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Wiring Options for New Build (2/8/2004)

By Rupert Smith

Whenever there is the opportunity, houses should be wired rather than make use of wireless technology. This is because wires offer, in theory, 100% reliability, choices in system performance or quality for the client and, assuming the right cable has been installed, the type of systems that can be distributed or connected around a house. Category 5 cable for instance, while designed to carry high speed data, is now used as a means to carry telecommunications and analogue or digital audio and video. Wireless technology on the other hand, is full of limitations. First there are radio frequency restrictions which include power output. This makes it difficult to engineer a product that can carry the required information over a usable distance. Secondly, the construction of a property can make wireless signals very unreliable.

New builds have distinct advantages over existing properties when it comes to wiring. Older properties tend to be of more solid construction than new properties, which generally makes rewiring a question of chasing into walls. Newer property tends to be of cavity and studwork construction. This offers the possibility to 'fish' cables through airspaces which at least makes wiring a new house practical rather than impractical. Needless to say, wiring a house at the building stage is the ideal, and this is only possible with new houses!

Data networks

The current trends for wiring a smart house are largely focused around data networks and television. These are mainly due to the growth in Internet/computer usage and the development of digital television. Most analysts agree that the next major growth in 'smart home' technology will be shared Internet connection. This then leads to people sharing peripherals such as printers, and ultimately networking computers together. While this can all be done wirelessly, there are limitations in speed, and inevitably concerns over security, which are lesser issues with a wired network. Ethernet networks can also be used to build control systems without removing the network's data usage, as shown in the example below.

An Ethernet network used for control and data

Digital television

Digital television, particularly satellite, has changed television viewing beyond all recognition, with the functionality built into set-top boxes (STBs) and enhancements to this functionality being possible through automatic software updates over either the satellite or aerial network. This improvement has led to consumers being able to record TV programs on hard drives, control their STBs from other rooms and ultimately demand additional boxes in other rooms. This has resulted in manufacturers of distribution amplifiers incorporating remote control functionality into their products and capacity for multiple satellite feeds. As installers, we are now obliged to put a TV point in all rooms which allows clients to view and control the output of one set-top box throughout the house or plug in independent boxes wherever they are required without new cables being run. The diagram below shows a typical arrangement with a modern TV distribution amplifier.

TV distribution using a modern amplifier

Telephone

Other 'musts' in a new build are the telephone wiring. While cordless phones are all the rage, many larger properties prefer to install business-type telephone systems. In addition, clients want to be able to plug in faxes or modems for Internet use. Perhaps the biggest requirement for telephone services in a property is for the television. To fully utilise STB functionality, a connection to the phone is required. The importance of this is reflected in the broadcaster's subsidy of STBs if they are connected to a phone line.

Category 5 cable

The above systems can now be considered part of the typical infrastructure in any new project. To achieve it, you only need to worry about two types of cable and one rule of thumb where positioning of outlets is concerned - namely wherever there is a phone outlet put a data outlet, and wherever there is a TV outlet put both telephone and data.

For cabling, Category 5 data cable, that is, quality Cat5E ('E' for enhanced), not the cheap stuff, can be used for both data and communications and would normally be run as a pair of cables to every telephone, data and TV point position in the house. This, together with a sensibly placed distribution hub allows clients access to phone and data (and TV as providers of TV via broadband begin to appear) just about anywhere in the home. When you allow for plugging in of wireless products to extend a wired system's scope, the possibilities for clients become endless.

Satellite-grade TV cable

Satellite-grade TV cable is the other main consideration. This allows any type of RF (Radio Frequency) signal to be used, unlike normal TV-grade cable which is just not good enough for satellite or even cable TV usage. With two cables being run from a roof or dish location to the main TV, and a further cable taken from here to the distribution amplifier, a great deal can be achieved in terms of viewing options.

Together these cables provide the backbone for a wide variety of services. The core systems are constantly improving through developments in hardware and software, thus providing ongoing improvements not limited by the wiring infrastructure. Not long ago, Cat5 was good for 100Mb/s, now improvements in technology allow transmission rates of up to 1 gigabit per second. BT would not have been able to introduce the broadband service were it not possible to make use of existing (and very old) copper wire network through developments in technology. This reinforces the fact that improvements in cable performance are coming from software and hardware developments rather than cable quality, assuming of course you have a minimum standard to work with. Therefore, these two basic cables should provide you as future-proofed a home as is realistically possible.

Summary

If you have a new property with the ability to run new cabling, I would strongly suggest adding as much wiring for communications, data and TV as possible. This will not only give you options as to the systems functionality you have in your home, but also add value to your house. Many estate agents may overlook the importance of structured cabling in a home, but people now want to connect to the Internet and watch satellite TV without having to think about adding that facility to their home. How many people would buy a house now if they were told it had no TV or telephone point? None. Yet this was once new technology which people had to add. Now it is considered as essential as electricity and running water.

Additional cabling for audio and control systems such as lighting are more bespoke, and the systems created are really dictated by personal preference rather than consumer demand. As such it will be a long time before they are considered as part of a normal new build for housing estates and ordinary flats rather than for technology-showcased penthouses.

Rupert Smith is Founder and Director of Audio Visual Interiors Ltd, specialist in custom integration for the home.

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