Loading walls with wire

[Unregistered]

I am renovating a house and will likely remove all walls. I am a bit of a geak and have a friend who installs for a living so I want to make sure I put all the wire that makes sense...while I have the chance.

Here is what I am thinking.
Could anyone tell me if I can consolidate, just skip some of it or if I need more.

-Cat 5: computers
-Coax: Video
-Low voltage: Audio
-Low voltage: security

thanks

[suemarkp]

If you're a geek, then I don't think you've specified enough. I'd home run (from an AV/Network cabinet) the following to computer and TV locations:

2 RG-6 coax (one coming and one going, or one RF and one baseband)
1 CAT-5 for phones (8 wires)
1 Cat-5e for networking (8 wires)
(optional) 1 shielded twisted pair 18-20ga for audio (at least 2 pairs in the cable) -or- 2 pairs of 14ga or 16ga CL-2 speaker wire.

Security cabling generally goes to a different place (door, window, and motion sensors) and should home run to an alarm cabinet.

You can go even wilder if you want RGB video, digital video, or home automation. Automation and alarm systems can sometimes intermingle as can video if you have surveillance cameras.

So I'd do some more planning before you install cable that might not do what you want.

[Ron]

I agree with Mark. You can even consider running a fiber cable too. They make composite cables (structured cable) that have many cables within one jacket, so you can make one cable install and be done to each computer location (one per room at least).

[mdshunk]

For high end homes, we run a total of eight cables to each "keystone plate" in each room to the wiring closet.

2 RG6 Quad Shield
2 Cat 5
1 biaxial fiber (think I called this right, looks like orange lamp cord)
2 shielded audio cables
1 shielded baseband video cable

Of course, run whatever you like... my list is just one example. We've done installations already in which the audio cables were omitted, and extra CAT 5 runs were made. You'll have to decide what might suit you best. Like Ron mentioned, you can get all this in one big honking "structured wiring cable". In my area, it's price prohibitive but it certainly would save a little time running the cable.

The only tip I have is to NOT use a box on the stud to run all these cables to. Use a "low voltage box" (box without a back) or just nail a single gang plaster ring on the face of the stud. Protect the bundle very well until you're ready to hook it all up. Drywallers are very hard on stuff like this.

[bobm]

Mdshunk:

I know I a pulling out an old thread here:

>2 RG6 Quad Shield<

What is the purpose of pulling two RG6, or one coming and one going as I have read?

>baseband video cable<
What is baseband video?

>Use a "low voltage box"<
Why are these boxes better?

Thanks bob

[mdshunk]

What is the purpose of pulling two RG6, or one coming and one going as I have read?You might have satellite on one and central video distribution on another. The options are endless. This gives a convenient place to jack up a "nanny cam" or whatever in the rooms.

>baseband video cable<
What is baseband video?This used to be an RG 179, but lately it's just a third RG6QS for baseband video signals like cameras, vcr's and any video that normally comes from an RCA port.

>Use a "low voltage box"<
Why are these boxes better?
They're basically like a blue nail-on box, but without a back. It essentially makes the whole wall cavity "the box". All these cables will not nest back in a regular box without kinking. Kinks in video and network cables should be avoided like the plague. You can saw the back off a regular plastic wall box for a poor man's version of the low votage box.


You'll have to decide what you want to do with your system to figure out what to pull. I'd at least pull 2 or 3 RG6's and 2 or 3 CAT 5's, and then you might want audio cables up the wazoo... who knows? If this is a fairly mundane, run of the mill house, one RG6 and one CAT 5 to each plate may suit from now to eternity.

[Mr T]

If you are going to be living there a while.. I would also suggest running conduit from your boxes to the basement (if you have one).. You can add and upgrade on the fly then. Can also use ENT (blue 'smurf' pipe)

My wire closet is in a low clearance area of the attic. I ran a few runs of 1.5" PVC from the closet to the center of the attic to make it easy to add runs in the future.

Its easeir to do this now then later.

[mdshunk]

If you are going to be living there a while.. I would also suggest running conduit from your boxes to the basement (if you have one).. You can add and upgrade on the fly then. Can also use ENT (blue 'smurf' pipe)
That's using the old noodle! bow_1

[Mr T]

I have even gone as far as to install a permanent pull string into the conduit with something tied to each end (roll of electrical tape that I couldnt find for 5 months :D )so that I cant accidently pull it through. The pull string is just more then twice the length of the conduit run. If you have alot of turns or a long run, you will need something heavier then a nylon string.


This is my panel in its very very very early stages. I run phone, whole house audio (unamplified), network/internet, and cable through it. In the future it will also be the home of whole house video, maybe some remote control repeaters, intercom to the garage, and whatever other toys I can find or build.

The conduit on the left goes out to my soffit for service feeds.
The far right is all mycat 5 runs.
THe middle conduit is for coax. I need to install a 2nd conduit though since I made dual runs.
All these runs are about 8feet in length and just get the cables past the hard to reach areas.

[bobm]

I saw your pics from another post Mr T, very nice.

You're right on the condiut, I will run from my basement up the wall for my surround speakers.

I do not want to put speaker jacks on the wall but would rather run the wires out of the wall directly to the speaker terminals. Can you get a wall plate with just a hole for the wires to pass through? I am thnking of a round hole with maybe rubber protection.

Bob

[mdshunk]

You can get a plate with a small round hole (3/8", I think). If you wanted a rubber grommet, you'd have to get that at the hardware store as a seperate item.

[Mr T]

PVC works, but you can also use the ENT (blue stuff that home depot and lowes have nice fancy displays for) if you need to bend around something.

I'd only do it going to your multi-use jacks.. If you just got a single speaker wire run and you need to replace it.. tape new wire to old and pull it out...

You can drill a hole in your dry wall and poke the wire through and mud around it. or put up a blank box cover (even paint to match the wall) and drill a hole thorugh it.. Its plastic, and unless your pulling hard on it you wont need to protect it any further. IF you look around hard enough you can find coax cable jacks with no jack in them. Just a round hole.

If you are not pushing alot of power.. Ive heard of several people using the flat wire tape.. you stick it to the wall and paint (or even mud) it in... done.. Just dont let your wife randomly hang pictures up around that room......

[Unregistered]

bobm,
You can get small plastic 1inch or so in diameter disks with a hole made for RG6 that are used to get RG6 into and out of your home. I thought of this as a good option for your speaker wire exit.

[removeb4flight]

I just pulled out and replaced an RG-6 cable which I had put the connector on myself. I learned several things. #1 Don't have a connector in the conduit. I knew this, but the length of the pull was a few feet longer than the cable and I was too cheap to get a new longer wire. #2 Don't leave the center conductor too short on the connector. I followed the diagram on the back of the Radio Shack connector package, when I put the crimped connector on. The cable worked OK for months, until I decided to add a telephone wire, and had to re-pull it. Then all my channels on VHF Lo and Hi band went away. The UHF channels were there but really snowy. What happened is that the re-pulling caused a very slight break in the connection from the center conductor to the fitting I used to splice the cables, (see #1). The low frequency signals could not make the "jump" but the UHF was sort of making it by capacitive coupling. I reinstalled the RG-6 connector and now it works fine. Just thought this experience might help someone else.