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Everything you need to know about connecting all the digital data in your home.


Remember the time when a home network consisted of two computers sharing the same Internet access? That’s old news now. Yet this was the cutting edge a few short years ago! Granted, many people still have a home network consisting solely of two computers sharing an Internet connection. But home networking today is so much more.

Share a printer, you say? That’s possible, but it’s also old news. How about sharing a media server that stores all your music, digital pics and more on hard drives for instant access. Maybe you’d like to download a movie from the Internet and watch it on your TV. Or perhaps you’d like to hook a system up to your electrical service to monitor the amount of energy you’re using. That’s all possible with today’s networking. Next up? The wireless transmission of HD signals around the house.

No matter what you use a home network for, you’ll likely either choose between a hardwired network that sends signals over high-speed data cable like Category 5, 5e and 6 or a wireless network that transfers data, music and whatever over radio frequencies.


Wired Networks
There are several ways of getting information from one place to another. If you’re building a new home, high-speed cabling, including plenty of Category 5 (or higher) Ethernet wiring, is a fantastic medium for doing everything from distributing data between computers to pumping audio and video from a central rack of equipment to multiple speakers and TVs.

Many builders offer structured wiring systems as standard amenities in their new home packages. Included are cabling, wall outlets and a hub. The cabling is usually made up of Category 5 (or 5e) or Category 6 Ethernet wiring and RG-6 cables for distributing video from security cameras and other devices throughout the home. More recently, Cat 5 cabling is being used to distribute video sources.

To set up a wired network, you may need a network switch or hub. The computers are connected the switch, which is connected to a computer server that is connected to the Internet. It’s important to get switches and network adapters that not only work together, but have enough ports to accommodate your networking needs for today and in the future.

Wireless Networks
Wireless networks using Wi-Fi techbology have become much more popular and reliable. The standards now are moving from Wireless-G (also known as 802.11g) to Wireless-N (802.11n), that offers 300 megabits per second speeds, compared with 54 Mbps for Wireless-G. In between, there’s Wireless-G Enhanced with 108 Mbps, and MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) at 240 Mbps and a wider coverage area than Wireless-G.

You’ll also get better coverage with Wireless-N products, so that you’ll be able to roam around with your laptop and still get a solid connection. To enjoy the speed and coverage of Wireless-N, you’ll need to upgrade to a router and computer with Wireless-N built in or buy a network card or USB adapter for each of your computers.

Wireless-N is also turning up on audio and video products that allow you to stream content stored on your PC or a stand-alone server to TVs and speakers throughout the house. Without running a single bit of wire, you can zip digital photos to the big-screen TV in the family room or downloaded music to a pair of speakers in the master bedroom.

Mesh Networks
Radio frequency (RF)–based communication has dramatically improved how we interact with certain household devices. But as with any technology, there is always room for improvement. Traditional RF communication is one-way, so if you use an RF remote or keypad to turn on a light in a different room, the system is unable to tell you if the light has actually turned on.

Another issue with traditional forms of RF signal transmission is signal interference. These limitations are becoming problems of the past, thanks to new forms of communication technology that are being adopted by a number of home electronics manufacturers.

Z-Wave, ZigBee and Insteon are three of the most promising wireless control technologies to date. Although each differs in its makeup, all employ a new type of networking infrastructure, called mesh networking, that strengthens the transmission and reception of wireless signals throughout a home. Products designed to work on a mesh network send their signals over multiple communications paths, unlike traditional RF products that use a single communications path. The more products on a mesh network, the more communications paths are formed, which gives signals several travel options and ultimately enables commands to reach their destinations quickly and reliably.

Once the operation is complete, a confirmation is sent back to the remote. With traditional, one-way RF, the remote would receive no notification of whether a signal was received. Mesh networking is getting the biggest support from manufacturers of lighting control systems. A number of handheld remotes are employing ZigBee, Z-Wave and Insteon, too.

Finally, mesh networking offers the opportunity to build a home control system with products from a variety of manufacturers instead of products from a single maker. In addition to lighting controls and remotes, some of the product categories on the horizon include sprinkler controls, motorized blinds, home control software and thermostats.

Green Networking?
Yes, even home networking can be energy efficient. D-Link, for one, has introduced “green” network switches that automatically turn off ports when it detects that a computer connected to the port has shut down. Normally, the switch “pings” the computer to try to re-establish communications. And Linksys is using more efficient Energy Star-rated power adapters with many of its Wireless-N and Wireless-G routers, including greener, less bulky packaging.

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We've all had those moments - you know, where you try to plug in two electronic appliances next to each other, but they all use weird shaped plugs designed by idiot designers to make your life all the more difficult than it already is? Don't tell me you don't damn the manufacturers to hell for eternity when you get home after picking up a new electronic toy and you go to plug it in only to find out that the giant power adapter/plug that comes with it takes up more than its share of outlet space? Most electrical and electronic products come with giant plugs these days.

There is a perfectly fine extra outlet for your other equipments, but you can't use it since the damn giant plug is smack in the way. To top it off, there is a good chance that the wall outlet is the only one in the room that you can use.

A 360 Solution
It seems that 360electrical has been in this very situation and designed an outlet to take care of it. With 18 distinct positions, all you have to do is plug in your bulky plug and turn until it clicks into a position that provides enough space for the other socket.


360 outlets are actually very easy to install even if you’re a novice do-it-yourself-er. But double check you know what you're doing, you don't want to electrocute yourself, do you? Make sure you turn the power off at your breaker box or fuse box before attempting any installation. Check out 360electrical's installation instructions for a detailed step-by-step tutorial. We like the idea, it sure does promise to take care of the oversized plug situation.

Be sure to read the FAQ on the 360electrical website though.

The extremely functional, and wonderfully clever, outlet is available for a mere $10. It even comes in 3 colors; beige, white, and black!

360electrical currently has only the duplex outlet in production, but they are soon coming out with plug-in adapters and power strips.

You can buy 360 Electrical outlets online, at hardware stores that sell electrical products, and if you're a contractor or a builder, you can find 360 Electrical outlets through one of these great electrical distributors online or at a distributor near you.

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Stephen Hopkins shows you don’t need a big budget to get a drool-worthy dream home theater.

It’s one thing to hire an installer to create the ultimate home theater dream room. It’s an entirely different story (and a fun one) to create that room all by yourself—for less than five grand. While many home theater creations flaunt wealth in our faces, Stephen Hopkins was all about making us jealous for what he didn’t spend.

Stephen designated a third-floor bonus room for the spot that would
soon house a screen, projector, and other A/V equipment.


“Budget was a definite concern,” Stephen says. “Since we were building the house (our first) there was very little budget available for the theater itself.”

However, this doesn’t mean that Stephen did not have his eye on his home theater prize. He designated a third-floor bonus room for the spot that would soon house a screen, projector, and other A/V equipment. To prep for that magical day, Stephen pre-wired the entire room, which included in-wall wiring for speakers and a subwoofer, as well as HDMI and power for the projector.

You don't always need the latest and the costliest
Sure, there was plenty of equipment—items that he had built up over time, mostly while Stephen was in college. So he added theater seats, as well as a screen, which he purchased from a custom installer on craigslist. This wasn’t a “pssst…. buddy” type of business; the installer was trying to unload a crop of “scratch-and-dent screens from Tiger Direct.” His trash was Stephen’s treasure.

From there, Stephen filled in the blanks using his hands, as well as refurbished, “B-stock,” and/or open box equipment deals, which helped him keep costs down. For instance, Stephen says he scored a Samsung BD-UP5000 Blu-Ray/HD-DVD combo player for half of the $450 purchase price at Circuit City. He also got his Onkyo SR805 for $500. “That, more than anything else, has kept my costs down significantly.” he says. “There are risks [with refurbished], but usually not that much more than a new piece of equipment—as long as it’s purchased from an authorized dealer.”

The only downside was that each product was missing its respective remote. It didn’t matter; he uses a Harmony 520 to control everything, as well as wow friends and family. The unit is programmed full of activities, which means that the touch of one button can fire up equipment, drop the screen and dim the lights.

Always a bargain hunter, Stephen also saved by purchasing all of his cables at Monoprice.com . He took advantage of many of the discounts this e-tailer offers—and saved a bundle, especially on HDMI cables.

Another cost-cutting measure was Stephen’s homemade subwoofer. Consisting of a 12-inch Ascendant Avalanche XBL2 driver, a 350-watt BASH Digital Switching amplifier and a custom 6.5-foot enclosure, the total cost was about $300. “It performs at levels similar to an SVS Ultra, flat below 20Hz in-room at over 110db,” Stephen says proudly.

Despite what some may think is a hodge-podge of equipment, Stephen’s room has a clean, simple look. “I’ve always been somewhat OCD about clutter and especially about wiring,” he says. “In apartments you can’t do much to the walls and you can’t really hide wiring all that well. Now that I had a blank canvas that belonged to me, I wanted every wire hidden.

Stephen's Under $5000 DIY Home Theater


Part of the room’s clean appearance also lies in Stephen’s projector installation. The mount was another Stephen special, made from a single 20-pound ball-joint speaker wall mount and a 1/4-inch piece of birch plywood. The mount meets the wall directly on a joist in the ceiling, which is perfectly lined up with the center of the screen. “The mounting plate was cut/drilled to match the bolt pattern on the projector, the edges were rounded with a router, and it was painted to match the ceiling,” Stephen says. “The mounting plate was mounted to the speaker side of the speaker mount using the supplied hardware and then mounted to the projector using bolts and acrylic spacers purchased from Lowe’s. The projector assembly was then mounted to the wall side of the mount. Aiming was also very easy. I simply aimed the picture until there was no keystoning at the top/bottom, adjusted the side keystoning on the projector, aligned the top of the image with the top of the screen using the optical lens shift, and zoomed to fill the screen.”

Since the theater was first installed, the projector and receiver have each gotten an upgrade—thanks to a power surge and Stephen’s homeowners’ insurance. However, Stephen didn’t go for the gusto; he says his original units, a Pioneer Elite 82TXS receiver and Panasonic’s AE700U projector, “were of similar quality and price.”

Stephen may add a new A/V stand and possibly update the end tables in the future, but otherwise he’s happy with the current setup. “There’s no part of my system that would see any noticeable increase in performance without spending two to five times as much money,” he says. “For me, I’ve really hit the point of diminishing returns.”

Quick Hits:
Location: Douglasville, GA
Year Completed: 2007
Room Size: 15 x 25 feet
Length of Project: About 18 months
Total Cost: $4,800 (equipment)

Equipment List
Ascendant Avalanche Subwoofer Driver
BASH 350-watt Digital Switching Subwoofer Amplifier
Bush 30-inch Steel Speaker Stands
Coaster Matinee Chairs
Logitech Harmony 520 Remote
Onkyo TX-SR805 Receiver
Panasonic PT-AX100U Projector
Samsung BD-UP5000 Blu-ray Player
Swans 2.1 Surround Speakers
Swans 6.1 Front Speakers
Swans C3 Center-Channel Speaker
TiVo HD DVR
Ultra 100-inch Electric Screen

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