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Often called ‘Smart Wiring’, structured cabling is system of wiring installed in a home, usually as it is under construction. Basically it is inexpensive cable installed to deliver various services to different areas of the home and to share resources. The term ‘future-proofing’ is often used in conjunction with structured cabling as the infrastructure it provides anticipates technologies available in the future or are in the process of being refined for general use.
Home Network: This is probably the most common use of structured cabling – desktop pc’s and laptops can belong to a common network allowing the sharing of files and resources like printers and other peripherals. The addition of wireless access points extends the flexibility of a wired network for complete mobility.
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| Internet Connection Sharing: In conjunction with a home network, a single internet connection can be shared to all network data points in the home. With some configuration, any pc or laptop can be plugged into any point and be on the internet immediately. The broadband modem can also be housed in the same enclosure as the network cabling, avoiding extra devices cluttering your desk.
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| Telephony: Phone and fax lines can be distributed to any data point around the home. These days the phone can plug into the same connector as a computer, but you decide where phone points should be by simply ‘patching’ the cable at a central hub. This allows complete convenience as to where phone, fax and data points are distributed.
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| Distributed Audio: Many current audio systems operate on the same network platform as your computers, making retro-fitting very easy. Because the audio devices co-exist on your computer network, they are able to stream digital music like mp3 files and as these systems have access to the internet, on-line services like internet radio can be played in different areas around the home.
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| Media Streaming: As well as audio, DVD and video media can be distributed via structured cabling, either from a pc or other storage device without the need to create physical discs. Movies are played in digital quality on one or more televisions from a central library and some systems have the ability to retrieve cover artwork from the internet.
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| IPTV: Currently in the early stages of development, television via broadband internet will one day be commonplace, and, as internet speeds improve, TV stations from around the world will be accessible. Installing structured cabling at the building stage will ensure that you can access these services when they become available.
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