Construction on A new House!!

[chrisd_az]

Next week I will be going to the design center to pic out all our stuff for our house. What do I need to tell them I want with the cable outlets?? For sure in every room with a phone jack. Is there anything else I should have done??? Any help please???

I will be having 3 rec. 2 622 and 1 211.... A 622 for family an sons room. A 622 For master only so wife can record anything she wants so no tv2 hook up. and a single HD 211 for my Den..

 

[gbs]

I suggest 2 runs of RG-6 coaxial cable to each wall plate location where you will have a receiver. All these cable runs should go to a central location (attic, utility room, basement) where you will probably have a DP44 switch to distribute your Dish signal. This is where the coaxial cables from the LNBs will connect. You will then be able to use separators at each receiver location to feed the two inputs on the 622's. No separator will be needed for the 211 since it has only one satellite input. The second coaxial cable run to each receiver location could be used for OTA local HD signals if you need it. If your lucky enough to have your locals on the satellite you don't have to have the second run. I would put it in anyway since it is much easier now than later. Phone lines to the same locations are a good idea. I would also consider a run of Cat 5 data cable to each location. It can be terminated in the same wall plate as the phone line and will provide and easy way to connect your 622's to a broadband connection.

Good luck!

 

[chrisd_az]

Thank you for your info

 

[AllieVi]

Instead of running cables, I suggest you install conduit (i.e., plastic “pipes”) to the locations you want to serve. The cables can be installed in them at the same time or later as your needs develop. Having conduit allows you to add lines or replace what’s there if/when you see the need for more or a different cable.

When the cables are not in conduit, changing, upgrading or adding to them is not a reasonable possibility.

 

[aaron12]

I would also consider a run of Cat 5 data cable to each location. It can be terminated in the same wall plate as the phone line and will provide and easy way to connect your 622's to a broadband connection.

Definitely do this. It is so much easier to have a broadband connection come in down in your basement or something and feed it to all your rooms through jacks in the walls than having cables everywhere. Plus, like he said you can connect your DVR units right into the internet connection instead of phone lines. Also, keep in mind the amount of items that require internet connections now - at my TV I have a 360, a HD DVD player, a Xbox, my 622, and a slingbox all wired into the internet.

 

[vegassatellite]

You can buy a product called structured cable. It has two coax and two cat5 all bundled in one jacketed cable. I recommend that at each location. Main TV location might benefit from having two of these. Run 5 coax lines to the intended dish location. All lines homerun to a central media panel. At minimum, run conduit from panel to attic to permit expansion. Have builder install a #10 AWG ground wire at the intended dish location.

 

[Skibum]

You can buy a product called structured cable. It has two coax and two cat5 all bundled in one jacketed cable. I recommend that at each location. Main TV location might benefit from having two of these. Run 5 coax lines to the intended dish location. All lines homerun to a central media panel. At minimum, run conduit from panel to attic to permit expansion. Have builder install a #10 AWG ground wire at the intended dish location.

I wired my house like this, but with 6 runs to the southern exposure. Pain in the ass to hook everything up in the smart panel, but it is WORTH IT. Perhaps I'll post a picture sometime.

 

[charlesrshell]

I installed four coax each to three primary locations that have DVRs. One coax for tuner 1 & 2, one for OTA antenna, one for agile modulated in, and one for agile modulated out. This way all three primary locations can receive and transmit to all other positions in my home. This is a little over kill but I didn't want to have to use diplexers. Also, all three positions have CAT 5E installed with three Cisco switches for SlingBox and connecting the DVRs to the Internet. Also, telephone wire is at each location for on screen caller ID. To the satellites I ran six (3 duals) coax. But, I am pointing at six birds. Doesn't hurt to have extra for future addition of satellites. Here is a pic of my head-end. It is a nightmare but I couldn't install a cabinet because older coax weren't long enough. They went to the 2nd floor in a two story house and didn't want to deal with replacing them. Be sure and think of all these things you may have for your primary locations.

 

[sullivbt]

Charlesrshell....

you're headend is awesome! I'm jealous as sh*t of your set-up; I'm getting ready to move into a new house and all it has is one run of RG6 to each room. I wish I had your set-up; I'm afraid that adding that on to a brand new house would cost a boatload of cash.

 

[charlesrshell]

you're head-end is awesome! I'm jealous as sh*t of your set-up; I'm getting ready to move into a new house and all it has is one run of RG6 to each room. I wish I had your set-up; I'm afraid that adding that on to a brand new house would cost a boatload of cash.

Well, sullivbt maybe you can install more cable before you move in. If you haven't closed yet maybe the funds to do it all can be added into closing cost. Keep in mine too that the living room, master bedroom, and some other areas may need two connecting locations. Just offering some ideas to help. If I was building a new home I would do what Vegassatellite and AllieVi have suggested. Run with structured cable and conduit to all TV/telephone/network areas. I would have in all conduit four coax and fiber cable for telephone and network. At the head-in I would have two huge enclosure cabinets. One for coax and one for the fiber cable and all the required switches, connecting blocks, etc. The house would be ready for the future. And I will never ever live in a two story home again.

 

[charlesrshell]

Also, Vegassatellite has an excellent idea running conduit to the attic and install a #10 AWG ground wire to the intended dish location. My wife and I played hell snaking a coax to the attic for the OTA antenna. A conduit would have been awesome. Also, I sure wish I had that ground wire to the satellite antenna location. My dishes are on the opposite side of the house from the ground rod.

 

[vegassatellite]

you're headend is awesome! I'm jealous as sh*t of your set-up; I'm getting ready to move into a new house and all it has is one run of RG6 to each room. I wish I had your set-up; I'm afraid that adding that on to a brand new house would cost a boatload of cash.

Well, in the case of upstairs, you can run all wires up to the attic, and then to get back down to lower levels if that's where the prewire points are, you then just have to cut the drywall in a few places to get from attic down to the first floor or basement.

 

[harshness]

One coax for tuner 1 & 2, one for OTA antenna, one for agile modulated in, and one for agile modulated out.

This is overkill. A single wire would work fine for OTA and the modulated signals. If you play your cards right, you can easily put an OTA feed on the same wire. The main reason to have a separate cable for conventional TV channels is if you are using CATV for some reason.

My guess is that you're having to combine these cables anyway which actually introduces some loss.

 

[charlesrshell]

This is overkill. A single wire would work fine for OTA and the modulated signals. If you play your cards right, you can easily put an OTA feed on the same wire. The main reason to have a separate cable for conventional TV channels is if you are using CATV for some reason.

My guess is that you're having to combine these cables anyway which actually introduces some loss.

I have excellent picture at all TVs. We can watch any TV and recorded program from any DVR to any TV with the exception from my sons DVR that is in a 2nd floor bedroom. My sons room only has one coax so I have modulated diplexed in with the satellite coax to his DVR. I do have very basic cable CATV still hook up but have to push the A/B switch at the head-in to get it. So I have back-up to the OTA if something goes wrong with it and the DVRs too. I know this is over kill but my wife and I were long time cable customers and I don't want to contend with any black outs from thunderstorms, etc. So I have backup to the backup.

 

[Jared Twomey]

on all new pre-wires we do, i recommend to the customer
2 RG6 and 2 cat5e to all possible tv locations.
media closet in basement,
1 rg6 out to where cable would put their drop
6 rg6 and ground wire out to dish location for satellite and OTA (i recommend 8 out if they live out of town and would ever consider satellite internet)
also conduit from media closet to attic (never know if you may have to run cat5 or whatever for wireless internet, additional coax runs, ect)

its easy to do all of this stuff during the construction phase... a lot harder after the drywall is up

also, dont forget about surround sound systems

 

[dishcomm]

you're headend is awesome! I'm jealous as sh*t of your set-up; I'm getting ready to move into a new house and all it has is one run of RG6 to each room. I wish I had your set-up; I'm afraid that adding that on to a brand new house would cost a boatload of cash.

If the drywal isn't up ,you're in luck. If not..You'll be surpised how much you can get out of just one coax run in each room...Fear not.

 

[Lord_Vader]

You don't need any "phone" connections. Just run CAT5e everywhere. Actually they will probably do this anyway and just put RJ-11 jacks where you wanted "phone" jacks. I told my sales guy not to bother and just put RJ-45 everywhere. The phone line doesn't care. It just uses the center pair anyway and you can go back and forth (ethernet or phone) as long as you have a panel or area to patch them to a source. If you need phone and ethernet, just run 2.

 

[Andrewwski]

2 RG6 should be the minimum for new builds, 3 isn't a bad idea (say you may want D* and OTA or something).

2 Cat 5 is good too. You can use both phone and ethernet off the same cat 5, but run extra while you can.

 

[Lord_Vader]

The PVC idea isn't bad either. I didn't finish my basement or attic when i built the house, but I didn't want to run cables everywhere since I didn't know what I wanted to do. Instead I ran 2 x 3" PVC pipes from the basement to the attic. I can drop whatever I want through them. The plumber was a little confused, but did it anyway.