I’ve got my upstairs gutted and I’m thinking about putting in Leviton’s Structural Media Center to run all phone, TV, internet, and possibly security systems out of a centralized locations….problem is, I NOT very savvy when it comes to “high tech” stuff….and I don’t really like all the complicated computer/t.v. stuff—but I have young children who for some reason think they need computers to succeed in life–go figure.
Anyhow, my questions:
- Do you have any suggested reading/resources/suggestions to set up such a media center?
- What wires/outlets should I install now that the upstairs is gutted?
- Do I need to get the Cable Co. and the Phone Co involved?
- Is there anyway we can slow down this technology revolution so I can catch up?
Thanks!
Replies
I can help you with the whole setup and planning. I did 25 years
in telcom infrastructure and am very familiar with the pieces, and sources of components.
First, come up with list of "services" you want to wire for.
All the networking technologies for video and ethernet (internet
cabling demand a centralized structure. There are additional elements
to consider, but these will likely be beyond the architecture needs for your house. In any case, if you are doing the upstairs, but also envison some "drops" to the lower floor, then plan for them in the
architecture. Most new mid and highend houses here in San Diego are prewired in EVERY room, with runs back to the central point. Yep, kitchens, bedrooms any living space, (garage too!) Cable assemblies
are available that have 2 video cables (RG6) two CAT5 runs and two or more pairs for speakers and or low level audio, and controls etc.
That way you pull the cable run once, instead of a trip for each type of service.
There are some solutons using wireless, but by design wireless has to accept interference form sources such as microwaves, portable phones etc. Not cell phones.
Service Examples:
Ethernet 10/100Mbs (CAT5 or 6) wiring
video coax both ways
telephone
speaker pairs
(intercoms- not real popular lately.
So let me know if you need greater help on the cabling structure and the plan for the terminal devices and "services"
best,
Duster1
Duster1,
Thanks for the offer! I will try and post soon asap with the information you required...Right now, I was given a Leviton SMC 280 panel and a power supply...so I was thinking of using these products...I'll try and give you clear picture of what I'm doing in my next post....Again, I appreciate the help.
Got your long post printed out. Let me work it offline
as the 'net timeout may drop the message. Look at the smarthome
web site posted by jt8 in the mean time. I'll provide specifics
to match your lists and issues.BTW, ALL the cabling in your house now belongs to you. I think it
was 1998, FCC ruled so such that the service provider could not claim
exclusivity or ownership and create conflicts in the competitive market.The phone company or the cable company will be happy to send someone out to run THEIR wires with no regard for the others and with a very high cost to you. And you will wait for a schedule, guess the period of time, hope theay have all the stuff on th truck etc...& end up with potentially less than satisfactory results. What metro are you located in? more later.
duster1
send me your offline email address, the answer will be too lengthy for the
forum postings. mines' [email protected]
duster 1
Sent you an email this am....I really appreciate your time and input!
SEND YOUR EMAIL TO ME AGAIN, HAVEN'T GOT IT YET.duster1
Duster--
Sorry for the delay--I've been away from the computer for awhile...I sent you another email......I look forward to receiving your input on Structured Media Centers.
Thanks again for all you effort!
Patrick
patrick -
I'm not seeing anything. Please provide your direct email address.
Duster--
Let's try this again: [email protected] looking forward to your reply...
Duster1,
Here’s some information—any suggestions are greatly appreciated:
Background:
I’m rehabing an old 1881 home. The upstairs is now gutted and we are all living downstairs—when the upstairs is finished, we plan on moving up and gutting downstairs—so whatever we do upstairs now we will have to take into consideration the work we will do downstairs later…Upstairs consists of a Master Bedroom/suite,two other bedrooms for my children, a bathroom, and a hall way. We have pull down stairs to a pretty roomy attic where we have placed a new heater and a “floor.”
I have (given to me) Leviton’s Structured Media Center SMC (280) and a power source…I was also given more CAT5e and Coaxial Cable than I could possibly use. I am currently debating on two possible locations for the SMC: (1) In my daughter’s relatively small closet; or (2) In the attic. Both locations are approximately in the middle of the house.
Currently our telephone line comes into the back of the house…It actually scrapes across the top of my detached garage roof, ties about halfway up the back of the house (which will later be torn down and rebuilt), and then drops to a tangled mess at the crawl space level…it then hooks up to 1 phone downstairs…I’d like to have this changed to enter through the inlet to the top my garage roof, down to the ground level to buried conduit and then enter the house at the crawl space through the conduit. From there it would go to the SMC
Our TV cable comes into the front of our house, right along side of the incoming electrical wire. The cable connects to the house ½ way up to the second story then drops down in a tangle mess to the crawl space and then connects to a splitter that feeds two TVs down stairs…I’d either like this cable to be raised to the attic level and enter the house or be buried in my front lawn and enter the house via the crawl space. From there, it would go to the SMC.
Our plans for the upstairs gut job is to install phones(one in each room/3 total), TV (one in each room/3 total), computer internet(one in each room/3 total), and (possibly?) some type of security system for the entire upstairs. I Assume that the main TV cable and the main phone line would go to the SMC. I have no idea what would be done with the cable internet
I ASSume that I would run CAT5e to all phone locations (with home-runs to the SMC). I assume that I would also do home runs for all the Coaxial cable as well. I have no idea what wire to run for the future internet connections—we plan on using internet from our cable company (broadband?)—I assume the cable company brings the cable in and then it goes to some type of “splitter” in the SMC?. I also don’t know of any security systems that would be relatively simple to install. My understanding is all of this goes to the SMC—but I don’t have any idea which components to purchase to “split” these. I also don’t know what terminals connections to use at the SMC and each outlet….
Downstairs gut job will take place next Fall…There we will have the need for 3 TVs (plus one for the detached garage/shop) (Note: One TV will be a “home theater” type of thing) 4 phones (plus one for the garage) 3 internet connections (plus one for the garage) and some type of security system (especially for the garage--where there is a lot of expensive tools)….So I guess I need to plan on running some conduit (smurf tubing?) from the SMC down to first floor so I can later pull wire from the first floor to the SMC (?)..The wife also mentioned that she’d like to have speakers in most of the downstairs rooms and also outside in our patio area ( total of about 7 pair—not including the “home theater.”)
Boy, I don’t know if any of this makes sense or not…I hope this gives you a rough idea of what we doing/thinking…any suggestions/critique would be welcome. Please let me know if you want additional information….
Thanks again for the input!
duster, is this what you had in mind?
http://www.smarthome.com/8683.html
jt8
Allow me to offer the cranky luddite response.
Just say no. Keep it simple, life is too short
to spend it maintaining a complicated home
electronics (unless that is your hobby).
We have a home network here with a router
and five or six (?) terminals and workstations
attached. The network provides business support
and family entertainment. Keeping just the media
server part of it running right is a real headache
and time-consumer, and since it's my job to do it,
I get service calls from my "customers" on a daily
basis. Bah.
As for kids having access to ubiquitous computing,
I say double-bah. Kids need books, not computers.
Computers just dumb kids down.
' Dog -have you tried to schedule the router and the kid's homework
schedules?duster1
The router is the least troublesome part of the setup, but even that, inexplicably needs a little meat on the switch once in awile.
the leviton setup is 'pretty', but i would rather go with a home grown unit.
buy the pieces of the puzzle you want seperately..
router
patch panel
coax splitters
etc...
i think you can get better quality, for cheaper and more expandable if you dont put all your eggs in one basket with propietary setup.
im not saying its bad, but im in the process of doing the same (2 cat5e, 2 rg6 runs to many spots in the house), i went with my own router, a 110 48 port patch panel for computer and phone, coax splitters with amplifiers, etc... i will make my own rack and coax patch panel.
just my thoughts.... the leviton solution will definetley work though..
Everything will be wireless in a couple of years
If I was doing my own house again, I'd prefer to have conduit (eg, the blue plastic type) in 3/4 or 1" size, run from the wiring closet to each room. ie, not bare cable which cannot be easily pulled or re-installed or updated.
In addition to whatever cables I chose to install at that time, I'd also include a small rope for pulling new cables.
I prefer to buy cabling separate so that I can use high quality, name-brand, made-in-USA wiring (usually Belden Corp) but I realize that is not most people's idea of fun.
I noted some of those pre-made cable assemblies included optical fiber -- totally unnecessary (in a home) for at least some years, the time is not ripe. This is an example where conduit would make it easy to install optical fiber when its time comes).