… or more accurately, installing cable…
USB3, HDMI, single-mode fiber, cat7, 3 x speaker and toslink
All hidden away inside the smurftube inside the wall.
(And room for four more keystone jacks.)
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Phrasing!
(We’re still doing ‘phrasing’, right?)
@profezzorn Poignant timing. How do ya like it? I just wrapped up the buildout of the extra room and was looking at doing this sort of thing if for nothing more than getting rid of the now empty old cable and phone outlets throughout the house. If I’m going to all the trouble to upgrade all the 120v outlets to GFCI I may as well do the digital/audio at the same time since the contractor will be here anyhow.
The best trick is to install smurftube, or some other kind of conduit in the walls. That way you can always go install whatever you want yourself later.
Advice #2: If you install ethernet, most contractors will install cat5e cables, which is ok, but will not work with future (10Gbit) standards. Ask for cat6a or better.
Advice #3: keystone jacks are nice and upgradable, but doesn’t really help you unless you have some sort of conduit for the cables.
USB keystone jacks are dumb, most of them require that you use USB A-A cables, which are not supposed to exist. Luckily you can find extension-style or B-to-A usb keystone jacks.
If you’re installing your own ethernet in keystone jacks, don’t use the cheap punch-down style connectors. Instead, use a keystone module that has ethernet jacks on both sides, much cleaner and fewer opportunities for mistakes.
HDMI, USB and toslink can’t really go that far. Luckily I only have 10 feet of conduit to my media closet.
I did this about 12 years ago behind my entertainment center. I don’t think LC fiber connectors or speaker terminals were keystone options at the time. Not at the local Home Depot anyway.
Very cool.
The two-pin speaker wire connectors are fairly new I think, but banana jacks have been available in keystone format for quite some time.