How should I pre-wire my new house for home entertainment and networking?
A good structured wiring solution is essential to a high tech home. When designing A/V systems for new construction I would always make sure every room had at least one home run pull of 2 x Cat5/6 and 2 x RG6. Wiring is cheap and having to replace it later is very expensive. Don't be afraid to put a second drop into kitchens and bedrooms so you arent running visible wire in the future.
I also like to have some wiring accessible in bedroom closets so I can hide the equipment. Make sure you put a decent cable cabinet and label everything properly. I sold Monster Cable products in the past, but it is generally unnecessarily expensive.
5 Answers
Bryan's answer above is dead on. Meets the standard for structured wiring. Run 2 cat5e and 2 RG6 runs to, if possible, 2 locations per room. As an example the 2 most likely walls that could have a TV or a desk.
Less important rooms, i.e. a guest room you could save money and run one location.
I recommend adding 2 extra cat 5e pulls to essential locations. Perhaps the Master Bedroom TV, Home Theater TV locations etc etc. The thought is that rather then run an expensive HDMI cable in the wall over a long distance, you could instead take two of the cat5e runs and attach them to what is called a balun. The balun then creates the composite/component/HDMI connection on each end. The major advantage here, is flexibility. Add a balun that has the connection you need. So, you buy a new TV 4 years from now and HDMI is no longer the preferred connection then you could simply switch baluns. The signal is carried over the cat5e and the balun converts it.
For speakers we tend to run 14/4. That means 14 gauge wire that carries both left and right speaker wires. This cuts down on choices, allows you to buy one type of wire, and allows you to run longer distances then 16 gauge. Also if running to a volume control, you could run just one cable because it carries all four connections. Then you can run the shorter distances with 2 separate runs.
Remember although codes vary and sometimes don't even exist for low voltage wiring, always use a cl2 or cl3 rated wire. It's safer for in-wall runs and passes code where they exist.
Just a thought. If you have a decent budget lay out some conduit for the runs. This can preserve the wiring for longer periods of time. Just in case you have anything that can chew through your wires.
Also, if the end of the conduit is located right near the back end of the wall outlet, rewiring later...for whatever reason...can be a sitch.
But make sure to note the routes for future purposes; obviously.
Conduit will increase how much you spend, but will make things a whole lot easier in the future.
Every answer above is correct, I just wanted to add the most important point:
If you are having a new house built, involve a local custom installer as soon as you can!
These companies do structured wiring for a living, and have seen the mistakes people have made. You may think you know of all of the options, but trust me you don't, as even people in the A/V industry are continually learning new ways to wire homes. Plus they will know what kind of wire to use where depending on your needs, all while making sure your house is compliant to all local codes.
If you have an existing home, that is already finished, then still involve a custom installer, as again they will work with you to give you ideas of what needs to be run where, and what will be needed to get the experience you want.
It's almost certain that a new kind of computer or home entertainment wiring will come about during the lifetime of a solidly constructed house. So "wire" it for the future by installing channels you can later pull new forms of wiring through. Make sure each channel or pipe has 2 lengths of slick twine run all the way through it and solidly anchored at the ends. And don't forget: when the day finally comes for you to pull some new wiring through your channels, be sure to pull it through with an extra length of twine to replace the one you'll need to pull through.
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A good structured wiring solution is essential to a high tech home. When designing A/V systems for new construction I would always make sure every room had at least one home run pull of 2 x Cat5/6 and 2 x RG6. Wiring is cheap and having to replace it later is very expensive. Don't be afraid to put a second drop into kitchens and bedrooms so you arent running visible wire in the future.
I also like to have some wiring accessible in bedroom closets so I can hide the equipment. Make sure you put a decent cable cabinet and label everything properly. I sold Monster Cable products in the past, but it is generally unnecessarily expensive.