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Monday, January 16, 2012

Wiring Options

Today we had an appointment with the wiring rep and we selected a few options which we deemed as must haves.

  • 4 standard outlets and we added 12 additional outlets (7 cable, 4 phone and 5 data) 6 in the second floor, 5 in the first floor and 5 in the basement
  • Upgraded the networking panel with a power outlet inside for a router and modem
  • Prewired basic security system (1 Control Panel, 1 Interior siren, LCD keypad, 2 motion detectors, 3 glass break detectors
  • Build in Central Vac System
  • Two media system pre-wiring
  • 3 Flat Panel Mounting
  • 2 Central closet receivers pre-wiring  
Haven't done this before, So need to find out which of the above options that can be done personally to save some money. Need suggestions.?

4 comments:

  1. Hi, just wondering if you're sure about so many data connections. I assume you'll normally be using wireless throughout the house?
    I had a data connection put in four rooms I think, but I'll tell you that I use them very infrequently, as the wireless connections suffice and provide stable high speed internet. Maybe an opportunity to save a little money.
    I definitely recommend the central vacuum system. It's terrific.
    For the Study I had two phone lines put in, one being for our HP6500 4-function printer which has fax capability. It's also wireless so we can print from anywhere in the house. Has software that allows one to scan a document and send it wirelessly to any computer too, as a PDF or JPG, etc. Very handy.
    Check if the connections for your woofers will match up with what Guardian is offering when they do your pre-wiring, if you are getting surround-sound set ups. In my case, my surround-sound systems' woofers were incompatible I later learned. Guardian's woofer connections expected RCA cables, where mine were just red and black wires.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your inputs Mike...!

      you got us thinking about the number of data connections. we were just thinking of situations where kids may want to use desktops. I guess we can just use wireless adapters for desktops. we have cut down on the connections to 8 now (3 data, 3 phone, 2 cable)

      Yes, we are going with the central vaccum system and planning to do hometheater wiring ourselves.

      Also, We are trying to cut down on a couple of upgrades as a trade off for the central vac system. We are contemplating on removing the laundry cabinets and upgraded crown molding.

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  3. The central closet wiring is an awesome idea. We took our hall closet and turned the top half into our audio/video center for the family room home theater equipment...pre-wire to the wall above the fireplace for the flat-panel TV. We have 2 Denon AVR-2312CI receivers that are just amazing. When planning your Audio/Video do not forget to run a network line to the location where your equipment will be. Everything...and I mean everything...requires a network connection these days and you are going to want a hardwire connection instead of wireless. As long as you have a network connection to your equipment you can then add a network hub to create as many connections as needed...don't forget to run a network connection to any TVs you will have mounted on the wall. We use the Logitech/Harmony 900 remote with RF to communicate with the equipment in the closet. We also can control the Denon receivers with an iPad application and can stream music from our home computer with iTunes directly to either Denon or both at the same time. We also have 3 rooms plus our outdoor patio wired with audio that we can easily control with the Denon's. I am pretty amazed at all the features of the Denon's and how well they work together.

    Most computers can get away with using wireless, but I found that I didn't get great coverage with the Verizon Wireless router that was sitting by the Guardian panel in the basement. I just took my older linksys wireless router and attached it to the network in the study on the first floor and now I get fantastic coverage on all 3 floors.

    Like Mike said, don't forget to add a phone line where your printer will be and get one that can also fax. You probably won't use it a ton but it is great when you do need it.

    I know I threw a bunch of info at you...feel free to ask about anything...I was building my system from scratch and handn't bought any AV equipment since 2001...it's amazing what this stuff can do today.

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