Being a general res electrical contractor

[CraigVM62 0]

We basicaly started utilizing structured wiring panels on every house we would wire for the last 8 years or so. With basic panels from Channel Plus or Leviton being so cheap, including nice powder coated metal covers, I can't imagine taking the time to custom build something. They have a very common mounting system that generic modules can utilize. Also electrical inspectors like to see an approved UL Listed panel if any kind of AC outlet is to be installed within it. Often I would not buy their video and phone modules but just float a good quality splitter not even mounting it. I would also ALWAYS run a smurf tube to attic and crawl to easily add cabling down the road.

Though the builders would not want to pay for anything beyond just basic cabling for Phones & TVs, so often those buying the homes would want to add additional phone, tv jacks, cameras via modulators or wiring for DBS Dishes....

[CollinR 0]

Was this a reply to this thread?

 

http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4649

 

 

If so I don't want you to think I have any problems with those panels, really they work perfectly for those in your position. They allow a clean install and the stuff that won't fit nobody puts into houses built on speculation.

[CraigVM62 0]

Yes ... I don't know what I did so it became a new thread. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

It sounds like you are envolved with alot more than the typical residential houses I dealt with. Are you doing more commercial applications with the rack systems ? I have used rack fitted commponents a few times, but only on the largest custom homes with whole house audio video systems.

[CollinR 0]

Yeah only residential thus far and never on speculation, the spec builders won't pay for it as you've noticed. You gotta find either a owner/builder or a custom builder to get very far into that market.

[CraigVM62 0]

Even on the spec homes I would utilize a very basic panel for the TV and Phone wiring if there was more that 4 or 5 TV jacks in the home. Compaired to running each cable from the side of the garage where the CATV Interface would be, it proved cost effective to go with a basic panel. If I could get it placed near the center of the home, or near where the majority of jacks are to be located. it would then allow shorter runs to each jack. I found the savings in cable and labor were greater than the $30 I was paying for the panels w/ cover.

I would do this without any additional charge to the builder. Ofcourse if the home was to have what many see as structured wiring with dual Coax and Cat 5e runs to each jack location, I would charge a good deal for the larger panels and needed modules.

 

The only set back, but always funny was the first few years, I would often get calls from homeowners when the cable company would show to hook them up. They could not understand one cable being stubbed out at the interface location when there were perhaps 5 or 6 jacks in the home. Often the Cable installer would get on the phone and jump right in lecturing me about daisy chaining coax runs thinking the splitters or taps were burried in the walls some where. I would let them vent their anger, then tell them to go look in the master closet, or where ever the panel was located.

[rory 0]

sounds like you guys are doing Complete Low Voltage wiring?

[CollinR 0]

I really do both, I'll prewire anything low voltage and I'll retrofit security and CCTV and a few other things.

[CraigVM62 0]

I used to pass on the majority of retrofit security jobs. Prewired for every wire in the house "AC and Low Voltage" except the stat wire which the HVAC installers had to provide for themselves. Several of our high dollar homes would fly in Home Theater and Home Automation Specialists as we had no experience in some of the exotic systems they were wanting installed. I used to look over their shoulder and ask tons of questions trying to get some "free training"

[CollinR 0]

I used to pass on the majority of retrofit security jobs. Prewired for every wire in the house "AC and Low Voltage" except the stat wire which the HVAC installers had to provide for themselves. Several of our high dollar homes would fly in Home Theater and Home Automation Specialists as we had no experience in some of the exotic systems they were wanting installed. I used to look over their shoulder and ask tons of questions trying to get some "free training"

 

Start researching, there are hundreds of ways to skin a cat in the home gadets arena. If you get tied into AMX or Crestron then yeah the specialists often get involved but really those systems are mostly marketing hype now. They only have a few cool hardware devices that aren't readily available elsewhere, it's just like the structured wiring panels you have to conform your customer to them. I try to limit my use of them at all costs.

 

Get an Elk M1 Alarm control and start tinkering, it can do a significant amount of automation. The only difficult areas are copy protected digital video, I don't think anyone has a good solution for distributing it yet (aside from STB (set top box) at each display. Normal TV you can capture/modify>distribute without much trouble. Current DVDs can pose some issues and IIRC AMX has the best available solution for them but you can get it done eventually.

[fas 0]

I have a picture of one of the panels I built somewhere, I just don't know where. I understand that the panels are really cheap now days, but I still prefer a nice piece of plywood and my own creation. You just can't fit everything into the panels. And if you do, you have to use certain parts which are often much more expensive. I usually have a 66 block, wired with an rj-31x jack right next to it, and 2 8-way splitters with a signal booster for cable and modulated channels (cctv, dvd, playstation, etc) to distribute throughout the house. If satellite is used, then also multiplexers and diplexers. I usually build small shelves to house the router and voip modules. I haven't set one up yet with distributed audio, I usually have that somewhere else in the house, but you could have it there. The alarm panel is also included in the area, as well as the cctv pc or dvr and power box. Over all, I guess it just depends on the amount of money a customer wants to spend.