Wiring your media home

Before the drywall goes up and the stucco goes on, make sure you do an overkill job wiring your home.

Each wall in each room should have the following wires sent to it:

Standard 120 volt AC (put in a face plate with four outlets - you won't regret it)
4 coax (you need 2 just for direct TV)
4 cat 5e (2 ethernet, 1 for two phone lines + fax, 1 spare)
2 4-wire speaker cables (or single cable with 8 wires)
1 optical cable (fittings are expensive but the cable isn't; so put it in your walls and don't use it until prices come down)

Many people say "everything's going to be wireless, so this is a waste of money." DON'T BE FOOLED! I too was deceived. I am not a retailer of data cable products. I am an ordinary home owner like you. It will be years before everything is wireless, and you will be sorely disappointed after the drywall goes up if you don't put power and data throughout your home. The cost is nominal compared to (a) adding it later or (b) being unhappy and going without for the rest of your life (trust me - it's like getting a shot every time you look at the blank wall where a television's supposed to be, but can not because there's no coax there, and no good way to get it there).

Wi-fi is great until you purchase a 2.5 ghz phone or one of your neighbors does. It's great until a hacker uses your server to send porn spam to millions of people.

There are many products on the market that combine coax, cat5, etc. in the same electrically shielded bundle. In other words, it's one "cable" with a lot inside it. It may be more economical to go this way if it suits your needs.

Your typical 4-port data face plate isn't going to work. Get 8-port face plates. The boxes are larger.

Walk-in closets should have at least one of these as well as electricity.

In hallways, bathrooms and kitchens, also install power and data on the ceiling for mounted televisions and speakers.

Install power+data above each exterior door for security cameras.

Don't forget to put weather-proof power and data drops on your home's rear exterior wall. Six in total: left, right, and center near the ground and near the roof. You'll want speakers outside, right?

Now's a good time to plan where to place in-wall speakers as well, so you can deliver the above wiring to them as well as electricity. These data ports are often installed at ear level (5 feet from the floor) unlike the rest of the drops which are about a foot off the floor.

Plan your computer closet. It needs dedicated power - at least 8 outlets. Run 10 cat 5e to it. Make sure the closet is ventilated. A temp-controlled fan that exhausts to the outdoors is a good idea.

All of the data cables need to go somewhere, either to your attic or to a closet. Power needs to be available there as well (4-outlet dedicated). The room should be ventilated as it is generally a good location for dsl and wi-fi routers and cable/satellite multi-switches.

Now that you have your home wired, it's time to enjoy it !

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