Articles and whitepapers

Why Planned Wiring Makes Sense for the Consumer (3/11/2005)

By James Ratcliffe, Flamingbox

You may have noticed that technology is playing an increasingly important role in our everyday lives. It therefore makes sense that any building project incorporates the correct 'electronic plumbing' to make the most of all the new technology that is around now and, more importantly, in the future.

Many people are deterred from getting involved in built-in home technology because of the cost associated with it, but it does not have to be expensive. With some careful planning and a relatively small amount of money, it is possible to produce a wiring system that will give you far greater flexibility than the typical systems that builders would normally install.

The need for planning

For example, wouldn't it have been nice to have a telephone line by your TV so that you could have the interactive return channel for Sky installed without ugly cables tacked around your skirting board? What about that TV point that is on the wrong side of the room in the second bedroom? Or the room that you recently turned into a study that hasn't got any telephone or Internet access?

All of these problems can be addressed easily and inexpensively at the design stage of any building project. If they are not considered as an integral part of the build, then putting them right afterwards can be very costly in both the financial and aesthetic sense!

Until recently, distributed audio systems, lighting control systems, broadband computer networks and the like have only been associated with high-end properties. Nowadays manufacturers and installers of these systems are committed to making them more available and affordable. We now have wiring systems available that offer the flexibility to have telephone, Internet or television sent to any room in the house.

A major issue that arises from installing lots of different electronic systems in a home is that it can end up making a dog's dinner of even the most beautiful interior design scheme if it is not done properly.

'Wall acne' created by multiple controllers and switches.

With the help of a qualified specialist, such as a CEDIA member, more elegant solutions can be found. Multi-functional faceplates are available in a whole host of different flavours. They can be customised to control lighting, heating, audio, video, security, access control and much more. They can be made in almost any finish, so that they can integrate perfectly with the interior design scheme. More advanced touchscreen models can also display video, meaning you can use them to monitor security cameras, door cameras, baby/cr¸che cameras or even DVD or satellite TV.

Multi-function wall-mounted controller

Wired versus wireless

Many people ask me if they can use wireless systems in their homes instead of running cables. Whilst wireless systems are becoming popular, they can be expensive and unreliable. At present, home technology experts only use wireless systems as a last resort, when it is impossible to get a cable where we need it. The main reason for this is simple - wires work, wireless systems do not always work. The other reason is that wireless systems cannot transfer anywhere near the same amount of information as a wire, particularly if the building has solid thick walls that the radio signals struggle to get through.

It also looks more likely that we will soon be using the Internet to watch 'on-demand' services such as films and music. This means that you can choose a movie through a menu on your TV and the film or music is sent to you via the Internet. These services require a lot of data to be transferred quickly and reliably, making wireless systems a poor choice.

Planning for the future

So how much do you have to spend to get your new home ready for the future? Well, the delta cost (the difference between what would otherwise go in and a proper system) can be as little as GBP400 for an apartment or small house. Not only does this cost pay for itself over time by cutting down on labour and decoration costs of running new cables, it also adds value to the property as any potential buyer will have a headache-free path to installing the technology they want.

Having said that, anyone who tells you that they can future-proof your home is probably being a little over-confident. The world's consumer electronics manufacturers seem to be on a mission to create as many different competing standards as possible. Many proprietary cables, plugs, sockets and standards will appear over the next few years that will not work on a system designed today. Smart wiring systems however, will certainly allow you to make the most common services such as telephone, Internet, television and audio far more flexible than they are with current standard wiring systems.

James Ratcliffe is the business development executive for Flamingbox, custom installers for multiroom audio, home cinema, lighting control and structured wiring.

www.flamingbox.com