Structured wiring is a bundle of wire that usually includes RG-6 (coaxial wiring) for multi room video such as Cable TV, and Satellite TV. Structured Wiring also includes Category 5 (or better) communications wiring for Telephone wiring, and Computer Networking. Adding Multi-Room audio is also a popular add-on. Audio systems can be installed using just speaker wire, or a combination of Cat5 and speaker wire.
Phone wire distribution should be sent to all rooms that will ever need a phone. Recommended wire is Cat5 or Cat5 E. This wire will allow you to run up to 4 separate lines to each room, or run any advanced KSU Phone system. These wires will all be run back to one central wiring location, for easy changes, and upgrades.
Cable TV & Satellite TV Wiring
Wiring your home for Cable TV, or Satellite TV is done using RG6 Coax cable. By running a coax cable from your structured wiring box, to each room of your home - You are ready for either Cable TV, or Satellite TV. The only thing that will change is the module inside the structured wiring center.
Auxiliary Home Video Wiring
It is recommended to always run 2 coax cables to each location. You will never know if you need to view Security Cameras, or add a Baby Monitor Camera, send DVD signals to each room, or other future video technology - Having 2 Coax video cables to each room, will allow greater flexibility in the future.
Wiring your home for computer networking is an important part of building or renovating a home. Running Cat5 between your structured wiring box, and each room will give you the flexibility of adding computers, or IP addressable devices to your home at any time. In your structured wiring box you will mount your Modem, and your network Router to share internet, and local files between all networked devices.
Common Home Networking Devices:
Modem - A device that lets your computer communicate with other computers through a connection to the Internet though a phone line, cable modem, or DSL. A modem modulates outgoing digital signals from a computer to analog signals for transmittal over a conventional telephone line. It demodulates the incoming analog signals into a digital signal for the computer.
Router - A router is used to connect , by forwarding information to the proper location. 1 Router is required in your home if you plan to use more than 1 computers or networked devices. While looking for a router, make sure the one you purchase has a built-in firewall.
Switch - a switch is a small device that joins multiple computers together at a low-level network protocol layer. Typically in a home network a switch is used to expand a network. For example you can connect multiple networked devices in a room that has only 1 cat 5 cable back to your structured wiring closet. A switch can also expand your network router by adding a simple switch - Which should be plug-and-play.
Home Audio Distribution
Home audio distribution allows you to listen to music in every room of your home, through in-wall, or in-ceiling speakers. Wiring your home for audio distribution is a fast growing part of structured wiring. This can be done by simply running speaker wire from your structured wiring enclosure to each room volume control, then to each speaker. Another way to wire audio in your home is to install an A-Bus audio system. An A-bus audio system installs using cat5 between your structured wiring enclosure, and each volume control. Then you run speaker wire from the volume control and each speaker.