ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Right thought of some preliminaries before redecorating and carpets and stuff and the final moving in.


That being futureproofing for technology.

Currently its a clean slate and having Virgin roundina few weeks to hook up the cable...what I DO NOT want them doing is the internal work (nothing wrong with it, but I don't want cables tacked above my skirting boards, when it can go behind crawlspace/foorboards etc.).

So everything is being prewired....for everything. So far I'm having:

- RG6 (virgin) put in to the living room and bedrooms/office
- Satelite WF100 (or whatever it is now) to the same (apart from two cables to the lounge and two to the bedroom incase I fall out with Virgin and get sky again).
- Wired Ethernet to every room for gigabit LAN, Switch in the attic. Two cables to the office, two to the lounge (just in case)

Already have terrestrial TV and telephone points to every room. I have pre-wired speaker cables in the bedroom to the en-suite. And also for the lounge to the kitchen and dining room.

So, what else should I have?

Was thinking networked CCTV, but I think I'll take that on in a seperate task, so I'll focus on the multimedia stuff for the moment.


Also, what I would like is the ability to play music in every room from a single source (currently Netgear ReadyNAS) . Both independant (i.e differnet songs), and simultaneous (the same songs). Now I know there is stuff that can do this, but they all seem to have caveats....

An IMPORTANT criteria is when playing the same music it must ALL be in perfect sync, I don't want any echo because one unit is buffering more than another (hence why I'm avoiding Wi-Fi as much as possible). And whatever box of tricks I buy to do this must have good remote control and have both phono and optical outputs to hook up to my existing and future Hi-Fi kit. What stuff is out there can do this reliably?

Streaming video the same way would be good, but as I can't really see me running from room to room watching films, I doubt it would be a nescessity, maybe a music videos jukebox, but I don't have any music videos.

Anyone want to chip in or have any product worth me looking at?

Ant

Run additional cat6 then you can store all you equipment in the loft or a small room and send the hdmi through the cat6

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Is two sets of network cables to the important rooms not enough?

Oh yeah, is there any realistic likeliness that I'd ever need a 10 gigabit capeable network over a 1 gigabit net?

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Oh the Fileserver/NAS should be going in the attic. I'd like the Superhub up there too, but I think virgin would play funny beggers over that (as its not easily accessible...need to get some attic ladders ). Superhub will be in modem only mode, using a Asus RT-N66U to do the LAN/Wifi stuff. Not sure where that'll go yet, attic preferably, but I need to test the WiFi signal quality.

riiidaa

iTrader: (2)

If you can, run drain pipe or other plastic pipe under floors or above ceilings between rooms, in the same room etc. To act as conduit. Then run twine through them, thus allowing easy cable pulls, and therefore allowing for future needs.

Ant

Just relocate the router yourself yeah I'd run two cat6 to important rooms one for av and one for data.its a shame you can't control virgin with an app like you can with sky

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, Think I'll sneak in a extra RG6 after virgin have been and gone

Remote control? You mean like the Tivo app? : https://my.virginmedia.com/discover/...p/control.html

Ant

That wasn't available when I had TiVo

Ant

Oh and don't use rg6 it's crap use wf100

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Good idea...seeing the attic isn't insulated yet, but it soon will be, which is why I'm getting all of this done first...when the insulation bunch have been it'll probably be 3ft deep of glass wool....they did that to my gran's flat....and muggins here had to run a aerial cable to her bedroom and modify some heating pipe...never again!

I have a video of it somewhere when I used the phone as a torch. All I could see was a sea of insulation, the video contains alot of swearing

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I have to use what Virgin use....apparantly thats tri-shielded RG6? Thats what the install guy said at least.

Obviously I can't put connectors on the cable...that's the Virgin installers job, so whatever is ran has to be the right diametre cable otherwise the ends won't crimp on..

Ant

Trust me they use wf100 ,rg6 is cheap and not very thick and terrible for carrying signal.
. The compression f-types won't fit rg6 properly.


You will be doing the wiring no harm by using the extension with ct100 the signal will carry a lot better and it's more robust.

Ant

And if it will be a problem by the compression F's yourself.

The gap in diameters isn't huge and they fit ct100 and rg6

ScoobyDoo555

If you want to know about wiring for a new house, check out this thread from AV Forums.

Truly inspiring.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Its not a new house mate, so I ain't going to be chasing into bricks and replastering or anything that serious (yet). Just doing some stuff before minor redecorating (i.e painting and new carpets). At worst may have to chase one wall in the one bedroom, depending on if I can pull through more cables via the existing old brown aerial cable. Won't know if I can until I actually try it.

The rest in going under floorboards and crawl space - being a Dorma style roof does have its advantages - loads of crawl space at the sides of the upstairs rooms to allow me to drop down into rooms underneath. Plus an attic too!

Next job...Zoning the heating. Want 4 zones via TPi controls. Upstairs is a easy job. Downstairs will be a pig. Oh and new windows + insulation. And bin the gravity fed hot water for a unvented system.

Then the kitchen and demolision of the leaky conservatory to make way for a proper extension with a vaulted ceiling.

I hate houses. Really really can't be arsed doing with all of this crap just so I can get what I have pictured in my head.

Much prefer pratting about with cars, much more in my domain

alistair

Bottom line is that you can't run too much cable

I've run a twin power socket, 2 x cat5 and 2 x ct100 into every corner of every room. The same to every wall mounted TV.

Loft isn't the best place for gear, it can get quite warm in there in the summer, garage or some cupboard space is better.

You can move the Virgin "super hub" if you extend their coax after they've gone, but you can run the cable now.

Speaker cable in several rooms, 7.1, 5.1 & stereo - don't forget the subwoofer.

I have wired CCTV into my rack

I have a 19" rack in the garage & my garage loft connects into the main loft, so quite easy to run cables.

The rack has patch panels for cat5 and video, my virgin hub, 24 way gigabit switch, a PC for the CCTV and a NAS.

I use the virgin as a router, but switch wifi off, then have a couple of access points cabled back to the switch.

SinghSuperStud

iTrader: (2)

Defo use 2 x cat 5e/6 to each room so you can use video baluns to transmit hd over them. You need two for this to work.

Check out avforums ..... They are the experts and you'll probably end up getting more ideas!