{"id":8193,"date":"2019-03-02T23:12:53","date_gmt":"2019-03-02T10:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.abtec.co.nz\/blog\/?p=8193"},"modified":"2019-03-29T07:54:57","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T18:54:57","slug":"building-a-home-what-should-i-pre-wire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/building-a-home-what-should-i-pre-wire\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a Home &#8211; What should I Pre-wire?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Are you building a new home? &nbsp;Wondering what\nto prewire? &nbsp;And what about all the new wireless technology? Do you worry\nif it\u2019s worth it to prewire?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I love\nthe analogy Steve Jobs used when asked about PCs, Laptops and Tablets. &nbsp;He\nsaid as good as cars are, we will always need trucks for heavy lifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nsame is true when you build a home. &nbsp;There will always be heavy lifting to\ndo in the home. &nbsp;For these applications, you want to use wire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a\nrule, we recommend prewire the following items in new construction and\nremodels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>TVs, Projectors &amp; Video Distribution<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Primary &amp; Secondary Surround Sounds<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Home Audio<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Landscape\nspeakers<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cable,\nSatellite, &amp; Internet Providers<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Surveillance\nCameras<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Home Security<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Network\n&amp; Wifi<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Control<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Quick Word About Wireless Technology&nbsp;<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve heard\nsome incredible wireless demos for sound; for both home audio and surround\nsound. &nbsp;I\u2019ve seen HDMI demos for Video that wowed me, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I want\nto be clear, I\u2019m a huge fan of the emerging wireless technology, and think it\nprovides phenomenal solutions for people already living in their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But\ngiven the option, I prefer to prewire the items that follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1.\nTV\u2019s, Projectors &amp; Video Distribution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>TVs<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013\nTraditionally you run a RG6\/Coaxial cable to each TV for Satellite\/Cable\nservices. &nbsp;Smart TV\u2019s should be hard wired into the home network, and\npreferably with a Cat6.<\/li><li><strong>Projectors<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013\nFlexible conduit to projectors wherever possible, multiple Cat6 cables when\nit\u2019s not. &nbsp;HDMI can go bad or become obsolete overtime, and this allows\nyou to change HDMI as needed.<\/li><li><strong>Video Distribution \u2013&nbsp;<\/strong>What I\u2019ll say here, is that even with all the cord\ncutting, we still believe you should prewire for Video Distribution.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A\nQuick word on&nbsp;<strong>FIBER<\/strong>.&nbsp; There\u2019s a case to be\nmade for running Fibre in a home or running Conduit so you can run Fibre\nlater.&nbsp; I\u2019m not sure we\u2019re at a point where it\u2019s necessary for every home,\nbut it\u2019s certainly something to consider.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2.\nPrimary &amp; Secondary Surround Sounds&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most\npeople consider prewiring surround in their main media room or theatre.\n&nbsp;You should also consider prewiring for Secondary Surrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ngoal here is simply to provide more volume in larger rooms where flat screen\nTVs won\u2019t have the speaker power to fill the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\napplications are endless: Master, Covered Deck, Pool, Great Room, etc. &nbsp;If\nthere\u2019s a room where you could enjoy more sound, consider a soundbar or full\nsurround.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\nneed to decide about where to locate your receiver. &nbsp;You can \u2018localize\u2019 the\nreceiver in the room where it will be used, but if you\u2019re doing Video Distribution,\nyou\u2019ll want it in the Media Rack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Home Audio<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When\nwe&nbsp;prewire a home, this is where we&nbsp;will be the most aggressive.\n&nbsp;We have been known to wire in multiple rooms that are planned to be free of\naudio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Almost\nwithout question, once a Client experiences Home Audio, they want more of it.\n&nbsp;Showers, bathrooms, Covered Decks, Front Porch, Landscape Speakers, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\nare going to spend any time at all in a room of the house, consider prewiring\nit for Audio. &nbsp;We even have clients prewire hallways, and walkways for\nparties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Landscape Speakers<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Landscape\nspeakers are designed so that you can hear the volume as loudly as you want,\nbut without disturbing the neighbours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If\nyou\u2019re thinking about landscape speakers, you need to decide how many zones you\nmay want and prewire accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cable, Satellite, &amp; Internet Providers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Point of Demarcation (also called the\nDemarc)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 This is a location on the exterior of the\nhome where Cable, Phone and Internet Service providers connect their services.<\/li><li><strong>Satellite Prewire \u2013&nbsp;<\/strong>A satellite prewire prevents the home from being\n\u2018wrapped\u2019 where the Satellite company staples wire around the side of your\nhome. &nbsp;Sat Prewires, are usually run to a location in the soffit nearest\nthe Satellite location.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Surveillance Cameras<\/strong><\/li><li>Surveillance Cameras should be\nprewired. &nbsp;A lot of clients ask about wireless cameras, but with few exceptions\u2019\nwireless cameras still, need power.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re going to run a cable for power anyway, it makes sense to run a Cat6. &nbsp;You can hard-line it into the network, and send it power over the same wire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Home-Theater-Pre-Wire-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-01.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Home-Theater-Pre-Wire-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-01-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8196\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Surround Sound Pre-wire<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Home-Pre-Wire-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-01.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Home-Pre-Wire-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-01-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8197\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Audio\/Video\n&amp; Smart Home Wires<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Home Security<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With\nHome Security we like to prewire the keypads for power. &nbsp;This keeps the\nkeypad installs clean and void of power&nbsp;adapters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond\nthe keypads you can reliably cover the home with wireless sensors. &nbsp;Some\nlarger homes struggle with the wireless range and can benefit from hardwired\nsensors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise,\nif you\u2019re using iron or metal doors and windows, those can cause interference\nwith the wireless signals. &nbsp;We look at security prewire on a case by case\nbasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Network &amp; Wifi<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Hardwired Network \u2013&nbsp;<\/strong>Wifi is great, but you still want to hardwire into the\nnetwork where you can. &nbsp;It\u2019s best to hardwire TVs, and Video sources into\nthe network. &nbsp;Likewise, Ethernet ports anywhere you may want a hardwired\nconnection.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Wifi Hotspots \u2013&nbsp;<\/strong>We havelearned that it\u2019s best to leave yourself options\nfor Wifi Hotspots. &nbsp;We usually prewire more locations than we believe we\nwill need. &nbsp;This gives you the option to move Hot Spots around later and\nfind the maximum coverage.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Control<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We should\njust call this Miscellaneous. &nbsp;There are several things you can prewire in\nyour home to&nbsp;give you greater control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>iPad Mounts, Tablets &amp; Wall\nStations<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Charging stations for your iPads are very\npopular. &nbsp;Systems like Control4 and Savant also have their own tablets\nthat wall mount. &nbsp;We wire standard for these in common areas, and theatres,\nbut you can wire them anywhere.<\/li><li><strong>Doorbells \u2013&nbsp;<\/strong>Have the us or electrician wire the doorbell the\nsame way it\u2019s always done. &nbsp;Then add a Cat6, and a Multicore cable for\ngood measure. &nbsp;There are so many Video Doorbell solutions, and they all\nintegrate a little differently Smart Home platform, to platform. &nbsp;This\nkeeps your options open.<\/li><li><strong>Fireplace \u2013&nbsp;<\/strong>If you have a switched fireplace, you want to run a\nMulticore cable wire to the Fireplace Switch box. &nbsp;Later this can be used\nto tie into the switch and control your fireplace.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Abtec Audio Lounge works\nin conjunction with one of Wellingtons best cable, wiring and video installers\nin New Zealand and together we can ensure the pre-wiring issues are handled\nwith the least intrusion during the building process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you building a new home? &nbsp;Wondering what to prewire? &nbsp;And what about all the new wireless technology? Do you worry if it\u2019s worth it to prewire? I love the analogy Steve Jobs used when asked about PCs, Laptops and Tablets. &nbsp;He said as good as cars are, we will always need trucks for heavy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8193"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8193"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8234,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8193\/revisions\/8234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}