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View Full Version : HOW MANY of those cable lines do you connect?



tomciara
03-05-2005, 10:25 AM
I know it's an odd question, but the few prewires I've done for structured wiring are low tech people who just want to be future ready but don't really know what is needed down the road.

So let's say we run a couple cat 5s and a couple RG6s to each room with some extras for select rooms.

Now the homeowner has just one TV or maybe two; however, we've got cable lines running to 12 locations.

Do you take this low tech client and tell him it will take a splitter array and RF amplification to enable all these locations, or do you tell him that we'll just enable 4 or 6 locations and connect the others as needed?

A simple splitter for 4 lines won't require an amp; customer may already be spending more than he wants to for something he doesn't know whether he will need, so this may be more palatable for him.

Or, do you give him a choice of the "as needed" hookup or the "full enable" hookup and let him choose the one he wants at whatever price?

The same could apply to networking and routers I suppose, but cable is probably a little more to the point.

vwpower44
03-05-2005, 11:52 AM
We usually give them the option as to having only the ones they are using active, or having them all active. Most of the time we activate all of them.

Mike

Shadowman68
03-05-2005, 12:59 PM
What I normally do is take the wife around room by room, and let her decide what she wants put in. Women are more practical. It usually works out that she asks to have them all put in. That way, in her mind, I dont have to come back everytime they rearrange a room and need the phone jack moved.
Using the wife is a lot easier for this as well. She will be the one deciding where all the furniture goes. So if she doesnt need all the lines connected, she will tell you which ones have to be to correspond with the furniture placement.
Also, I dont go into depth on what will be needed to connect the whole system. I give them the option of a basic install, 6 phone locations and 4 tv, or for a little extra, we can do the whole thing. I find if you start talking techinese to them, their eyes glaze over like a deer in the head lights. They dont want to know about different splitters and amp. Or whether youve used a 110 punchdown block for the phones or RJ45. All they want to know is do the phones and tv work.

LarryFine
03-05-2005, 03:54 PM
Phones and networking, all. Cable, only those needed. Unnecessary splits cause weak signal strength, and open (unterminated by a resistor) jacks cause ghosting and other anomalies.

Most people have a specific number of TVs and move them as rooms change use. The coax cables should be swapped at the splitter as this happens.

What matters more to the customer, signal quality or cost and convenience? I know which I'd rather have, but not everyone shares the same priorities.

MikeCAT
03-06-2005, 12:15 AM
Most of mine are "activate as needed" for cable. Phones - all. Network - terminate all to a patch module, and plug as many as your router of choice may hold.

On the coax, I've really been diggin' using a variable amp, so that I can adjust as needed as TV's may be added.

AudibleSolutions
03-08-2005, 06:18 AM
My experience, and philosophy, is the same as those who terminate all voice and data but terminate but do not connect all TV lines. However, we may not make "live" each data or phone connection. My "Victoria's Secret" job spent the money on switches to make every connection live ( some 40 odd plus wireless ) but most people do not need to make 2 data connections live in every location. We once did a job where the client insisted on 4 structured lines for his gym. He installed a cordless phone and I suspect he would not requre a data line there. He did install 3 TVs but as there was a centralized video distriubtion system only one of the three coaxial cables was used. The larger problem--which I think you alude to-- is what to do with all of those extra, unused coaxial cables.

Alan

jonzey
03-19-2005, 07:52 PM
We price a distribution system into our pre-wire price and then label everything very well and allow the home owner to configure the system themselves or they can bring me back in to rearrange