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User:Ianmillner/Home wiring

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Home wiring is no longer child's play and much more planning is required and to plan you must have knowledge, this section hopefully provides you with some knowledge to help you along.

Overview

Home wiring is no longer a simple topic nor one that should be left to chance as technology now demands more and if the wiring is not well done you will not get the most from your technology. You would not let just anyone build the foundations of your house so why would you let anyone build your cabling platform which is the foundations for all your technologies.

Home wiring is the building block for the delivery of a range of technologies which include communications, entertainment, energy management, Security, automation to name a few. Home wiring needs to be properly planned so it is installed at the time the dwelling is being built. Consideration needs to be given to the design of the cabling architecture depending on the type of dwelling, is the dwelling and Single Dwelling Unit (SDU) or an Multi Dwelling Unit (MDU).

Home wiring elements

The elements you need to consider when designing your home wiring are:

  • Power point
  • Light fittings
  • Telephone
  • Data
  • Free to air TV
  • Pay TV
  • IPTV
  • Home theater
  • Distributed audio
  • Security monitoring
  • Security CCTV
  • Automation
  • Energy management

Service connection

When looking at the home wiring you must consider how the following services will be connected to your home, these services are:

  • Electricity supply
  • Telephony
  • Internet
  • Free to air TV
  • Pay TV
  • IPTV
  • Audio
  • Security

All of the above services have to have some way of being connected to your home and somewhere to house any connection equipment. A simple example is the electricity supply as in most cases it is a cable from the street pole or underground supply that runs into your switch board. Your switch board is typically a metal box mounted on the outside wall of your house. In may new homes the location of the electrical switchboard is on the outside of the external wall of the garage.

looking at each element

Power point

Power points need to be installed throughout the house in locations where power will be required. In most countries the installation must be done in compliance with standards and by a licensed or qualified electrician. For the list of standards see the references listed below. [1] . whilst this statement seems simple care must be taken when planning the location of the power points as they must be easily accessible and sufficient to cater for the ever growing number of devices that need to be connected to mains power.

The best approach is to start by identifying where you will most probably install all the appliances, telephone, computers, television, home theater, security system, CCTV system, even where you may in the very near future plug in your electric car. Work your way room by room when you are doing this exercise and picture what you are installing in the room. You should also allow for double power points as a minimum in any location where a power point is installed. Some of the exceptions are where you have your dishwasher, fridge, ceiling fans to name a few. In most cases you can never have enough power points. Another challenge is not locating power points where you are later going to have furniture placed in front of it.

Fore more details on electrical wiring practices you can read Electrical wiring

Light fittings

This is even more of a challenge than the power point as the number of light fitting does depend on the type of light fitting. So for this reason we cannot give you much as it depends in the function of the room. In most countries the installation must be done in compliance with standards and by a licensed or qualified electrician. For the list of standards see the references listed below[2].

Fore more details on electrical wiring practices you can read Electrical wiring

Telephone

To allow for connection of telephone points you need to have cabling installed from the point where the telephone company has installed their cabling to where you want the phone points. In many of the new homes this is typically located near the electrical switch board but not always. You need to identify where you want the phone system or handset physically connected. Probably the best location is in the kitchen and possibly the study. The telephone cabling typically uses two pair twisted pair terminated onto a telephone plug. The cabling is typically installed as a daisy chain starting from the point where the telephone company connects to the home or start wired if it is more practical.

There are a range of standard that apply to telephone cabling, see the reference listed below[3].[4]

Data

Data wiring has two components, these are:

  1. Data service delivery
  2. Data network cable

Data service delivery

There are three ways data services are delivered to the home:

  1. ADSL service on the back of the telephone cabling
  2. Cable Modem
  3. Fiber

ADSL service ADSL services are typically delivered using the telephone cabling. So where ever you have a telephone point you can install your ADSL modem. When you have an ADSL modem you also need to install a filter at every location where you have a phone plugged in. If you want to install the ADSL modem in a room where you don't have any phone point you will need to install a phone point by extending the phone cabling from the nearest existing phone point.

Cable Modem cable modems are typically installed in location where there is an existing Pay TV service. The installation requires the installation of a Pay TV outlet (F connector) at which point your connect the cable modem.

Fiber Fiber is the least common but it is growing in numbers. If the home has fiber to it then the fiber terminates on what is known as an Optical Network Termination unit (ONT) and it has a data port on it. Cabling from the street to the point where the ONT is installed is fiber and is typically installed by the service provider.

In all three cases the modem supplied or the ONT will have a data port which is an RJ45 socket and this is the port that needs to be connected to the devices you need to connect to the internet. This is the data network cabling or LAN cabling.

Data Network cabling

To extend the data service from the data port on the ADSL modem or Cable Modem or ONT to your networking devices (PC, printers, TV etc) you need to install data cabling also referred to as LAN cabling. The cabling used for data networking is similar to the phone cabling as it is twisted pair but of a much higher quality. The cable is known as Cat 5 or Cat 6 where Cat stands for Category. What you need to do is decide where are you networking devices and install cabling from the location where the data modem is located to where you have your PCs or TVs that need to connect to the internet. The cabling must be installed as a start wired configuration, that is the cabling runs from the point next to the modem uninterrupted up to where you install the outlet next to the device that needs to be connected to the internet. So unlike the phone wiring where you could wire from one outlet to the next, here each outlet is wired individually back to the location next to the modem. Therefore next to the modem you will have what is known as a patch panel. Note, if all you need to plug into the modem is one computer then you can simply buy a Ethernet cable of the desired length and connected to between the modem and the PC.

Free to air TV

Cabling for free to air TV requires the following:

  1. An antenna
  2. Coaxial cable
  3. TV outlets

There are a range of television antennas for a range of different locations, it is best to consult with your local supplier as to which one is best in you situation. The antenna is typically mounted external to the building most commonly on the roof. From the antenna you need to run a coaxial cable from the antenna to the location where the television is located. today the most common type of cable used for this purpose is RG-6 Tri-shield or quad-shield cable. The cable is terminated on a television outlets. the television outlets are typically an F connector mounted on a face plate.

In cases where you need multiple television outlets then you run the cable from the antenna to an RF splitter. The RF splitter typically has one input for the cable from the Antenna and two or more outlets depending on the splitter. From the splitter you then run a coaxial cable to each outlet you are installing.

'Additional notes'

  1. On RF splitters, there are a few different types depending on the application. They range from very basic splitters to active splitters when you install many TV outlets throughout the home.
  2. Whilst most TV outlets use the F connector the Television or digital set top box usually come with a connector known as Belling Lee so the cable used to connect from the TV outlet to the television will need to have an F connector in one end and a Belling Lee connector at the other end.

Pay TV

The distribution of pay TV through the home uses the same type of cabling used for Free to Air TV with some variations. The variations are:

  1. There is no antenna, there is either a satellite dish or a cable from the street.
  2. The cabling must be RG-6 quad shield
  3. You may be required to used the cable and cabling connectors approved by your pay TV provider
  4. At Pay TV Set Top Box needs to be installed at each television where you want to have access to Pay TV services.

IPTV

IPTVis television delivered to your home via the internet. So on any device you want to watch IPTV it must be connected to the internet. To be connected to the internet it must be connected to your data network. For more details on data cabling see the section in this article titled "Data".

Home theater

Home theater is a very difficult as you need to know what home theater system you are installing as there are two main types to consider 5.1 and 7.1 and that is only the beginning. then you need to look at what extras the equipment you are using requires in addition to the basic 5.1 or 7.1. So what is 5.1 and 7.1, see Surround sound, and then plan your cabling for your speakers. If you have 5.1 you need to wire up:

  1. two front speakers one on the left of the screen and one on the right of the screen,
  2. one front speaker cable just above or below the screen which is the middle front
  3. two rear speakers one on the left and one of the right along the same location as the front left and right
  4. the sub-woofer which can be anywhere in the room but must be as reasonably close to the active equipment, the amplifier or surround sound receiver.

The cable do you need to install for all speakers except the sub-woofer is known as speaker cable which is figure eight multi-strand copper cable. If the installation you are doing is permanent then go for good quality cable as it will be in the walls for a long time and you don't want to replace it.

Cabling for the sub-woofer is typically a single shielded cable terminated on an RCA connector.

if you happen to have a 7.1 system then you also need to cable for speakers that are installed between the front and back speakers.

The simplest installation of a home theater system is by using a large flat screen TV as the source for the vision and have all the home theater equipment installed next to the TV screen. If on the other hand you are planning on installing a rear projection unit and a screen then you need to think how to get the video signal from your home theater equipment to the projector. The cabling used for this is known as an HDMI cable and there are limits to how long this cable can be.

so the starting point for the cabling of a home theater system is, identify the equipment you are going to use, decide if you are going to use a flat screen TV or a rear projection unit and then draw a diagram with all the cable you need as you cannot leave any out. Once you have done this can you then run the cable in. Warning, you also need next to all active equipment a power point or power outlets and telecommunications, data, free to air and pay TV outlets.

Distributed audio

Distributed audio refers to having the ability to have music throughout the house, where the music sources are all centralized. In every room and hallways you have a pair of speakers and you can select to have all speakers to play the same music throughout the house or have different music in different location. You can also remotely control the music sources and volume throughout the house. There are a wide range of distributed audio systems in the market and therefore the cabling you need depends on the system you are installing.

When wiring a distributed audio system the first step is CHOOSE YOUR EQUIPMENT" and check what wiring is required by the equipment you have purchased. In summary there are a couple of ways to wire up the system:

  1. Spear cabling is installed from the central equipment to the speaker location
  2. Cat 5 or Cat 6 cable is installed from the Central equipment to the speaker location
  3. Cat 5 or Cat 6 cable is installed to each room where you want the distributed audio and in each room you have an amplifier and speaker locally installed

So the first step when wiring your distributed audio systems is CHOOSE YOUR EQUIPMENT then read the manual and find out what cabling you need. Then you can install the cabling required.

Security monitoring

Security monitoring system should also be pre-wired but before you run any cable you need to choose the equipment you are installing. Security equipment like all other electronic industry sectors is being revolutionized due to the advent of IP. So you have to decice are you installing traditional equipment or IP based.

It is worth noting that traditionally these systems have been referred to as burglar alarm.

Regardless of what system you are installing there are a few basic components you need to consider:

  1. code pad
  2. siren and strobe light
  3. motion detectors
  4. main equipment

Refer to the International Standards Organisation standards for more details[5]

There are a huge range of additional components you may add to this but this is the minimum requirement to set a security monitoring system.

Cabling for traditional equipment Code pad The code pad is typically found inside the font door or any other access door. The code pad is used to alarm the system on departure and disarm the system on entry. The cabling required is 6 core multi strand copper cable.

Siren and strobe light The siren and strobe light are typically installed outside the front of the house where it can be seen from the street and iss protected from the weather. The cabling required is a 6 core multi strand copper cable.

Motion detectors The motion detectors installed in locations throughout the house were any intrusion into the home can be detected. The cabling required is a 6 core multi strand copper cable.

Main equipment The main equipment is typically installed in a location that is not easily accessible such as a cupboard or sub floor area where in the event of an intrusion the person(s) cannot easily find it and interfere with the unit. The main unit requires a power point or power outlet installed next to it for main power supply. It also needs a connection to the telephone line servicing the home so situations where a back to base service is required it can be configured. For details on the telephone connection see the section titled "telephone" in this article. All cabling from the code pad, siren and strobe light and motion detectors need to be run out from the main equipment. It is also recommended that the cabling to each code pad, motion detector are individual runs from the main equipment to the device.

IP Based systems Like the traditional equipment the IP based systems require as a minimum:

  1. code pad
  2. siren and strobe light
  3. motion detectors
  4. main equipment

The difference here is the cabling to connect the main equipment is either Cat 5 or Cat 6 and it is installed as part of the data cabling of the home. See this article the section titled "Data network cabling"

Security CCTV

This is becoming more sought after in private home as an additional level of security. The wiring required to install a CCTV system is Data cabling, refer to the section in this article titled "Data network cabling". What you need to determine is where do you want to install the CCTV cameras and wherever you want the camera you need to install a data outlet. The location where you install the cameras will vary from home to home but typically they are installed so you can see anyone approaching any of the entry areas of the home.

The advantage of an IP bases system is the flexibility to add devised at a later stage. That is you can cable to as many locations as you want and have it terminate on a data outlet near where you may be planning to add devices to at a later stage. Adding the device is as simple as plugin it into the outlet and configuring the device.

Automation

Automation refers to the ability to be able to control a range of devices in the home ranging from light to curtains. The most common example of automation are referred to as Lighting control systems. Lighting control system need to be installed by a qualified professional as the cabling is only one element but without the equipment and programming you cannot even turn a light on. The cabling required when installing a lighting control can be dived into two parts:

  1. Electrical
  2. Data Bus

Electrical This is cabling installed from the electrical switchboard to the light fitting or any other device that is to be controlled by the automation system. For example if you have four down lights in a room and you wish to control each light individually then each light will be wired back using electrical cabling back to the electrical switchboard. This means you will have four electrical cables installed from the electrical switchboard to the location where the light fitting will be installed. Each cable will be a three core active, neutral and earth. If in that room you also have a free standing lamp plugged into a power point or power outlet and you also want to control this from your automation system, you will need to have that power point individually wired back to the electrical switchboard. So if you want to individually control every light fitting and every power point or power outlets then each one of these devices must be individually wired back to the electrical switchboard. As you can see this start to become quite a lot of electrical cabling so planning is essential.

Note, when you are using an automation system, there is not need to install any electrical cabling to where you want the light switches. In a traditional electrical installation without automation the lights in a room would be wired back to the light switch which in turn would be wired back to the switchboard or some similar arrangement.

Data Bus Once you have installed the electrical cabling you need to install the data bus cable from the electrical switchboard to every location you want to have a light switch or control panel installed. The most common cable used for this is a Category 5 cable. The cable can be installed in either a bus or star wired configuration. The importance is to minimize the cable length to avoid an communications problem on the bus.

Energy management

Energy management is a new and upcoming topic in particular at the home. The cabling required to allow energy management platforms to be deployed is data cabling to every major appliance in the home. The cabling is installed as part of the data cabling as per detailed in this article in the section titled "Data Network Cabling". In addition to a cable being installed to every major appliance you also need to install a data cable near the electricity meter.

The major appliances being considered at this stage are:

  1. Electric hot water system
  2. Air Conditioning
  3. Pool pump

In addition to this if cabling is installed to other appliances such as fridges, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer etc it allows for the deployment of intelligent control system to balance the demand for electricity within the home during periods of high demand. Note energy management is developing and the majority of appliances do not incorporate any intelligence at this point in time. The need to pre-wire the house is because the cabling in homes have a very long serviceable life span of some decades so the best time to install the cabling is at the time the house is built.

References

This section lists the standards available for home wiring

  1. ^ Power and light are covered by the electrical standards and the main one is AS3000[1]
  2. ^ Power and light are covered by the electrical standards and the main one is AS3000[2]
  3. ^ AS/ACIF S009[3]
  4. ^ AS/NZS ISO/IEC 15018:2005[4]
  5. ^ ISO/IEC 15018:2004[5]

Additional reading

Who can do the work

Whilst the rules of who can do what in the area of cabling varies from country to country you should not attempt any cabling unless you have taken the time to learn how to do it properly. Cabling is not a difficult job at face value but if not done properly it can be the cause of countless difficult problems to rectify and can lead to serious and potentially fatal installations.

The first thing to consider when wanting to get some cable installed is find out what are the local regulations and licencing requirements. At a high level many countries clearly delineate between the installation of hazardous services from others based on the voltage used. Voltages typically found in a home can be divided into two categories:

  1. Extra low voltage (ELV)
  2. Low voltage (LV)

whilst the voltage range may vary slightly between some standards for what is an ELV or LV voltage the rationale behind this categorization is the potential threat they pose. ELV is considered low risk whilst LV is considered to be high risk which can cause severe injury including death.

Below are the cabling system and associated voltage so you can judge for yourself where it is best to get someone that knows what they are doing to do the work.

Extra Low Voltage Low Voltage
Power point
Light fittings
Telephone
Data
Free to air TV
Pay TV
IPTV
Home theater
Distributed audio
Security monitoring
Security CCTV
Automation Automation
Energy management

WARNING Now that you can see the above table you may feel compelled to undertake cabling for many of the services listed above but be ware of the dangers lurcking. If all you are doing is installing speaker cable along the floor this is not a problem but if you decide to start running the cable through floor and wall cavities be careful that is where danger lies in wait in the form of electrical cables, gas pipes, hot water pipes etc.

If it is all to hard you can contact a range of organisation that can help some of these are: CEDIA [NECA] [ECA Queensland] Copper Development Center Smart Wiring TITAB BRCA

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