Wire Your House for Today—and TomorrowStructured wiring can linkthe phones, computers and TVsin your house right now, andwho knows what elsein the future

BY JERRY HEESEN

M ost residential phone wire differslittle from the wire over whichAlexander Graham Bell sum-

moned Watson in history's first phone call.That's not a problem if you use the wireonly for phone service. However, Internetservice, unimagined by Bell, can slow to acrawl on regular phone wire (or bell wire).And although the RG 59 coaxial cable usedin most houses since the advent of cable TVis a big step up from the flat 300-ohm cablethat brought Lucy and Ricky into our lives,it can't handle high-definition digital TV.

Structured wiring can handle all this andmore. A structured-wiring network in yourwalls permits multiple telephone and faxlines and supports high-speed modems andcomputer networking from any room youchoose. It can create the ability for one VCRor DVD player in, say, the living room to becontrolled by and provide a movie to watch-ers in the master bedroom. It can link secu-rity cameras to TVs in whatever room you'dlike. Very likely, structured wiring can handleelectronic needs that you haven't even con-sidered yet.

No one knows what electronic gizmos we'llhave in five years, but a good structured-wiring system should be able to supportmost anything. The trick is to run morewires to more locations throughout thehouse than are currently needed. The wiresall come together at a junction box, or struc-tured panel (photo left, p. 95), placed in abasement or utility closet, and any wired lo-cation in the house can link to any otherwhen the need arises.

Sounds complicated, doesn't it? Simplyput, however, structured wiring is little more

than turbocharged phone wire and coaxialcable. My company installs miles of the stuff.The biggest factor to keeping down installa-tion costs is to get the wiring in before dry-wall goes up. The cost of doing a structured-wiring system later can be up to four timesthe cost of installation while the home isunder construction.

What's wrong with the phone wireand coax cable I already install?I'm mystified why builders still use bell wirefor telephone service (photo top right, p. 95).

Bell wire handles telephone calls adequately,and millions of homes still have it. But bellwire's low bandwidth (data capacity, or theability to transfer signals quickly) makesviewing a Web site over it frustrating. Also,bell wire is limited to just two telephonelines and is susceptible to interference fromoutside signals (mostly radio waves and elec-tromagnetic fields from nearby house wiring).

The replacement for bell wire is category 5wire, commonly called cat 5, which blendsfour insulated wire pairs that are twisted tominimize interference or cross talk (photo

What about wirelesstechnology?by Walter H. Horowitz

Thinking of structured wiring for yourhome? Perhaps you should also consid-er not wiring it. Wireless networking isavailable from a number of vendors,and an international standard,802.11(b), helps to ensure componentcompatibility. About $400 worth ofwireless hardware will run a computeralmost anywhere in most houses.

Wireless products must competewith other devices that use the samefrequencies, including your oldmicrowave and perhaps your newwireless telephone. Also, wirelesssecurity isn't bulletproof, so you mayfind yourself providing Internet ser-vice for your neighbor. However,changing the default settings on theequipment that you're using canincrease security greatly.

The range of wireless products canbe 80 ft. or less, depending on buildingconstruction. Although the signal goesthrough wallboard without much diffi-culty, plaster walls with metal lathmay block the signal.

Most wireless networks run one 10-megabit datastream, enough to sharean Internet connection. A single videostream may run, but don't ask it to domuch else while doing that. Category5e cables can move data 1000 timesfaster than standard wireless net-works. A wireless network can't beused to add a new telephone exten-sion as cat 5e cables can. And with cat5e cables, you won't risk losing yourInternet connection when someonemicrowaves dinner.

If your house is difficult to wire, awireless network may be the answer. Itcan be tough to place a cat 5e jackeverywhere you want one when plan-ning your wiring. By adding a wirelessnetwork, you needn't worry if there isa jack nearby when you sit on thecouch with your laptop computer.

—Walter H. Horowitz owns MardovarNetworking in Newtown, CT.

WHAT ISSTRUCTURED WIRING?

Structured wiring is techno-jargon for the

parts and parcels of a high-tech home-wiring

system. As shown in the drawing, structured

wiring can link the various electronic devices

in a house. Its nerves are several types of wire

that run from the brain of the system, a panel

in the basement, to connect all the rooms in

the house.

ALL WIRES LEAD TO THE STRUCTURED PANEL

Wires from all parts of the house come together in the structured pan-

el (photo left). Released from the bundling jacket at the junction box

above the panel (center photo), the individual cat 5e and RG 6 wires

are run into the structured panel. The junction box provides storage

for currently unused wires. At the finish, the appropriate distribution

blocks (modules where the various home-run wires plug in to link dif-

ferent rooms) are installed (center photo). Distribution blocks are avail-able for phone, computer signals and video, and you choose and wirethe ones you need (photo right).

right, facing page). Each pair is capable of aseparate function, such as a phone, fax orcomputer-network link. We don't install regu-lar cat 5 anymore, preferring the broaderbandwidth available with cat 5e (e for en-hanced) cable. Cat 5e costs only about $9more per 1000 ft. than does cat 5, and it dra-matically increases bandwidth. Cat 5 and cat5e each cost more than twice what bell wiredoes. Although that sounds like a lot, the dif-ference amounts to maybe $50 for a house.

The other half of structured wiring is RG 6coaxial cable (photo right, facing page). Wealways install two RG 6 cables to provide thebandwidth for high-definition TV, cablemodems and video distribution, such as se-curity cameras. RG 6 is the replacement forthe old standard coax, RG 59. Sometimes weinstall fiber-optic cable in anticipation of fu-ture needs, although doing so drives up thematerial cost significantly. Because cat 5ecurrently far exceeds the bandwidth require-ments of even the most sophisticated homesystem, fiber-optic lines are probably overkill.

Cat 5e and RG 6 are available separately orbundled (photo top right, facing page). We

prefer bundled because of the labor savingsinvolved in pulling one bundle of wires, asopposed to pulling even two single wires.The upcharge for bundled wire isn't great; astandard cable bundle containing two cat 5ewires and two RG 6 coaxial cable wires costsabout 60¢ per ft. The combined cost of theseparate wires is about 50¢ per ft., but thenyou have to pull four wires instead of one.

Planning the layoutWe consider planned and alternate furnitureplacement as well as room function whenplacing structured-wiring outlets, or techports (photo right, p. 97). I suggest thathomeowners not limit themselves; multipleoutlets assure maximum flexibility in the fu-ture. Typically, we place tech ports at thesame height as electrical outlets. Generally,we like to place one or two tech ports in anyroom that's remotely likely to be home to acomputer or TV, as determined by thehomeowner's budget.

Although tech ports can be fitted withjacks for phone, fax, data and video, mostpeople don't need all these options at each

location. They can save a bit of money by se-lecting and installing the jacks that they cur-rently need. As long as the wire is in the wall,they can upgrade the tech port later.

Install the structured wire after theelectrical rough inWe rough in the structured wiring after theelectrical, HVAC and plumbing rough insare done. We're especially concerned aboutcoming in after the electrician because eventhough all the wires we install are shielded tominimize electromagnetic interference, stay-ing away from 110v and 220v lines (particu-larly those that power motors, ceiling fans,HVAC and garage-door openers) is goodpractice. Our rule of thumb is not to runstructured wire parallel to and within about1 ft. of house wiring for more than a coupleof feet (photo left, p. 96).

The first step at rough in is to find a spotfor the structured panel. The best spot is inthe mechanical room at least 4 ft. to 6 ft.from the electrical panel. This location al-lows us to bring 110v power easily to thestructured panel and puts it close to where

WHAT'S IN A WIREIt's all about bandwidth, or the ability of a wire

to transfer lots of data signals quickly without in-

terference.

Bell wire links the phones in millions ofhomes, but it has limited bandwidth fordata and only a two-line capacity.

Cat 5e wire can handlefour phone or data linesand has many times thebandwidth of bell wire.

RG 6 is the currentstandard for videotransmission. It'scapable ofdelivering high-definition TV andcable-Internetservice.

If you'rerunning cat 5eand RG 6 to aroom anyway,the 10¢ per ft.or so extra forbundled wiresallows you topull one wireinstead ofthree or four.

Change is easy. Once the modules are in place, reroutinga network or video connection between rooms is as sim-ple as moving jacks in the panel.

Terminating cat 5eWith four wire pairs in a cat 5e cable, it'simportant to keep them ordered as theyterminate in an RJ 45 jack. Fortunately, the wiresare color-coded to simplify this task, and there isan industry standard for arranging the colors thatmost installers follow.

GreenWhite-green

White-orange

White-blueBlue

OrangeBrown

White-brown

EASY DOES ITBundled cable is installed most easily with one

person pulling and another person feeding. Pulling

too hard can damage the cable and reduce its

bandwidth. Stapling and curves should both begentle, too, to avoid kinks. To minimize the chance

of electromagnetic interference, don't run anytype of structured wire parallel to and within 1 ft.

of house wiring for more than a couple of feet.

the phone and TV cables enter the house. Atthat distance from the electrical panel, there'sno risk of electromagnetic interference.

Most panels today are modular, meaningthat they're a basic box with frames in placeto hold modules designed to join RG 6 andcat 5e. The module selection depends on thehomeowner's immediate need for phone,computer-network and video wiring. It's agood idea to buy a structured panel with ex-tra room in the cabinet for adding moremodules later.

The second order of business is to nail onthe plaster rings or, more commonly, P-rings,that serve as the tech-port enclosures (insetphoto left). You can use the same P-rings asthose commonly used by electricians tomount switches or outlets to 4-in. squareboxes. However, we use P-rings without abox behind to provide room to work with thestiff bundled cable and because they haverings to capture the loop of cable that weleave behind the P-ring.

Once the P-rings are in place, we begin todrill holes for the wire bundles from thestructured panel outward. We usually use -in.or 1-in. auger bits with corded drills. As wedrill through floor and wall plates, studs andceiling joists, we carefully align the holes tomake straight, sensible lines. We try to takethe shortest path between the panel and thetech ports. When it's unavoidable, we crossthe structured-wire bundle over 110v lines,preferably at right angles.

All cables are home runs. That is, each techport is linked directly with the panel, with no

TYING CABLES TO PORTS

Crimping in style. Once the wires are or-dered in the jack, this specialty RJ 45 crimp-ing tool squeezes the jack's tiny contactstight to the wire.

stops between. The only exception is whenthere are jumps within the same room forTV or telephone. As long as one or two mainports are in a room, we'll sometimes run lessexpensive single cat 5e and RG 6 cables toseveral locations to provide more flexibilityfor the owner to arrange furniture.

Bringing each cable from each room backto the panel gives structured wiring its flexi-bility. The connections that allow a comput-er in one room to print on a printer in anoth-er, or for a VCR in the living room to send amovie to a bedroom TV, are made in thepanel. (Controlling that VCR from a remotelocation is one benefit of having these cablesin place: One cable carries the signal to theTV, and one carries instructions from a re-mote sensor back to the VCR.) If you everwant to rearrange computer and printer orTV and VCR, you can by rearranging theconnections in the panel.

Pulling structured wire takes agentle touchWhether you're installing a bundled cable orindividual runs of RG 6 and cat 5e, pullingthe cables is usually a two-person job. Oneinstaller feeds cables upward while the otherdraws them into the destination rooms. Thereasons for the team approach are twofold.

First, the wires in cat 5e cable are twisted.These twists keep the wires out of parallelwith each other, avoiding cross talk and sig-nal bleed between the wires. Apply morethan 25 lb. of pulling tension, and these crit-ical twists begin to straighten out. RG 6 is

tougher, and bundled cable isn't as suscepti-ble to stretching as are single runs or cat 5e.

Second, sharp bends or kinks degrade thecable's performance. Having one personpulling and one person feeding keeps the ca-ble running freely, avoiding both of theseproblems. To reduce stress on the cable, it'salso important to loop cables generously whenthey make 90° turns (photo left, facing page).

When affixing any structured wire to fram-ing, we use insulated staples and keep the ca-ble in about in. from the face of the studto avoid errant drywall screws. Staplesshouldn't be driven hard. Crushing damagesstructured wire's performance. We nail-plateover cable runs through studs and plateswhere there may be risk of a screw or nailpenetrating the cable.

At the panel, we cut the cable long andmark each one's destination. Then we let thebundle dangle until we return for the finish.

Finishing upTo finish, we install tech ports on the P-rings.The tech ports have a combination of jacks,usually two RG 6 jacks (photo bottom right)and two RJ 45s, which look like regular phonejacks but are designed to accommodate cat5e cable (photo bottom right, facing page).

We ask that homeowners meet with us onthe job site as we begin the finish work. It'simportant that they confirm exactly wherethe phones, computers and peripherals go sothat we know which lines to activate.

In most cases, we've run more cable andhooked up more tech ports than we actually

A sampling ofstructured-wiring suppliersLevitonleviton.com(800) 832-9538

Lucentlucent.com(888) 458-2368Lutronlutron.com(610) 282-3800

OnQonqtech.com(800) 321-2343

Pfasamx.com(800) 222-0193

Thomas & Bettstnb.com(901) 252-8000

Tyco Electronicstycoelectronics.com(800) 522-6752

US Techustecnet.com(800) 836-2312

will activate at the finish of the project. Thisfact leaves us with a bunch of cable at thestructured panel that isn't tied into anythingjust now. We label each of the cables with itsdestination at the rough in, and those cablesthat we don't hook up, we coil away neatlyinto a box above the structured panel (photoright, p. 94).

Having structured wiring installed beforethe drywall goes up adds a few thousand dol-lars to the cost of most new houses. Consid-ering the possibilities that structured wiringopens today, though, and given the likeli-hood of new bandwidth-hungry technolo-gies coming on the market, I think that it'smoney well spent.

Jerry Heesen owns GNT Stereo in Lancaster, PA.Photos by Charles Bickford, except where noted.

F-connectors terminate RG 6 cable. Having seen a 27-in. TV dangling from one, the authorprefers the F-connectors made by Augat (Thomas & Betts; www.tnb.com). These connectorsrequire an Augat IT1000 tool, which costs about $60 but does the entire job from strippingthe cable to crimping the F-connector.

Interface with this. Really. This tech port isset up to handle phone and video. Other op-tions are myriad, and a Decora-style platefinishes off the installation.