LAN and Telecom Cabling Multi-Dwelling Unit - New Construction

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Subject Author Date
Multi-Dwelling Unit - New Construction Michael Quinlan 03-12-07
Posted by Michael Quinlan on March 12, 2007, 9:57 am
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A company I do a lot of commercial subcontract work for has asked me
to give them a price on wiring approximately 70 townhouses for voice,
data and video. My plan so far is to provide (2) CAT5e and (2) RG6
Quad-Shield to a single location in each bedroom, the living room, and
kitchen (a counter top location), and (1) CAT5e in the kitchen (for a
wall phone). Additionally, two RG6 Quad-Shield cables will be run
from an attic location to the distribution panel, for possible
satellite connections.

I also plan to provide (1) CAT5e 4-pair, and one RG6 Quad-Shield
cables as a demarc extension from the building demarc to each units
distribution panel.

With this in mind, I have a few questions:

1. Is anything I have listed above considered too much or too
little?
2. Are there any multi-dwelling unit considerations I should be
aware of?
a. access to attic space for first-floor-only units
(satellite installation)
b. routing of cables to a unit via another units space
(attic)

All of the residential work I've done before has been retrofits of
single family homes, so this is a new area for me, and any help would
be appreciated.


Posted by Al Dykes on March 12, 2007, 10:04 am
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>A company I do a lot of commercial subcontract work for has asked me
>to give them a price on wiring approximately 70 townhouses for voice,
>data and video. My plan so far is to provide (2) CAT5e and (2) RG6
>Quad-Shield to a single location in each bedroom, the living room, and
>kitchen (a counter top location), and (1) CAT5e in the kitchen (for a
>wall phone). Additionally, two RG6 Quad-Shield cables will be run
>from an attic location to the distribution panel, for possible
>satellite connections.
>
>I also plan to provide (1) CAT5e 4-pair, and one RG6 Quad-Shield
>cables as a demarc extension from the building demarc to each units
>distribution panel.
>
>With this in mind, I have a few questions:
>
> 1. Is anything I have listed above considered too much or too
>little?
> 2. Are there any multi-dwelling unit considerations I should be
>aware of?
> a. access to attic space for first-floor-only units
>(satellite installation)
> b. routing of cables to a unit via another units space
>(attic)
>
>All of the residential work I've done before has been retrofits of
>single family homes, so this is a new area for me, and any help would
>be appreciated.
>


IMO, you can cut way back on the pulls to all the rooms if you plan
for a few neat WiFi locations that will, if lit-up with APs, provide
strong coverage to the entire house and the appropriate patio/pool
areas.

You can't always anticipate where the owner wants to put his device in
a room, or the number of devices.






--
a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m
Don't blame me. I voted for Gore. A Proud signature since 2001

Posted by Ed Nielsen on March 12, 2007, 10:35 am
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I would recommend pulling 4 RG 6s to the attic for HDTV satellite. (I'm in
the midst of dealing with that now in a development of 12-plexes, and would
seriously love to slap the developer with the "I'm going to save me some
money and only pull 1 cable" attitude) I would also suggest pulling 2 CAT5e
from the demarc rather than 1. The developer may have plans now or in the
future for a fixed wireless ISP, and it would be better to have a cable for
them rather than having to share with telco.


CIAO!

Ed N.

>A company I do a lot of commercial subcontract work for has asked me
> to give them a price on wiring approximately 70 townhouses for voice,
> data and video. My plan so far is to provide (2) CAT5e and (2) RG6
> Quad-Shield to a single location in each bedroom, the living room, and
> kitchen (a counter top location), and (1) CAT5e in the kitchen (for a
> wall phone). Additionally, two RG6 Quad-Shield cables will be run
> from an attic location to the distribution panel, for possible
> satellite connections.
>
> I also plan to provide (1) CAT5e 4-pair, and one RG6 Quad-Shield
> cables as a demarc extension from the building demarc to each units
> distribution panel.
>
> With this in mind, I have a few questions:
>
> 1. Is anything I have listed above considered too much or too
> little?
> 2. Are there any multi-dwelling unit considerations I should be
> aware of?
> a. access to attic space for first-floor-only units
> (satellite installation)
> b. routing of cables to a unit via another units space
> (attic)
>
> All of the residential work I've done before has been retrofits of
> single family homes, so this is a new area for me, and any help would
> be appreciated.
>


Posted by Carl Navarro on March 12, 2007, 12:42 pm
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On 12 Mar 2007 06:57:11 -0700, "Michael Quinlan"

>A company I do a lot of commercial subcontract work for has asked me
>to give them a price on wiring approximately 70 townhouses for voice,
>data and video. My plan so far is to provide (2) CAT5e and (2) RG6
>Quad-Shield to a single location in each bedroom, the living room, and
>kitchen (a counter top location), and (1) CAT5e in the kitchen (for a
>wall phone). Additionally, two RG6 Quad-Shield cables will be run
>from an attic location to the distribution panel, for possible
>satellite connections.
>
>I also plan to provide (1) CAT5e 4-pair, and one RG6 Quad-Shield
>cables as a demarc extension from the building demarc to each units
>distribution panel.
>
>With this in mind, I have a few questions:
>
> 1. Is anything I have listed above considered too much or too
>little?

Reading ahead, define townhouse. I picture a two story structure with
bedrooms up, maybe a bedroom on the 1st floor, and a basement. It's
tough to predict, but is there a chance that someone would want a home
office on the first floor? It would tend to need data, both in the
living room and a second location in the same room. I'd seriously
consider pulling more cables to the rooms, especially if the
aforementioned basement exists. You don't necessarily have to trim
them out, but at least they're in place. Let them hang in a box and
put a blank cover over the unused spots. They are pricey, but look to
put a distribution box between studs or on the wall in these units.
Even if you don't use the modules, you'll have a nice area to
terminate the cables.

I'd also pull a pair of data and video cables to the demarc. You
always want the backup video and someone may try to do some common
data sharing or more than 4 phone lines in their space. Perhaps even
the tenant association might spring for broadband.

> 2. Are there any multi-dwelling unit considerations I should be
>aware of?
> a. access to attic space for first-floor-only units
>(satellite installation)

Carlon Smurf tubes work, but how did you get single floor units...on
the ends?
> b. routing of cables to a unit via another units space
>(attic)

No issues there. It's just like a motel or apartment complex. One
man's floor is another man's ceiling :-)

Carl Navarro

Posted by DLR on March 12, 2007, 12:52 pm
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Michael Quinlan wrote:
> A company I do a lot of commercial subcontract work for has asked me
> to give them a price on wiring approximately 70 townhouses for voice,
> data and video. My plan so far is to provide (2) CAT5e and (2) RG6
> Quad-Shield to a single location in each bedroom, the living room, and
> kitchen (a counter top location), and (1) CAT5e in the kitchen (for a
> wall phone). Additionally, two RG6 Quad-Shield cables will be run
> from an attic location to the distribution panel, for possible
> satellite connections.
>
> I also plan to provide (1) CAT5e 4-pair, and one RG6 Quad-Shield
> cables as a demarc extension from the building demarc to each units
> distribution panel.
>
> With this in mind, I have a few questions:
>
> 1. Is anything I have listed above considered too much or too
> little?
> 2. Are there any multi-dwelling unit considerations I should be
> aware of?
> a. access to attic space for first-floor-only units
> (satellite installation)
> b. routing of cables to a unit via another units space
> (attic)
>
> All of the residential work I've done before has been retrofits of
> single family homes, so this is a new area for me, and any help would
> be appreciated.
>

I recently helped out someone buying a house in a PUD where it had been
pre-wired with the Leviton system but drywall not yet up so we could
adjust a few things.

They were wiring the entire house with 1 RG6 and 2 Cat5 cables to each
room. TV, Phone, Enet. They did have ONE RG6 to a south 2nd floor eave
for cable. I had them add a second Cat5 to a few locations where they
might want a router that they could feed down to the distribution plus
one new complete set for a better TV location in the living room. Oh,
yeah, the Leviton panel had 2 6 way splitters with one chained off the
second crammed inside a cabinet that was at least one size too small.
All phone wires onto 1 8 pair jack.

Buildings worry about $10. Consumers don't know what they are getting.
In this case the builder was saying we have the house completely wired
for the future. Our requests were considered very "high end custom".

I think this is almost a deal where the builder gets to sell "wired for
the future" houses and the folks doing the wiring get to do a LOT of
custom upgrades via referral down the road. And I bet a lot of them
involved splitting the Cat5 cable used for Ethernet into 2 runs to allow
for things that need to get to a useful location and back.

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Multi-Dwelling Unit - New Construction March 12, 2007, 9:57 am