. On-Q/Legrand and Leviton both make very nice cabinets that fit between studs and have nice snap-in modules like telephone punch blocks, cable splitters, and even ethernet switches.

My setup is not as well dressed as it should be, but I have everything in one place –

Audio may or may not go to the same location. If you invest in a switch that lets you put all your sources down in the basement and control everything from keypads in each room, you can run all those wires to another panel right next to the phone/ethernet/cable one. In my home, I ran all my speaker wires to my second story loft, where I have a Mac-mini running into a stereo amp (cheapest possible stereo audio receiver I could find at Best Buy), that feeds a multiroom switch. In all cases, I recommend putting in a switch so that the system is balanced, and if you choose to turn off a room, it does not change the volume in the rest of the rooms.

For the more advanced users – futureproofing…

A much more comprehensive guide, including hookup details, wiring for other major systems, proper wire dressing etc, there is an exceptional guide (broken up into three parts) from Cocoontech.com that I’ve save HERE for your convenience. It is a big read, but worth it if you are starting a new project.

And for your convenience, I put together a simple reference table – There are about 100 other services you could plan for, but if you take these into account you are easily 90% covered.

And what post would be complete without a plug for BOCS – home video distribution has never been easier than with our all-in-one system that any homeowner can tackle. www.bocsco.com