Some Manufactures offer Extended Warranties when equipment is purchased & professionally installed by AV-1 Home Theater and Integration technicians
Peace of Mind that system will work as intended
System Design the correct equipment for the installation and assurance that all equipment will work together as intended
Upto 12 month Labor warranty for equipment purchased and installed by AV-1 Home Theater & Integration
Equipment programmed and set up by certified technician
Remote controls programmed by certified technician
Equipment set up to maximize sound and video quality for room
Pre-Construction Walk Through to determine proper wiring and optimal phone/network/TV, speaker, keypad and lighting locations.
No Messy Nest of Wires
Low Voltage - Do It Yourself (DIY)
Purchase your Equipment from AV-1 Home Theater & Systems Integration.
Most of the time, we can match pricing from the big box stores and will deliver or have your new equipment shipped directly to you for no additional costs for anyone living along the front range from Denver Metro to Colorado Springs.
Below is a check list of items to consider if you are planning on Pre-Wiring a new home for installing televisions, surround sound, security, and/or whole house audio.
New Construction Pre-Wire:
When building a new home, the low voltage cabling is wired after the electrician has finished running the electrical wire and before the dry wall is delivered.
You will want to walk the home and mark where you want phones, TVs, Speakers, security locations, control keypads for whole house audio or lighting control. If you will be installing central vacuum in the home this is the time to run the vacuum pipe as well. You will want to mark the walls prior to the electrician completing his work so that you make sure that you have electrical outlets everywhere that you will need them for TV's, phones, networking equipment, sound equipment etc. Speaker location is important to get great sound. Determine the best location by size and shape of the room. Determine the type of wires you will need for audio, video, security, networking, phone, and Satellite/cable TV. Each location can have different types of wire. Running extra cabling is better than having to remove dry wall to run a missed wire after the dry wall is up and is far less expensive.
You will need to determine where the low voltage main panel will be located as well as where the main equipment will be located. Often we will locate the equipment and main panel in the same location to avoid having to run additional wiring to tie the systems together. At the main panel you will want to have the electrician wire at least one electrical outlet and at the main equipment location, I recommend that a dedicated 20 amp fourplex outlet be run.
I recommend drilling all the holes prior to pulling the wire. Most homes have a central location that the wires can be pulled down in a main trunk for 2-story homes. The main floor wires can often be dropped down into a basement then pulled to the main panel location if it is located in the basement. When drilling the holes make sure that you do not drill into electrical wires, vents, radiant flooring, plumbing, or any other obstacles that may be present. Make sure that your holes are at least 1 foot from electrical wiring to prevent electro-magnetic interference. If necessary, you can run along with electrical wiring for short runs, this should be the exception though, not the rule. Also avoid using the electricians holes when dropping wires to a lower floors or through walls. Again there are exceptions such as going through support beams that by code can only have holes in certain locations.
Once the holes are drilled, the next step is to put the low voltage rings/boxes up. For aesthetics, line up with the nearest electrical outlet. Measure to the center of the electrical box and the center of the low voltage ring/box. Avoid measuring with the screw holes, they do not line up most of the time with the electrical boxes. Make sure to use a level, the studs are not always level and you will be happy with the final result when the sheet rock is installed. Electrical code dictates that electrical boxes be utilized on garage outside walls.
For the speaker locations, a speaker ring can be used, except where the speaker will be installed into an attic or outside wall locations. These locations also require a back box to avoid heat loss and must be fire rated. Working with your local building inspector and having your speakers purchased with back boxes will prevent a head ache and rushing to get fire rating specifications, as well as failing an inspection just before the certificate of occupancy.
Next step is to run the correct cabling from the locations to the main panel and equipment locations. *** Label all wires*** If your equipment location and main panel location are in different areas of the home, make sure to have conduit from one location to the other or run additional cabling between the locations. Make sure to include extra Cat 5 phone & network, Coax, and even speaker cable. Once the dry wall is up, it can be very expensive to run cable that may have been forgotten.
Once all the cable is run, the insulation will be installed, the dry wall will be installed, finished, and painted.
The main low voltage panel can be installed any time during or after the wire is run, and is trimmed out at the same time the wall plates and trim is completed. Make sure the low voltage wall plates and trim match the electrical wall pate colors. Items that will be needed for the trim phase: Wall plates, phone inserts, RJ-45 Network inserts, Coax Inserts, Coax termination ends, RJ-11/RJ-45 Punch down tool, Coax crimper tool(This Tool is proprietary to the brand and type of coax termination ends used), wire cutters, and screw drivers (philips and straight). For the main panel: 110 phone block (easiest to install), network patch panel, Coax Splitter, Coax barrel connectors, and RJ-45 ends. A wire tone tester is vital. Even though the wires are labeled, paint and dry wall will get on the label and some wires will need to be "toned out" to locate the wires. Often the dry wall installers fail to cut a ring in and the wire is hidden behind the sheet rock.
Hire AV-1 Home Theater & Systems Integration as a consultant to help at any step. Call us at 720-333-3663 or at 719-749-6488 to schedule an appointment.