How to Cable a Home (for Data, TV & AV)

As Infrastructure designers and installers, we are frequently asked advice on how to cable a home. This can arise either during refurbishment or for a brand new build. In both cases it is ‘once in a decade’ opportunity to get it right. Once the walls are re-plastered and decorated running even one extra cable is almost impossible.

And what cable are we talking about? Really just three types. There are other specialist cables, but they are rarely required.

1. Data
2. Coax
3. Speaker

The Hub

The usual scheme is to create a hub or central point in the house or apartment to which all cables are run to. This simple idea allows you to create a completely flexible infrastructure, so whatever wonderful technology you want to install in the future you should be covered. This hub would typically be in a utility cupboard or perhaps the loft. Key points in selecting its location:

You will almost certainly require main power at the hub. If only to power an Internet router and network switch.
In addition to being a focal point for cables, the hub may also be where you install AV equipment such as a Sky box or music player. So you may need quite a lot of space. This may rule out the overflowing cupboard under the stairs!
Ideally position it centrally in the property, so its easy to run cables to. That probably rules out the shed at the bottom of the garden.

Depending on what equipment you may want to install at the hub, you may require a cabinet or rack. These can vary from small purpose built ‘home hubs’ to full ceiling height 19″ equipment racks. What you choose all depends on space and budget. However, as general advice, plan bigger than you will initially require. You will inevitably think of extra equipment to install at the hub.

Data Cables

Data cables can be used for networking, telephones, HDMI and as general purpose low voltage cables to control devices such as blinds. At the hub all of the outlets are presented on one or more patch panel so they can be connected to a network switch, telephone line, HDMI matrix switch or just about anything. At the other end the data cables are typically terminated on RJ45 data outlets in handy locations.

TV Cables

You will probably want a TV point in every main room and bedroom. To each TV point run two coax cables back to the hub. This will accommodate Sky+ (and the new Sky Q), freesat, other satellites and standard TV. To the hub you will also run cables from the aerials and satellite dish (or dishes). Note that you will require a Quattro LNB (rather than the normal Sky LNB) which requires the connection of four cables.

At the hub you will probably require a TV multi switch, which takes the various signals and outputs them to all of the outlets. So each output cable will carry satellite, TV and radio signals.

Speaker Cables

The third type of cable is speaker for multi-room or surround sound systems. With the arrival of various high quality wireless sounds technologies employed by Sonos, Apple (Airplay) and Sky Q, the need for speaker cables is decreasing. However, it still may make sense to install some speaker cabling.
There are two scenarios:

Multi-room Sound. There are a number of relatively expensive multi-room sound systems. These take music from a number of sources to be played in whichever combination of rooms you select. Run all of the speaker cables (single pair) back to the Hub. Typically, you will assign two speakers per room, either in the ceiling (ceiling speakers) or in the wall. In bathrooms you will probably only have space for one (stereo) speaker, so run a 2-pair cable.
Surround Sound. To get the full cinema effect, you will probably want surround sound in the Living room. This would normally be either 5.1 or 7.1. These cables need to be run back to wherever the AV Amp is located, which could be either near the TV or at the Hub. Major decision!

HDMI Distribution

I have been suggesting that AV equipment (if you have the space) can be housed at the hub. So how does this work? Almost all AV connectivity in the home now uses HDMI. However, depending on the resolution you are using, a HDMI cable cannot be more than about 5-10 meters in length before it will start to fail (and being a digital standard, when it starts to fail it will just stop). The answer to all this is distributing HDMI over data cables.

There is now a range of equipment on the market to allow distribution of HDMI over data cables of 50 meters or more, some even operating at 4K. The most spectacular are the HDMI matrix switches (typically 2×2, 4×4 or 8×8) which take HDMI inputs from a number of AV sources (such as Sky box, Blu-ray player or Internet streamer) and distribute this over data cables to a number of destinations. At the destination, a small receiver device (some can even be built into the wall plate) convert it back to HDMI. And the Infrared control commands from then receiver are transmitted back to the source. So any receiver and view/listen to any source. Brilliant!

So your 4K 60″ wall mounted display only requires one power socket and one data outlet. The Sky box and other AV source can be conveniently hidden at the Hub.

Full height Penthouse Hub Cabinet.

Wireless

You may be asking, why run all these cables when almost everything can be done wirelessly now? The answer is reliability. Whatever the reason, wireless doesn’t always work. Whether because of interference from the neighbors, the thickness of your walls or just because the kit is playing up, wireless connections often seem to stutter or even give up completely. Whereas cables will always just work, decade after decade.

So use wireless technology to supplement cables.

Installation

This all sounds great, but how do I connect it all up?

Running of the cables can be done by anyone, including the electrician. The design, sourcing of materials and final termination can possibly done by the you, but may prove a step too far. Infrastructure specialists like Able can be employed to assist with the planning and/or final setup. Just a few days of expert help could allow you to build a flexible and adaptable infrastructure which will just do want you want for many years to come.