New Construction
When planning to build a new home, part of the process is consulting with differing sub-contractors to customized solutions and make the construction process more economical and efficient. Just like every other upgrade you want in your home, technology needs to be planned and budgeted so it can be included in your home construction loan at the start, and not added as a last thought when your budget is depleted. Technology can offer you some of the best return on investment, both for convenience and quality of life, but also for resale.
Structured Wiring Systems
A place for everything and everything in its place. Have one central point for all your systems and then send them to every area of your home or office. Sound, cable, security system, internet and even phone lines can all be planned and run through a structured wiring system.
Residential Structured Cabling
What is structured cabling or wiring? Well the easy answer is “Organized Cabling” Structured cabling comes in many forms and can consist of many different components and parts.
Simplified:
First are the components or cabling itself.
Usually in a residential application structured cabling will consist of all low voltage wiring. This is all of your technology wiring, such as network cabling i.e. data wiring for internet, coax cabling for traditional cable connections, if you choose to have a wired phone line, wiring for security, cameras, wireless access points, audio wiring, and so much more.
How does that relate to structured cabling?
Structured cabling helps to distinguish the ownership value from the service provider, and provide the infrastructure backbone for the technology of the home. The service provider is responsible up to the D–marc (Demarcation Point) location, which is typically to the outside of the home where they will install a Network Interface Device (NID) or simply an enclosure box to join their service to yours. From this point the value of ownership is on the homeowner. Structured cabling would prepare for this ownership by establishing a main link from this NID or D–marc point to all of infrastructure wiring of your home. So if ‘structured’ is synonymous with ‘organized’, then all of the home wiring should come to a central connection point that is safe, protected from the elements, and functional to all of the current and future needs of the technology of the home.
Typically all outlets in the home will be “home run” (direct cable runs with no interruptions or other connections) to a structured wiring panel, or the organizational hub of the home. In this location, all of the cable can be properly and neatly contained and terminated (connected) properly; in an environment safe from the elements.
Since structured cabling is the backbone infrastructure to the technology of the home, it needs to be designed properly and for the future. Therefore, it should contain wiring for future expansion but also wiring and devices for the need of the current home, such as wireless access points, or the need for a hardwired data connection.
In this design, the D-marc point for the home infrastructure needs to be sizeable enough to be able to handle all the components necessary, such as internet modems, network switches, splitters, amplifiers for TV, media server, OTA connections, or whatever the needs are.
The D–marc can be a box that is inset into the wall, or a rack to hold all the components needed.But whatever it is, it is structured cabling, which is simply an organization of all of the home technology infrastructure cabling.
Why use structured cabling?
- Consistency: Because of its stature and well organization, it can be used for all your technology needs, helps to assist with troubleshooting, additions or moves.
- Longevity: Do to its versatility, your system will be able to handle changes of service providers with little effort, and should require nothing additional, allowing for the infrastructure to be versatile and robust enough to handle the future with little change.
- Simplification: Whether it is moving a computer or TV from one room to another, to needing to troubleshoot or isolate issues, structured cabling is designed to simplify matters, and makes changes or additions for new technologies later much easier and therefore usually less expensive.