Helpful Tips

Wrapping up the AV cabinet tour is a detail of the speaker distribution and control and power module sitting at the bottom of the cabinet. (Figure 7)

Figure 7: Speaker distribution and control
(click image to enlarge)

Again, there is all Leviton stuff here, including an AC power surge protective module, a speaker connection module and a Digital Chopin module.

To wrap things up, here are some tips that Chris found helpful in putting together his system:

1. Running cable is really not that bad if you've got a lot of attic space and it's during the building phase of your home; As for an existing home...well that's another story. Either way, this is when you call in favor from a few friends. It took me three days or so to do all my wiring.
2. I used CAT 6 instead of CAT 5 cable... it wasn't that much more. No CAT 3...yuck. Think I paid $60 for a thousand feet off of eBay.
3. RG6 cable quad shield was also purchased online for TV / satellite. The quality of the cable I got from eBay was better than at my local Home Depot store.
4. I can't say enough about Leviton products, from distribution boxes, phone distribution modules, CAT 5 patch panels, termination ends, wall plates...they have it all. Best of all, most of these can be found at Home Depot. But use eBay for the more expensive things. My phone module cost me $3from eBay.
5. If you use a centralized distribution panel, make sure a licensed electrician runs power to it.
6. Most importantly, write down your needs....map it out.
7. Buy some punch down tools and some CAT 5/6 crimping tools and do the termination yourself. Don't pay someone to do it, because it's easy. Make sure you terminate both ends properly and follow the same TIA scheme.

Tags: How To, LAN, LAN Wiring,

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