Copyright © 2000 - 2008 WIDECOM
With the advent of the internet and
the myriad of communication options we are now truly in the Information
Age. Smart Wiring™ is the trade mark for structured wiring, an
initiative of Copper Development Centre (CDC) of Australia. Smart
Wiring™ is an Australian Concept aimed at providing a standard platform
for the backbone of communication in the home and industry. Structured
wiring has been around for many years but in the last few years, with
the advent of the Internet, has taken on a whole new concept and place
in this Information Age. Cables are the backbone of your electrical
wiring and without these copper wires you can’t switch lights on nor
plug in your TV. The same for wires that carry voice like the
telephone, data (fax), the Internet (voice, video and data) and video
like Cable TV and your humble VCR connection to the back of your TV
using Radio Guide, RG59 coax cable.
Question: WHAT
IS SMART WIRING™?
Answer : Smart Wiring™ or
structured wiring, if you like this term better, is an organised and
well engineered way of providing the communications backbone in your
home whether voice, data or video in a well structured and easy to
understand and to allow for the current and future technologies without
the expenses to rewire every few years like changing your mobile
phone!. This structured approach will ensure communication access to
every room in your house for many years to come.
WIDECOM recommends
multimedia points per outlet (wall plate) to suit your need and be
compliant with future digital TV requirements.
Question : What
is the difference between Home Automation and SMART WIRING™?
Answer : Home Automation is a
general term used to describe any function of hardware that can be
automated to perform a function or a task. Automated lighting is one
example of Home Automation, where a processor can control the
operations of relays that feed lighting circuits to create lighting
scenarios or to enable remote control of lights. Another example is
integration of light with security alarm, smoke detectors, video
surveillance cameras, garden irrigation (moisture sensing) and audio
hardware. Your imagination is the limit to what can be automated to
perform a desired function.
SMART WIRING™ on the other hand is really just the cabling
infrastructure for data, audio and video. This is why you need to
install cables before you put up wall plaster.
Question: Why
SMART WIRING™?
Answer: Most cables are now
cheaply manufactured in Australia. Cables are cheap in comparison to
demolishing walls and tearing up plaster and rewiring your house. As
many of us have found out, the hard way, that opening up walls is a
very expensive business let alone the mess and the headache. Therefore,
either when you are planning to renovate or build a new home, it’s the
best time to design your cabling needs and allow for future expansion
and better to put three times the amount of wire that you will use at
any one time. This will provide you with the expandability and the
flexibility for the future needs of your home as your lifestyle changes
and technology change. If you buy into that concept, then Smart Wiring™
is definitely one of the best investments in your home.
Question: SO
WHY SMART WIRING™ WHEN I CAN BUY A WIRELESS NETWORK SYSTEM?
Answer: Smart Wired house has
numerous applications and capabilities, whereas wireless network is a
dedicated server to client system. Bluetooth has a limited range of
about 15m direct line of sight. There is also a problem with security
issues at this stage. The most important point is that it is now a lot
more expensive than structured cabling and is limited in bandwidth.
Question : WHAT’S
IN IT FOR ME 5 YEARS FROM NOW?
Answer: Look at this as an
investment in your home. Smart Wiring and the technology associated
with it will become standard in all homes in the very near future.
Within 5 years from now all new homes and apartments will require Smart
Wiring as standard due to consumer demands as people become more
technology focused.
PLANNING IS THE KEY TO
SUCCESS
As you’ve heard it many times before, if you don’t plan then you are
planning to fail!. If you are going to make the decision to be part of
this information age then it is important to do your research well to
get value for money and what you want in your home.
WIDECOM, the leader in
SMART WIRING™ and has Smart Wired Accreditation will help you define
your current and future requirements and find the most cost effective
solution for your multimedia needs. The market is now exploding with
new offerings of Smart Wiring or smart homes with many ideas imported
from America or Europe and these companies are focusing on low cost
packaged deals. Basically this is what they are offering and if you
want it tailored, it will cost you and arm and a leg. All of the
offerings that we have seen get the basic job done to provide the basic
functionality.
