Structured Wire
At one time, it would have been sufficient to run one telephone wire and one coax cable to each bedroom. However, in this age of computers and home networking with DSL or cable internet connections, and with multiple televisions in the house being hooked to either satellite, cable, or the lowly antenna (in some cases all three), it is necessary for wiring configurations to be flexible. Hence the advent of structured wiring.
What is structured wire?
Multiple phone/data wire, coax cables, speaker wires and other low voltage wiring is bundled together in various configurations so it can easily be run to several locations parts of the house from a central location. Bundled cable can be expensive, but it is less labour intensive than running separate cables. The idea is that these various cables are readily available at each location for present or possible future use. For the do-it-yourselfer, purchasing the various wires individually (rather than bundled) may be more cost-effective. In my case I saved about 50%.
Left: The central hub. All household wiring home-runs to the same location. (However, it is recommended that the structured wiring be located away from the electrical panel. Middle: The phone hub. Right: Routers for home networking.
A Typical Configuration
One of the most common configurations for residential structured wire in my area is two each of Category 5 enhanced wire, and RG6 Coaxial cable. One Cat 5e wire allows for up to 4 phone lines, the other can be dedicated to home networking. The coax cables can be used for satellite, cable or antenna in various combinations. It would be possible to set up closed circuit television so that a DVD playing in the family room could also be seen on a television in the bedroom.
Other configurations include speaker wire for home theater systems, additional wire for home security systems.
For the technogeek, the possibilities are virtually endless. I am not a technogeek nor will I likely ever be. The full potential of structured wiring is discussed in more detail on other websites.
Do I need Dual Shield or Quad Shield Coax?
For residential purposes, dual shield coax should be good enough. I got some pretty puzzled responses when I inquired about quad shield. The fact is, the most common bundled cable in my area contains only dual shield coax. Quad shield is only available by special order.
What about the jacks?
Leviton makes a great product called QuickPort. It is a system of wall plates that allow 1 to six inserts. Inserts include telephone, data, video, etc. With this system, each wall plate is easily customizable.
Where can I learn more?
Bob Catanzarite has probably the best DIY site on the subject of structured wiring. I was clueless and I found his information to be pretty idiot-proof.
Structured Wiring How-to (http://www.swhowto.com)
To find out more about QuickPort, visit Leviton's website:
Leviton Voice and Data (http://www.levitonvoicedata.com)