What tech wiring in new build house?

[HFWR]

Really? I have never heard this, even in the context of radio studios and recording studios where I worked while in college and graduate school. I am also not sure I'd want to be within two blocks of someone who actually owned and used an amp putting out 800 watts. Link or citation?

PA systems quite regularly exceed 800w. Most commercial/industrial applications use a 70v line with transformers for large buildings. Granted, 800w at home is overkill...

Anyway, P=V*I

 

[Music Lover]

PA systems quite regularly exceed 800w. Most commercial/industrial applications use a 70v line with transformers for large buildings. Granted, 800w at home is overkill...

Anyway, P=V*I

One of my bands has a 1000 watt PA and we use regular speaker cable.

 

[ERD50]

Really? I have never heard this, even in the context of radio studios and recording studios where I worked while in college and graduate school. I am also not sure I'd want to be within two blocks of someone who actually owned and used an amp putting out 800 watts. Link or citation?

I'll find a link later, but remember, in this thread we are talking about running the wiring through walls. I know I've seen it listed on one or more of my high powered amps.

800 watts peak isn't all that loud through low efficiency speakers and a high dynamic range source. The average power would be far lower. It can take a lot of power to attempt to realistically recreate a symphony orchestra crescendo.

One of my bands has a 1000 watt PA and we use regular speaker cable.

Through walls? And if so, is it to code? Doing it doesn't make it legal/recommended.

-ERD50

 

[HFWR]

One of my bands has a 1000 watt PA and we use regular speaker cable.

And likely 16 gauge speaker wire is adequate for that. For open air, temporary use, the main considerations are current rating and length of run. But, as mentioned below, installing it inside walls at home would have to meet code, which is afaik more stringent than just running it between studs. A short circuit in a 1000w circuit would create a nice arc.

Through walls? And if so, is it to code? Doing it doesn't make it legal/recommended.

-ERD50

 

[mountainsoft]

When we built our house back in 2004 I debated which cables to run in the walls before closing everything up. I researched all the tech that was popular at the time, as well as new tech I knew was on the horizon. In the end, I chose to install empty electrical boxes with straight conduit runs down to the crawlspace. Best decision I could have made.

At the time I never thought we would have cable TV in our rural area, but when it came in a year or two later I ran RG-6 cable all over the house using the conduit I installed when we built the house.

A year or two later we lost interest in cable TV. I pulled out the RG-6 cable and installed Cat-6 ethernet cables through the same conduit.

My only regret is that I didn't install more conduit and boxes, especially in areas like my home office where a lot of cables are coming and going.

The only cables I did run in the walls were CL2 speaker cables that are designed for in wall use.

 

[kcowan]

Empty conduits, hubs and UPS power with 6x and USB outlets.

That is what our new condo has.

 

[mpeirce]

USB outlets.

When we remodeled our bathroom we had USB A outlets installed. They worked great, BUT... the transformers used in the outlets produced a lot of RF noise. Most people wouldn't have noticed, but I used to keep an AM radio next to the outlet. Can't do that now.

 

[meierlde]

I know of several people who have done that.

Or as my dad did, use extension cord wiring where you want to pull wire, using it later to pull cable. (might use strong single wire) you use it when you want to pull romex.

 

[meierlde]

One other idea is get outlets with usb outlets on them. In addition nowdays you can get lamps with usb outlets, and if you look at lamps used in hotels you can get lamps with usb and 120 v outlets on them. I would agree that wireless is the way to go in general. Now if you are building a large house one might consider several travel routers like the gl-inet, which are usb powered and wiring cat 6 to them. (go up to 300 mbps on 2.4 and 340 mbps on 5 ghz). These are marketed as travel routers. Ie you might have several wireless networks in the house.

 

[Hicks3456]

In house wiring needed

I am probably in the minority here but you do not need anything above and beyond the cable for your tv and modem. All internet is wireless, most great audio speakers are wireless, most good alarm systems are wireless, if you have a wired phone it is an antique.

I am building a home and I am not putting any wires in. Tech geeks will tell you other things but unless you are planning on running a home data center you do not need it.

 

[HI Bill]

I am probably in the minority here but you do not need anything above and beyond the cable for your tv and modem. All internet is wireless, most great audio speakers are wireless, most good alarm systems are wireless, if you have a wired phone it is an antique.

I am building a home and I am not putting any wires in. Tech geeks will tell you other things but unless you are planning on running a home data center you do not need it.

Size of the home matters. An 1200sf ranch style home has different requirements than a sprawling 5,000 sf home with more than one floor. [I ran wiring in a 10,000 sf house, but that's a whole other level].

Whether you want a home theater or not matters. Whether you want to be able to stream 8K video matters. One size does not meet all needs or wants. If you want a sound bar and a smaller TV, and only plan to stream video, then maybe a wall-mounted power outlet is all that's needed. If you want a ceiling-mounted projector, a motorized screen, and multiple video sources, another level of planning is required.

I really disagree that most great audio speakers are wireless. They are not, and even if they were, I'd rather have wired speakers and a good AVR, than have to run power to each speaker (in which case, they're not really wireless, and each is using power all the time).

 

[2177V]

I am probably in the minority here but you do not need anything above and beyond the cable for your tv and modem. All internet is wireless, most great audio speakers are wireless, most good alarm systems are wireless, if you have a wired phone it is an antique.

I am building a home and I am not putting any wires in. Tech geeks will tell you other things but unless you are planning on running a home data center you do not need it.

Wired internet is generally faster and more secured than wireless internet which can be hacked. As a minimum, I recommend running wired internet to your desktop PC and your smart TV. The other devices can be wireless. Do your financial transaction on your secured desktop PC. Your future 8K smart TV may need a wider bandwidth unless you are OK with a dumb 1080p TV or paying cable TV or using the slower wireless internet. I watch TV by internet and I do not want to be a slave to cable TV or satellite TV. Wired Internet to your smart TV gives you more options.

Here some food for thought: Nest has a Wifi smart thermostat which can be controlled by your phone, voice command in bed, and it knows when the house is empty by a occupation sensor and/or your cell phone's location. The problem: This smart system can't control the HVAC vents. There are smart HVAC vents that are battery operated so that you can heat or cool part of the house instead of the entire house. However, changing batteries can be a pain. It is best to have 24 volt power for the smart vents. I also expect future homes to modify their HVAC ductwork to include a y-branch to have three functions: (1) heating and cooling the entire house. (2) heating and cooling only the daytime living area. (3) heating and cooling only the night time sleeping area.

 

[OldShooter]

It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. -- attributed to Yogi Berra

I'm still in the plastic conduit camp. Even installed generously its cost will not be a significant fraction of the building cost and it pretty well future-proofs the house's electronic infrastructure. The downside risk of counting on all wireless is significant.

25 years ago I ran the conduit, then pulled RG-59 coax for our home's ethernet wiring. As an EE I knew that coax is the technically right solution for high speed digital signals. As we all know now, the ubiquity of 4-pair telephone wire and cabinets with punchdown blocks in office buildings and the ease of and cheapness of making RJ-45 connections trumped coax's technical superiority. So I have long since pulled out the coax and pulled the Cat 5 . NB, a great deal of ethernet "wiring" now uses optical fiber. That is almost certainly the next step for home wiring as well, though it might be slightly premature to adopt it right now.

 

[2177V]

It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. -- attributed to Yogi Berra

I'm still in the plastic conduit camp. Even installed generously its cost will not be a significant fraction of the building cost and it pretty well future-proofs the house's electronic infrastructure. The downside risk of counting on all wireless is significant.

25 years ago I ran the conduit, then pulled RG-59 coax for our home's ethernet wiring. As an EE I knew that coax is the technically right solution for high speed digital signals. As we all know now, the ubiquity of 4-pair telephone wire and cabinets with punchdown blocks in office buildings and the ease of and cheapness of making RJ-45 connections trumped coax's technical superiority. So I have long since pulled out the coax and pulled the Cat 5 . NB, a great deal of ethernet "wiring" now uses optical fiber. That is almost certainly the next step for home wiring as well, though it might be slightly premature to adopt it right now.

I agree with Old Shooter. Having a plastic conduit has a significant advantage: You can pull the obsolete wiring out and install the latest wiring in the plastic conduit at the same time. A plastic conduit with gentle bends may avoid tearing out the walls for a new cable. Using a slightly larger plastic conduit can also help you install multiple cables in the future.

 

[HI Bill]

I agree with Old Shooter. Having a plastic conduit has a significant advantage: You can pull the obsolete wiring out and install the latest wiring in the plastic conduit at the same time. A plastic conduit with gentle bends may avoid tearing out the walls for a new cable. Using a slightly larger plastic conduit can also help you install multiple cables in the future.

+1. If it's good enough for the commercial buildings and offices....conduit and pull string!

 

[KenZ71]

Conduit... definitely

Plugs all over and many runs back to panel

Why?

At one time phone Jack's in every room. Then wireless phones.

Coax in every room. Then WiFi streaming

Electric cars needing more power in garage. More appliances and devices requiring electric panel upgrades.

So no matter what the ability to easily run more wire will be more beneficial than the wire in place.

 

[JoeWras]

Conduit, yes, but it is expensive. Running to every room is probably prohibitive, unless you have a big budget.

At a minimum, you need to get the conduit from the wiring closet (basement?) to attic.

 

[RunningBum]

Conduit, yes, but it is expensive. Running to every room is probably prohibitive, unless you have a big budget.

At a minimum, you need to get the conduit from the wiring closet (basement?) to attic.

How expensive is it? I wouldn't think it would be prohibitive. What would certainly cost more would be to have to run wiring later where there was no conduit.

I have conduit from basement (coax hub) to attic. I wish I would've at least added access to it on each floor. If I really had to I could figure out where it is and drill into it, but I don't think it's in a convenient place. I've also wished at times I had run another conduit pipe or two in different sections of the house.

 

[indiajust]

hmmm, wire lighting circuits for 24 or 48 VDC and LED, save money forever.

WiFi repeaters inconspicuous, the future is wireless. Phone and cable irrelevant.

Secondary electrical panel for future generator very useful.

I also include future access for limited solar/battery backup. Just enough DC to power natural gas contols and thermostats/fan for natural gas heat. Very useful in ice storms. Zero risk of frozen pipes for house life.

Whole house surge protection. ArcFault/Ground fault breakers.

Don't pretend to predict future as your efforts are likely throwaway, like security system prewiring in the 90's. Leave open channel for future cable needs instead.

 

[JoeWras]

How expensive is it? I wouldn't think it would be prohibitive. What would certainly cost more would be to have to run wiring later where there was no conduit.

I think it depends on where you are located.

Here in NC, conduit is a commercial only kind of thing. So for residential applications, it is unusual and I'd expect a bit expensive seeing that it is out of the ordinary.

In other parts of the country (looking at you, Chicago area), conduit is code for power, even residential. Should be a walk in the park to add another.

 

[Retired Expat]

Code usually dictates how far apart outlets must be. Although I am a fan of installing them horizontally in the baseboard when you want them to be inconspicuous. A good expandable mesh router like an eero pretty much makes most cat5,6,7 obsolete. But a good location for your modem and the base router with a good power strip surge protector is important. You can now buy smart versions of them if you want to kill vampire devices that are always sucking power. I use them in my AirBnB.

New computers at least from apple don’t even come it’s an ethernet port. My printer is wireless, phones are wireless 2 lines (1 local and other a Magic Jack) and connect to 2 cellphone so I can answer my my cell from anywhere regardless of where I left it. Roku, door lock, outside lights and cameras all wireless, as is the alarm, thermostat and hot water.

You may need a hub for some of those things, or if you get the new echó plus it can be tp your hub too as well as your sound system. Wireless is the way to go..

 

[mountainsoft]

Conduit, yes, but it is expensive. Running to every room is probably prohibitive, unless you have a big budget.

It depends on the structure of the house. Our house is on a crawlspace foundation, so I only needed short sections of conduit from the box in the wall down to the crawlspace. A couple of ten foot conduit sections was enough to put boxes in every room of our house. Now I can run cable anywhere I want to in the crawlspace, then up through the conduit stubs into the box. Add the appropriate keystone jack and I can accommodate just about any wiring technology, past or future, without having to tear into the finished walls. In the 15 years we've lived here, I've already changed the cables I use twice.

 

[JoeWras]

It depends on the structure of the house. Our house is on a crawlspace foundation, so I only needed short sections of conduit from the box in the wall down to the crawlspace. A couple of ten foot conduit sections was enough to put boxes in every room of our house. Now I can run cable anywhere I want to in the crawlspace, then up through the conduit stubs into the box. Add the appropriate keystone jack and I can accommodate just about any wiring technology, past or future, without having to tear into the finished walls. In the 15 years we've lived here, I've already changed the cables I use twice.

This is true, and a good point. I did this from my crawlspace to our TV/family room.

Same can be said from the attic down to the room below.

I find the biggest impediment is from basement to attic in a 2 story structure. Here an oversized conduit spec'ed for communications cable would be helpful.

 

[FIREarly]

We are building a home that we might live in for a while. Our current house is wired to the max for tech, but we currently have no home phone and only use wifi for our TV (Roku + YouTube TV).

DW and me are the same accept we bought indoor/outdoor antenna from GoMohu.com. I'm very excited for listening to DW and getting their top of the line antenna (+/-$300). It has amazing service, due to Navy technology, and costs $0 after installed. It's also stored in attic so no one sees it.

If you want this antenna you will need coax cables run to locations in house with TV's. This will also keep wires hidden and get you get free tv (besides initial buying and installing it). You'll get ABC NBC FOX CBS CW free depending on where their antennas are from your house.

This antenna mixed with streaming services is awesome. Live tv free and YouTube and other streaming services when nothing else on tv.

 

[mountainsoft]

I find the biggest impediment is from basement to attic in a 2 story structure. Here an oversized conduit spec'ed for communications cable would be helpful.

We have a single story home and have vaulted ceilings throughout so we don't really have an attic space. However, we do have an "attic room" in the center of the house above the bathroom and laundry room. It's a nice space, but we don't really use it for anything since there are no attic stairs or anything.

Since the bathroom is six feet wide and the tub is only five feet wide I have a nice chase behind one end of the tub. I have drilled holes top and bottom to fish individual wires from top to bottom and that works fine. I have been thinking about installing some 2" conduit in the chase to make running wires easier, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort considering how rarely I need it.

I have my wireless access point up in the attic room, perfect location mounted up high in the center of the house. My main network switch is in our crawlspace. I've thought about moving the switch up to the attic too, but don't know if I ever will. If it works, don't fix it...