Hi, I live in Canada & I'm renovating my basement. It's in a 2018 build home and I ran 1 cat 6 wire and 1 Coax cable wire direct from the panel, to each of the various cable outlets in the basement (2 bedrooms and 2 living room points). We plan to have the house for the next 30 or 40 years. All of your various videos that touch on this topic suggest anywhere from 4 to 6 Cat6 wires and 2 Coax cables. Question: 1. Is this to "future proof the home" so that in the future with better T.V.'s that become available it's highly likely they will require more than 1 Cat6? 2. Do these additional wires run back to the panel location? 3. Is the idea to hook up these additional Cat6 wires and coax cable wires or simply to leave them in the outlet housing box and down the road hook them up? If you could help point me in the right direction I'd much appreciate it. Thanks
I was recently hired as an automation programming instructor for Control4's Chicago classroom, and though I have years of experience teaching technology/media/programming, I'm new to home automation in particular. They have been catching me up to speed, but in my free time I've been absorbing everything I can from your videos / UA-cam in general. From one teacher to another - you are killing it!!! Superb content and delivery. Thanks again and keep up the amazing work!
I’ve come from the future. A single cat 6 will be more than sufficient. IR control via IP can always run over same cable due to packets of Ethernet and an IP to IR device with a built in hub to keep the tv plugged in. For bandwidth, except 4K raw, then you can run 4K 60hz easily run over cat 6 with gigabit and even easier to go higher fps with 10 gb once devices use that signaling I would recommend rg6 + cat6 to every video endpoint... this solves pretty much any need you have. There’s more on the devices on either End rather than the cables
HI, What kind of distribution products are you consider to use 2 cat6 cables instead of 1, like EXTRON DTP HDMI 4K 230 TX/RX or DTP crosspoint 4k matrix??? ...
HI..Mr.TYM......I like ur discussion regarding of ur tech. explanation..very understanding......I am a installer & doing some pre-wire too.thanks of ur upload...
Thanks for the video. I do have a question which I think is significant. You say very sensibly that each device needs four cat 5e or 6 cables to cover most possibilities but how are these cables wired into the house? Are they wired in the form of a ring with the four cables going to each location in turn with presumably a breakout box for each cable at each location or are they wired radially from one 'central point' to each satellite point? If the latter, how does one choose the 'central point'? Thank you.
Steven Shimon Pollock yeah I think as long as you have Cat6 or conduit so you have an option if and when the HDMI goes bad or needs to be upgraded that’s fine.
Careful with long HDMI though, you can damage your equipment by trying to send a signal over a long cable, apparently. You're better off using HDMI over Ethernet.
If anyone else reading this, do not run long HDMI cables unless its somewhere close and or accessible for replacement. HDMI cords cannot be re-terminated, so if the cable is damaged, then you need a whole new cable, while ethernet can be re terminated, and are not prone to damage from plugging in and out of equipment through the years like HDMI can. Also HDMI is ever evolving, if you have a HDMI 1.0 cable but need 2.0, your screwed. Cat 6 is future proof for years to come. Not to mention another standard could evolve in the future, and ethernet is able to send any signal then convert at the end point.
Hi, can you send 5.1hd surround sound through cat 6 cable? I thought this was not possible and that this is why you try and keep 1 HDMI cable and use the ARC on TV?
Mr.TYM...I have some project coming I did my prewire myself 12-location around the house my client wanted to audio matrix so she can control what ever they want & 4 area location wanted select in PATIO , POOL AREA LIVING & DINING diferent sound this is also a big home construction..thanks I want ur comment on this too...
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters - It is about 35 ft. I have another question. I am still use a old receiver that don't have HDMI what should I should I do before I upgrade next year or so?
Might try a 'Component Video Balun.' It's not something we've used, or tested, but would imagine they would work. Looks like you can get them on Amazon for $15-20. When you upgrade your Receiver down the road, you'll need to replace the Component Baluns with 'HDMI Baluns.'
Mike Veltri you’re going to get a lot of different opinions on this. My research and people I consulted with like Metra Home Theater confirmed, Cat7 isn’t fully ratified yet as a spec. You can still buy Cat7 but it’s not fully certified and approved. But even if it was, I would suggest fiber. The cost won’t be too significant especially if you don’t terminate immediately. Do it more for future proofing.
I understand how you connect 3 of the ethernet cables for the video and network but for the control would the tv require two ethernet ports? I'm guessing not, so am a bit lost on the control using the 4th cat 6. Sorry i'm new to this and just trying to get my head around it.
Peter T you’re all good. If the TV supports IP control, you’ll send that over the network and the TV will already be on the Network. So just one Ethernet is all you need. If the TV doesn’t support IP, it may have a serial port that looks like a Ethernet. So you would hook in network in one, and serial in another. If it doesn’t support serial, then you would convert one of your cat6 into an IR cable and attach it to the ir sensor on the front of the tv
Peter T it gets a little confusing because the baluns are all different. Some baluns send IR, Ethernet, video over a single Cat6. But others just send Video over the Cat6. So then you need additional Cat6 for the other items, Ethernet, Control etc.
Peter T there’s scenarios where you could need as many as 4 cat6. It’s not common but it happens. when you know everything you’re going to be using in advance, TVs, baluns, Distribution etc you can wire with 2-3 cat6, but most clients I find aren’t sure of all that until later in the game so to be safe we recommend just running 4.
Thank you so much, yes I understand now! Love your videos. I'm just introducing myself to networking and smart homes and you've the best video on making everything clear and easy to understand. Thank you for getting back to me and your channel 👍
i am rewiring my house. i have 3 led tv and 1 projector. if i go with 2 cat6 each then i have to take 8 wires to the lan hub. now i also want to sit on the bed (or sofa) and connect my laptop watch a video on the tv/projector. this adds 3 more locations. so i need 6 more cat6 wires which will connect to the same lan hub. Total of 14(8+9) cat6 wires will get connected to a single lan hub. will this plan work perfectly?
Each LCD TV and projector needs a balun, which currently needs one CAT6 but they hypothesize could use 2 CAT6 in the future (ie, no one has that solution today). These CAT6 do not run to an IP switch, they run to another (transmitter) balun which in turn is connected to a source via HDMI.
Hey Matt...GREAT video series! Spot on call out for the ideal and best practice for home wiring. I have a question regarding Video Distri cabling...you mention in this video to support future bandwidth requirements for Ultra 4K content to run 2 Cat6 cables. If it's a matter of having the bandwidth to support down the road, would it be better to pull a single Cat6A or Cat7 wire instead of the the two? Obviously, I'm referring to shielded Cat6A (S/FTP) wiring in this scenario...you thoughts?
TheRicosauve - that’s the manufacturer recommendation from companies like Savant w/ 4K solutions. I’m not best source for the nitty gritty of wire. But people I consult with say shielded in this application is more about protecting your signal from noise particularly for runs over 100.’ Under non-shielded would suffice. But I think ultimately where we’re headed is fiber for video distribution.
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters thanks for clarifying that. I agree with the fiber piece. I'm considering running fiber to all my drops now. Just not clear on the type I should now to future proof. Any thoughts?
Steven Shimon Pollock we leave the wire in the wall behind the mud ring manage with low voltage staples or zip tie it to the mud ring. You leave about 12” of slack that you can pull through after Sheetrock. We have a Prewire course going live later this week that actually takes you through all of this step by step on a live job site if you’re interest we’ll send you a link when it goes live
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters thanks for getting back to me so fast. I really appreciate it. Your company and you have the feel of the professionalism and love of the tech that I wish to become. Yes please send me link
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters thanks for getting back to me so fast. I really appreciate it. Your company and you have the feel of the professionalism and love of the tech that I wish to become. Yes please send me link
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters thanks for getting back to me so fast. I really appreciate it. Your company and you have the feel of the professionalism and love of the tech that I wish to become. Yes please send me link
Is it possible to make a video for someone who has an normal house how can he make it smart? I mean where exactly the cable can pass where to put them etc? Basically about how to wire the house to make it smart for KNX
George Patsialas are you wanting to see how to retrofit wires in an existing home? Or just ideas for making an existing home Smart? We’ll definitely make some videos on kitting out an existing home. Not sure on retroing wire, we do that a lot, but have to see about creating some videos about it
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters Just bought a house i will renovate it and want to know what can i do now so it will be ready to do it smart later. I mean i have to make the lines etc and later only the cables . Thanks
George Patsialas in the description for the video is a link for a free quick guide. Tells you what wire to run for each application. We also have a service we offer where you send us your plans, we design a system and then send you plans on exactly what wire to pull everywhere. Then your pretty well prepped. But we’ll keep making mire videos here to answer as many of those questions as we can
Other than price or budget restraints, I honestly don't see any negatives in Video Distribution. I think it's the very best way to wire and prep a home. Even if you end up just using servers like a Roku or Apple TV, and placing them directly behind the TV, prepping for Video Distribution leaves all the options open you will need in the foreseeable future. It makes scaling and additions much easier as you go forward.
4 cat6 cables seems overkill to be honest! And if you want to plug a game console I don't think it's either practical (as the console needs to be close for using controllers) nor the best option in terms of input latency.
It's a suggestion, not mandatory. You could do 1 Cat6. But... here's a very common scenario. Sony TV, Apple TV, and Remote Power Supply. All 3 need Network. If you have a TV that doesn't support IP Control, then you need a 4th Cat for Control. Plenty of Clients don't do this, but we see it on more homes than not right now. So for sure you could use less Cat6, we're merely trying to say, it's very possibly you could use as many as 4 and routinely we see Clients using that many.
Thanks for watching my video, how to wire video distribution. Be sure to comment your best wiring tips, or ask any questions you have.
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters - Hi, the video HDMI Balun that you talking will it be a 4K HDCP 2.2?
Can you guys recommend an installer in the Houston TX area. I want savant in my home. Thank you
Hi, I live in Canada & I'm renovating my basement. It's in a 2018 build home and I ran 1 cat 6 wire and 1 Coax cable wire direct from the panel, to each of the various cable outlets in the basement (2 bedrooms and 2 living room points). We plan to have the house for the next 30 or 40 years. All of your various videos that touch on this topic suggest anywhere from 4 to 6 Cat6 wires and 2 Coax cables.
Question:
1. Is this to "future proof the home" so that in the future with better T.V.'s that become available it's highly likely they will require more than 1 Cat6?
2. Do these additional wires run back to the panel location?
3. Is the idea to hook up these additional Cat6 wires and coax cable wires or simply to leave them in the outlet housing box and down the road hook them up?
If you could help point me in the right direction I'd much appreciate it. Thanks
Thank you for uploading these videos. I'm just about to start pre wiring my house and your video has cleared up so many questions I had.
What about game console such PS4, is there a
Solution for wireless controller that needs to be close to console itself?
TY for the informative video.
It’s been 5 years - Would you still recommend running Coax?
You’re welcome! Yes. We on Coax, plus 2-3 CAT6 and fiber
Just wanted to say, thank you for making such high quality educational content! Clear, concise, and helpful. Amazing work!
Derick Downey glad you like them. Thx for the support!
I was recently hired as an automation programming instructor for Control4's Chicago classroom, and though I have years of experience teaching technology/media/programming, I'm new to home automation in particular. They have been catching me up to speed, but in my free time I've been absorbing everything I can from your videos / UA-cam in general. From one teacher to another - you are killing it!!! Superb content and delivery. Thanks again and keep up the amazing work!
Derick Downey ah genuinely means a lot. Appreciate that. And good luck with the new gig at C4 love their product and what they’re doing for Smart Tech
I’ve come from the future. A single cat 6 will be more than sufficient. IR control via IP can always run over same cable due to packets of Ethernet and an IP to IR device with a built in hub to keep the tv plugged in.
For bandwidth, except 4K raw, then you can run 4K 60hz easily run over cat 6 with gigabit and even easier to go higher fps with 10 gb once devices use that signaling
I would recommend rg6 + cat6 to every video endpoint... this solves pretty much any need you have. There’s more on the devices on either End rather than the cables
How do u wire up the frame tv when the control box uses its own dedicated cable and connection?
HI, What kind of distribution products are you consider to use 2 cat6 cables instead of 1, like EXTRON DTP HDMI 4K 230 TX/RX or DTP crosspoint 4k matrix??? ...
Is there anything wrong with running a cat6 and the using a switch if you need more?
HI..Mr.TYM......I like ur discussion regarding of ur tech. explanation..very understanding......I am a installer & doing some pre-wire too.thanks of ur upload...
Helpful
How do you change channels or configuration if there’s no TV box or satellite box below?
If I wish to switch between tv to CCTV do I run another cat 6 and install another HDMI converter or can you purchase one converter to do all?
Thanks for the video. I do have a question which I think is significant. You say very sensibly that each device needs four cat 5e or 6 cables to cover most possibilities but how are these cables wired into the house? Are they wired in the form of a ring with the four cables going to each location in turn with presumably a breakout box for each cable at each location or are they wired radially from one 'central point' to each satellite point? If the latter, how does one choose the 'central point'? Thank you.
IF i can if i run a long HDMI and 2 cat 6 is that sufficient?
Steven Shimon Pollock yeah I think as long as you have Cat6 or conduit so you have an option if and when the HDMI goes bad or needs to be upgraded that’s fine.
Careful with long HDMI though, you can damage your equipment by trying to send a signal over a long cable, apparently. You're better off using HDMI over Ethernet.
If anyone else reading this, do not run long HDMI cables unless its somewhere close and or accessible for replacement. HDMI cords cannot be re-terminated, so if the cable is damaged, then you need a whole new cable, while ethernet can be re terminated, and are not prone to damage from plugging in and out of equipment through the years like HDMI can. Also HDMI is ever evolving, if you have a HDMI 1.0 cable but need 2.0, your screwed. Cat 6 is future proof for years to come. Not to mention another standard could evolve in the future, and ethernet is able to send any signal then convert at the end point.
I would do cat7 how would terminate your cable would you use hdbaset
how many ethernet port pulling out of the the main switch are we talking about, 4*tv(maybe 4) etc over 60 maybe?
Hi, can you send 5.1hd surround sound through cat 6 cable? I thought this was not possible and that this is why you try and keep 1 HDMI cable and use the ARC on TV?
Mr.TYM...I have some project coming I did my prewire myself 12-location around the house my client wanted to audio matrix so she can control what ever they want & 4 area location wanted select in PATIO , POOL AREA LIVING & DINING diferent sound this is also a big home construction..thanks I want ur comment on this too...
Thanks for video. It help me a lot. Can I use Cat6A or Cat7 for the video?
Either will work. How far are your runs going to be for the TVs?
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters - It is about 35 ft. I have another question. I am still use a old receiver that don't have HDMI what should I should I do before I upgrade next year or so?
Might try a 'Component Video Balun.' It's not something we've used, or tested, but would imagine they would work. Looks like you can get them on Amazon for $15-20. When you upgrade your Receiver down the road, you'll need to replace the Component Baluns with 'HDMI Baluns.'
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters - Thanks again
I've never heard a media converter being called a balon before! Anyone know where that name comes from?
Is cat7 a better long term solution, although a bit more cost
Mike Veltri you’re going to get a lot of different opinions on this. My research and people I consulted with like Metra Home Theater confirmed, Cat7 isn’t fully ratified yet as a spec. You can still buy Cat7 but it’s not fully certified and approved. But even if it was, I would suggest fiber. The cost won’t be too significant especially if you don’t terminate immediately. Do it more for future proofing.
I understand how you connect 3 of the ethernet cables for the video and network but for the control would the tv require two ethernet ports? I'm guessing not, so am a bit lost on the control using the 4th cat 6. Sorry i'm new to this and just trying to get my head around it.
Peter T you’re all good. If the TV supports IP control, you’ll send that over the network and the TV will already be on the Network. So just one Ethernet is all you need. If the TV doesn’t support IP, it may have a serial port that looks like a Ethernet. So you would hook in network in one, and serial in another. If it doesn’t support serial, then you would convert one of your cat6 into an IR cable and attach it to the ir sensor on the front of the tv
Peter T it gets a little confusing because the baluns are all different. Some baluns send IR, Ethernet, video over a single Cat6. But others just send Video over the Cat6. So then you need additional Cat6 for the other items, Ethernet, Control etc.
Peter T there’s scenarios where you could need as many as 4 cat6. It’s not common but it happens. when you know everything you’re going to be using in advance, TVs, baluns, Distribution etc you can wire with 2-3 cat6, but most clients I find aren’t sure of all that until later in the game so to be safe we recommend just running 4.
Thank you so much, yes I understand now! Love your videos. I'm just introducing myself to networking and smart homes and you've the best video on making everything clear and easy to understand. Thank you for getting back to me and your channel 👍
Peter T appreciate that. We’re glad to hear they’re helping. We’ll keep them coming
i am rewiring my house. i have 3 led tv and 1 projector. if i go with 2 cat6 each then i have to take 8 wires to the lan hub. now i also want to sit on the bed (or sofa) and connect my laptop watch a video on the tv/projector. this adds 3 more locations. so i need 6 more cat6 wires which will connect to the same lan hub. Total of 14(8+9) cat6 wires will get connected to a single lan hub. will this plan work perfectly?
Each LCD TV and projector needs a balun, which currently needs one CAT6 but they hypothesize could use 2 CAT6 in the future (ie, no one has that solution today). These CAT6 do not run to an IP switch, they run to another (transmitter) balun which in turn is connected to a source via HDMI.
Hey Matt...GREAT video series! Spot on call out for the ideal and best practice for home wiring. I have a question regarding Video Distri cabling...you mention in this video to support future bandwidth requirements for Ultra 4K content to run 2 Cat6 cables. If it's a matter of having the bandwidth to support down the road, would it be better to pull a single Cat6A or Cat7 wire instead of the the two? Obviously, I'm referring to shielded Cat6A (S/FTP) wiring in this scenario...you thoughts?
TheRicosauve - that’s the manufacturer recommendation from companies like Savant w/ 4K solutions. I’m not best source for the nitty gritty of wire. But people I consult with say shielded in this application is more about protecting your signal from noise particularly for runs over 100.’ Under non-shielded would suffice. But I think ultimately where we’re headed is fiber for video distribution.
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters thanks for clarifying that. I agree with the fiber piece. I'm considering running fiber to all my drops now. Just not clear on the type I should now to future proof. Any thoughts?
and also a big question is what do you do with the wire after pre wire to protect from the drywall guys who are famous for cutting wires?
Steven Shimon Pollock we leave the wire in the wall behind the mud ring manage with low voltage staples or zip tie it to the mud ring. You leave about 12” of slack that you can pull through after Sheetrock. We have a Prewire course going live later this week that actually takes you through all of this step by step on a live job site if you’re interest we’ll send you a link when it goes live
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters thanks for getting back to me so fast. I really appreciate it. Your company and you have the feel of the professionalism and love of the tech that I wish to become. Yes please send me link
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters thanks for getting back to me so fast. I really appreciate it. Your company and you have the feel of the professionalism and love of the tech that I wish to become. Yes please send me link
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters thanks for getting back to me so fast. I really appreciate it. Your company and you have the feel of the professionalism and love of the tech that I wish to become. Yes please send me link
what kind of discription will be good video view tell me
Is it possible to make a video for someone who has an normal house how can he make it smart? I mean where exactly the cable can pass where to put them etc? Basically about how to wire the house to make it smart for KNX
George Patsialas are you wanting to see how to retrofit wires in an existing home? Or just ideas for making an existing home Smart? We’ll definitely make some videos on kitting out an existing home. Not sure on retroing wire, we do that a lot, but have to see about creating some videos about it
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters
Just bought a house i will renovate it and want to know what can i do now so it will be ready to do it smart later. I mean i have to make the lines etc and later only the cables . Thanks
George Patsialas in the description for the video is a link for a free quick guide. Tells you what wire to run for each application. We also have a service we offer where you send us your plans, we design a system and then send you plans on exactly what wire to pull everywhere. Then your pretty well prepped. But we’ll keep making mire videos here to answer as many of those questions as we can
TYM Smart Homes & Home Theaters i sent you email
George Patsialas aa
Why not just install conduit?
That way you can run cat6 now and fiber later on, as well as only running what you need now.
Update: Run 4 Cat6, and 1 RG6. However, at least 1 shielded Cat6. And if you can afford, you should run a fiber wire to all media locations.
What are the major positives and some of the negatives of centralized video distribution?
Other than price or budget restraints, I honestly don't see any negatives in Video Distribution. I think it's the very best way to wire and prep a home. Even if you end up just using servers like a Roku or Apple TV, and placing them directly behind the TV, prepping for Video Distribution leaves all the options open you will need in the foreseeable future.
It makes scaling and additions much easier as you go forward.
4 cat6 cables seems overkill to be honest! And if you want to plug a game console I don't think it's either practical (as the console needs to be close for using controllers) nor the best option in terms of input latency.
It's a suggestion, not mandatory. You could do 1 Cat6. But... here's a very common scenario. Sony TV, Apple TV, and Remote Power Supply. All 3 need Network. If you have a TV that doesn't support IP Control, then you need a 4th Cat for Control. Plenty of Clients don't do this, but we see it on more homes than not right now. So for sure you could use less Cat6, we're merely trying to say, it's very possibly you could use as many as 4 and routinely we see Clients using that many.
Why Cat6, and not Cat5??