Hi all, You know, I hate to be an old fuddy duddy - but - I have solved the computer networking problem quite easily. I have a wireless router which supports 4 computers and shares a printer. We have not had any problems with much of a backlog as the DSL line seems to be able to support all of the traffic. Various appliances could also log into the router if they were available. I once wired a two story house for several computers and that is when I went wireless. I can move things about with absolutely no hassle. Cy, the Ancient Okie...
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Boyce, Ray Sent: Monday, August 27, 2007 8:37 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Wiring Your Home For the Net Wiring Your Home for the NET In today's technological world it's hard to keep up with the latest trends. Internet technologies keep improving and the connections get faster and faster. Unfortunately most homes don't have adequate wiring for supporting the ever changing connections. We realize this as we watch the dreaded hour glass spinning on our screens while we wait for downloads to complete. Today's in-home technical sophistication can have unexpected consequences -- telephone gridlock. For a good part of the day many people are finding it hard to call in or out. A computer modem for accessing the Internet is tying up one line; a fax machine ties up another. A spouse working out of a home office commandeers a third one during business hours, and the phone company wants a fortune to add any more. If you're building a new house or planning a major remodel, however, you can solve these problems with a single stroke. It's called "structured wiring." Using phone and cable wire with much greater capacity than what you have now and networking them from a central hub, you can access the Internet instantaneously (this is real liberation), and have four or more phone lines selectively ring at different locations in your house. In addition, you can set up a video network that allows you to share one VCR or DVD among all the televisions in your house. With structured wiring you can also set up a computer network and share expensive equipment such as a printer/scanner. Adding a security camera to the network allows you to see who is at the front door or what the kids are doing in the backyard via a TV screen in your basement office. Some of the other advantages of a wired network are still in the future, but not very far off. For example, when the next generation of kitchen appliances (which is likely to be available within the next year or two) is plugged into a structured wiring network, manufacturers can diagnose mechanical problems from afar and dispatch a service person with the appropriate parts. Of greater interest: When a wireless Web pad is added to the next-generation refrigerator door, you can scan in food items as you run out. The list can be tallied at your local grocery store and your larder restocked with a regular weekly delivery. Other kitchen conveniences are in the works, but unfortunately, these do not yet include the fairy godmother gizmo -- one touch of a Web pad and, presto, your entire kitchen is clean. As you might suspect, with a structured wiring network, the type of wiring used and its installation is critical to success. The phone and high-speed internet connection wiring must be a category 5 unshielded twisted pair, or "cat 5 utp." Currently, standard phone wire is category 3. The video wiring must be broadband RG6 coaxial cable tri- or quad-shielded (most cable companies now install this, but not in a structured wiring configuration)-. Conventional phone and cable wiring can be strung continuously from outlet to outlet through the house, but the wiring for a structured wiring network must emanate from a central control panel with a separate wire going to each phone and video outlet (this wiring configuration is usually called a "home run" or "star"). This upgraded, high-capacity structured wiring is also sensitive; bend it too much or inadvertently add a few kinks during installation and the performance will be affected. To install the wiring for the network correctly requires specific training and equipment even for people who already are experienced (and where required, licensed) in low voltage electronics, as this field is professionally designated. Though the term "low voltage" may not be familiar, the actual trades included in it certainly are telephone and cable systems, home theaters, "Surround Sound" and security systems. The most important first step in setting up a structured wiring network is getting the wires into the walls and multi-media outlets (an outlet with jacks for phone, Internet access and cable) in the major rooms of your house. Everything else including linking the computers or the televisions can be added later, but adding the wires and outlets later will cost about four times as much as doing it during the initial construction when all the walls are open. by his own experience, however, one Maryland builder cautioned against going overboard in the wiring. "I wired the hell out of my house with cat 3 and RG59 [wiring]. Now this type of wire is obsolete. Investing a fortune in pre-wire is not a good idea." How much does the structured wiring cost? The firms that install these systems generally offer basic and upgraded levels of installation. The lowest priced basic level usually includes a central hub, three to six multi-media outlets, and one or two additional phone outlets. Most importantly, it gets the basic wiring into the walls. The next upgrade usually includes additional multi-media outlets so that you get one in each major room (e.g., all bedrooms, home office, kitchen, and family room) plus the video network, computer network and wiring for one or two security cameras. In conversations with large and small integrators around the country, for a 2,500 square-foot, two-story house this would cost about $2,000. Where do you find the wiring and the installer? Five national firms, OnQ, Home Director (a spin-off from IBM), Lucent (a spin-off from AT&T), Ustec, and Leviton specify and in some cases actually manufacture the cat5 and RG6 wiring, which they sell along with the other components of the system. Working nationwide with their distributors, these firms also train installers. The wiring and other equipment that these five firms sell is similar; more important to consumers is that the person installing it has been trained and certified by one of the five and that the system itself is tested and certified after its installation. Most of the firms that actually install the equipment are small and locally owned, but San Jose, Calif.-based Digital Interiors is now expanding its operations into the rest of California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Texas. Bell Atlantic Ready, a subsidiary of Bell Atlantic Communications, is as yet the only company that installs residential structured wiring networks on a large scale. The firm currently works the East Coast from Virginia to Maine; within the next six months when its acquisition of GTE is finalized, it will be operating in 44 states. What are home builders offering? In the Washington, D.C. area, with its high-tech industry and sophisticated clientele, a number of the large national builders including Pulte include a structured wiring network package in their base price, and the smaller builders offer it as an option. Elsewhere in the country, builders are familiar with the concept of structured wiring, and many currently offer it as an option. But nearly all agree it will be routine and expected by buyers everywhere before long. "This is the next wave of technology in the house. In three to five years those systems will be standard," said Randy Luther, director of research and development for Centex Homes, one of the largest home building firms in the country. "Currently about 40 per cent of the Centex divisions offer it; in most of them it's an option because of demand. But, if the vast majority of buyers ask for it, we will make it standard." One reason the concept hasn't taken off is the cost. Buyers have only so much to spend on extras, Luther pointed out. "When a person buys a house... they expect to spend a little more money to customize features," he said. "In general about four per cent of the sales price or $8,000 for a $200,000 [base price] house is what they have to spend on extras. You should expect to spend about $1,500 to $2,000 for a good [structured wiring] system, and buyers also want Corian, fancy baths, hardware, and upgrade cabinets." Another problem that hinders buyers' enthusiasm is that "the system operates like an office," Luther said. "Its principal work is behind the walls. It's technical. There's not a lot of touchy-feely stuff. All you can see is a wall panel." How can you find a qualified installer for a structured wiring network? These five firms both sell the equipment and train and certify installers. You can get a dealer referral by calling their 800-phone number or looking at their websites: * OnQ Technologies - www.onqtech.-com or (800) 321-2343 * Ustec - www.ustecnet.-com or (800) 836-2312 * Home Director - www.ibm.com/-homedirector or (800) 426-7144 * Lucent Technologies - www.lucent.com/-netsys/homestar or (800) 344-0223, ext. 8001 * Leviton - www.levitontelcom.-com or (800) 722-2082 These two firms actually install the systems themselves and can be contacted directly: * Bell Atlantic Ready - www.baccsi.com or (888) WIRESVC * Digital Interiors - www.digitalinterior-s.com There are two professional organizations whose membership indicates an installer is involved in this industry and keeping up with its frequently changing technology. One is BICSI, which stands for Building Industry Consulting Services International. Most of the members are already working in the telecommunications area of low voltage electronics. The other is CEDIA, Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association. Most of its members work in the audio/video area of low voltage electronics. You can get a referral to a member in your area by calling (800) 669-5329 or looking at their website www.CEDIA.org which also has consumer information. ************-*********-*********-*********-*********-*********-*********-*** * This message and its attachments may contain legally privileged or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose or use the information contained in it. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and delete the e-mail. Any content of this message and its attachments which does not relate to the official business of Eraring Energy must be taken not to have been sent or endorsed by Eraring Energy. 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