schlitz100

I'm currently renovating my house and have the walls exposed so i'm trying to do all of the wiring now. Currently i'm wired for phone/cable/network. I'm going to get satellite with 2 receivers... what kind of wiring (if any) goes from the satellite to the 2 tv receivers? will the satellite company install all of this?

Also i'm wiring my living room for surround sound. I'm planning on just wiring with RCA(?) audio wiring... and am wondering if there was a next generation wiring i should add for future speakers... basically don't want to wire with RCA and find out 3 months from now that all future new speakers are wired differently...

thanks

DVD_O_Rama

All you need is RG6 coax for the sat and receivers. I do not know of any satellite instaler that will do multiple-room installs with in-wall wiring without charging a nominal fee (above and beyond 'normal' installation).

You don't need RCA wire for your speakers. Get some in-wall 12gawg wire from your Home Depot or the like, and you'll be good to go.

schlitz100

Is that the same as the coax used for cable?

How much quality will speakers lose if there is 2 breaks/connectors in the wire? I plan on putting plugs in the wall both where the receiver is and the speakers will be. So the speakers will plug into the wall outlet as well as the receiver.

thanks

DVD_O_Rama

Yep, same as the coax used for cable.

Ideally, you should never have any sort of splice or other connection in the signal path from receiver/amp to speaker. However, sometimes you do what you gotta do, and can't help it. I have the same set-up as you do as far as connector plates in the wall, so I know exactly where you are coming from. Make sure you have good, snug connections to the wall plugs and solid contact at the terminations (plug. spade, etc) and everything should be hunky-dory.

Cheers,
Erik

chipmac

Yes it is coax but cable companies often skimp and use a lower quality grade cable. That's why RG6 was named since its's a better quality for less signal loss. If you intend on using the same cables provided by the cable company you can get away with it but you're often better off replacing it with RG6.

BSTNFAN

The cable should be labeled as to whether it's RG6 or 59...With most cable systems transitioning to a digital tier, the majority of recent installations are done with RG6. The extra little it costs for the cable saves them money on reduced service calls for digital channels cutting out due to a low signal strength.

Sonicflood

RG59 will NOT work for satellite use!!! Make sure to use RG6 and all will be good! The inner conductor (copper) is a heavier gauge with RG6 than with RG59.

Quad shielding is good to have too, if you will be running near any AC lines.

Sonicflood

fargus

Run at least two runs of RG6 to each location. That will give you the ability to do video distribution to/from any point. As long as you've got the walls open, I'd recommend that you run a pair (minimum) of Ethernet cables to each location as well; that will give you the ability to do networked multimedia, internet access, or even wired IR component control and phones. The cable's cheap and you'll never have a better chance to do it. Even if you don't connect it now, leave it coiled behind your wall plates for later use.

Take pictures of everything; when you need to know later where some cable was that's now hidden by wallboard, you'll thank yourself.

recommended links:
http://www.smarthome.com/howto16.html Home A/V distribution wiring
http://www.smarthome.com/howto13.html Home automation wiring
http://www.smarthome.com/howto17.html Designing your distribution system

Wolf Husky

Fargus has a point.

RUN TWO LINES OF RG6 TO EACH ROOM THAT YOU MAY WANT SATELLITE TV IN.

I was an installer for Dish Network a few years ago in the Northern Colorado area. I can't count the 100s of half-million-dollar homes I installed in, only to find that the person that did the wiring wired the house for cable, and not for satellite.

YOU CANNOT USE ANY SPLITTERS BETWEEN THE LNB AND THE RECEIVER.

If you want 2 receivers in your house, then you must have two lines going into the house. If you want 4 receivers, then you must have 4 lines.

I recommend wiring all locations to "meet" at an accessible location in the house, whether in the basement, attic, linen closet, .. wherever. As long as you can keep the loose ends in one place, and barrel connect them to the lines that go out to the dish.

If you do it this way, it is easy to change the room in which you watch TV. In other words, say you have two receivers -- one in living room, one in basement. You decide you want to have the basement receiver in the bedroom.

This would be simple. Take the receiver from the basement and plug it into the wall in the bedroom. Go to the "junction room" and barrel connect the outside line that was connected to the basement feed, and barrel connect it to the bedroom feed instead. Voila!

MAKE SURE YOU LABEL YOUR WIRING, unless you want to use a toner and find the appropriate wiring.