| If you are considering doing custom wiring to your | | | | of this technology from within the home. It is now |
| home, you should do your research and | | | | more affordable then ever for whole house audio |
| understand all your options. Many times home | | | | to play music from a central control panel or |
| builders will not present all the options available to | | | | direct from your living room receiver. Speakers |
| you. They will follow their list of options and be | | | | with volume controls can be installed just about |
| quick to say "no". If you are building with a | | | | anywhere in your home during construction. If |
| national builder, you may need to be more | | | | you wait to long, it may be impossible to wire |
| adamant and put up some cash up front. Just | | | | additional rooms on separate floors without |
| about any custom builder will go above and | | | | significant investments and renovations. |
| beyond your expectations. | | | | Theater rooms are the new craze these days. |
| With any home construction project you will have | | | | Home owners used to dream about turning that |
| floor plans to review. I will assume you have | | | | huge bonus room into a pool room with an eight |
| already visually determined where your furniture | | | | foot table. Now they dream about their 60" high |
| will go and how you will design the interior. I highly | | | | definition plasma screens with 7.1 surround sound |
| suggest making a copy of the floor plan and use | | | | and plush theater seats. Their dreams of the pool |
| colored pencils to place your low voltage outlets | | | | hall are quickly turning into dreams of being the |
| and hardware. Use different colors for your | | | | ultimate gamer or arm chair quarterback while |
| speakers, satellite receivers and network cables | | | | watching their favorite team on NFL Sunday |
| as these all require different types of wires. The | | | | Ticket. |
| wires should all lead back to one central location. | | | | The options don't stop there. We are now seeing |
| This is where you will put your control panel. | | | | an increase of home appliances and electronic |
| Typically people like to have this located in a | | | | components that are network ready. Many of |
| closet or even the laundry room. | | | | these new products are not capable of wifi or |
| Central control panels offer you the best possible | | | | receiving satellite signals. They require a hard line |
| solution for keeping everything organized. If you | | | | into your home network. Wiring your each room |
| have the space to add some shelving beside it | | | | in your home with an additional cat-5 line will allow |
| you can be even more flexible. You can put your | | | | you the greatest amount of flexibility for future |
| network router as well as your DVD player and | | | | compatibility. |
| audio receiver on the shelves and control them | | | | Never forget that you also need to protect this |
| through an infrared control from anywhere in the | | | | investment. While wiring your new "Smart Home" |
| house (assuming you wire for one). This can allow | | | | do not forget that the majority of home security |
| you to send the DVD (or DVR) signal to each and | | | | wiring falls with the low voltage area. Most |
| every television that's wired in so you don't miss | | | | contractors who wire your home for audio and |
| out when you are making a drink run or popping | | | | video will also represent your major security |
| some pop corn. | | | | companies like ADT and will be able to wire your |
| Low voltage wiring in new home construction is | | | | home accordingly. Wireless window and door |
| quickly becoming a new standard in today's high | | | | connections are clearly visible. When the doors |
| tech market. Although computer networks are | | | | and windows are hard wired during construction, |
| quickly moving toward the wireless sector, certain | | | | you cannot see the contacts stuck to the |
| electronic connections are still needed for full | | | | hardware. Now is the time to determine what to |
| home audio, video and security. More and more | | | | protect along with what detectors you would like |
| homes are preparing their home not just for | | | | installed (carbon monoxide, fire, flood, glass break). |
| cable, but for the complete expansion of their | | | | Always remember to get the battery backup and |
| home theater with the complete whole house | | | | cellular options if they are available. |
| video and audio capabilities. | | | | Put some thought into your floor plan and you will |
| Low voltage wiring is much more affordable to | | | | be pleased with the end result for years. |
| install once the house has been framed and | | | | Remember that your low voltage options expand |
| before drywall goes up. Home builders are quickly | | | | well beyond a few satellite dish feeds and home |
| adding in multiple satellite television lines leading up | | | | security wires. You can expand it as far as your |
| into the attic for easy installation of your dish. | | | | imagination and budget will allow. Never build for |
| Lines for an additional satellite radio antenna are | | | | now. Build your home for tomorrow and you will |
| also becoming more abundant to boost the signal | | | | be happy for years to come. |