RE: Home automation equipment

["Paul Gordon" <paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

1st piece of advice....

Go and buy several 305m drums of CAT5 cable - normal solid grey jacket
stuf=
f can be had for around =A325 per drum. - Also buy a drum or two of the
pin=
k CBUS CAT5 cable - the jacket on this is mains rated, so it can be put
int=
o the same enclosures as mains cables without the physical separation
requi=
rements that the wiring regs demand when mixing mains & LV cables.

When you have these items, plan a run of CAT5 cable to every conceivable
po=
int in the house where you are likely to want to install HA or AV kit..
for=
instance:

1 in every lightswitch backbox (use pink CBUS cable for this)
1 near every radiator valve (if you are using radiators)
1 near every curtain rail location
1 in every place where you may want to put a PIR sensor for an alarm
1 to every ceiling rose
Several more in every room, - put a couple in each corner for starters,
plu=
s put several more wherever you think you might position any hi-fi or AV
ge=
ar etc.

Plan somewhere in the house that all these cables can be run back to -
this=
will be referred to as "node zero". - This location should
ideally be plan=
ned in a position that affords nice easy access to all the points
mentioned=
above that cables will be run to - this is the place that most of the equi=
pment should be centrally located, and where every cable will be fed back
t=
o and presented at a patch panel.

Then hop on over to the Automated Home website, and have a thorough read
of=
the wiring guide, - here: http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/modules.php?name=
=3DContent&pa=3Dshowpage&pid=3D2

HTH

Paul G.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
> guinness540
> Sent: 19 September 2005 21:14
> To: UKHA_D Group
> Subject: [ukha_d] Home automation equipment
>=20
> Hi everyone. I am at the planning stage of a house here in Ireland. I
> would like, at the build stage, to equip the house with home
> automation. Eg. lighting, multiroom audio / video, etc. Problem being,
> I know very little about this equipment. Any ideas / web site
> recommendations of where to start - see what options are available.
> Don`t need top of the range - just reasonably good equipment to do the
> job.  I don`t want to jump in with both feet and seek advice straight
> off from a retailer as they potentially could tell me anything, i`d be
> none the wiser. Any help/advice would be much appreciated.
>         Thanks,
>                  Colin.
>=20