Gentlemen,

My name is Wesley Mullings with Digital Lifestyles, LLC in New Jersey. I am finalizing on the development on a wiring standard that will make your installations easier and more efficient. The purpose of this wiring package is to set a standard that will allow architects, builders, and electricians to offer home automation and custom electronics without requiring them to make a huge investment in training, product selection, or a particular integrator. Integrators will have another set of benefits.

This will allow an integrator to focus better on more important issues for their client, such as calibration, advanced feature development, documentation, and interface design; meaning you can better exploit what your systems can do.

I have an initial write-up of this standard on my company website, www.digilifellc.com for review. At the top of the page, a link labeled “What is HA-Ready?” will bring you to a description and link to a PDF file for downloading. It should be finished by Dec 1, 2003.

I am preparing to present this standard to the entire residential builder and architect industries at the same time. In order to ensure their buy-in, it will be necessary for systems integrators to be familiar with this standard and how to use its plug-and-play environment to install their home automation and custom electronics. In short, I NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS WORK!

I have contacted and received positive responses from the TIA, CEDIA, the CEA’s TecHome Division, AMX, Crestron, LiteTouch, Lutron, Vantage, HAI, Applied Digital, JDS Technologies, and Electronic Solutions Co.

I have yet to contact, but will be soon speaking with d-Tools, Simply Reliable Software, Intuit, CentraLite, Lightolier, Elan, Matrix Audio, B&K, Xabler, Oxmoor Corporation, Xperinet, M&S System, ADA, Destiny Networks, Opus Technologies, Audio Access, Audio Control, Russound, Xantech, Niles, Sonance, Xplore Solutions, SpeakerCraft, ChannelPlus, ChannelVision, NuVo, Panasonic, Avaya, TouchNTalk, Makita, Sivoia, Somfy, BTX, Ademco, Napco, Caddx, Elk, MilesTek, Carlon, and Leviton for their buy-in on this effort. I expect positive results.

Application notes are being developed for each manufacturer’s product line to show how to install their systems using this package. All of the listed manufacturers are expected to participate and cooperate by giving their system requirements freely for consideration, please do the same by reviewing the website…

Wesley Mullings
Designer
Digital Lifestyles, LLC
111 Coolidge St
Irvington, NJ 07111
973-985-4032

Good luck
oh and one question. Why are you doing this and how does it benifit you.

This should be interesting......

I'm always excited when someone tries to obsolete my career..........

ummm....ok

There are so many ways to respond to this thread I don't know where to start. So rather than respond, I'll simply ask two questions.

1. Wesley, what's your experience in this industry. Please tell us about your background.

2. How exactly are you going to create your application notes:
"Application notes are being developed for each manufacturer’s product line to show how to install their systems using this package".
Anyone with experience in the industry knows that there is no one way to install/connect things - it varies with every system and component.

While your at it, you may want to consider writing a spec on how to build a home so that builders no longer have to concern themselves with the pesky details.

Wesley:

I just read your spec. These type of specs have existed for years. How are they going to:

"set a standard that will allow architects, builders, and electricians to offer home automation and custom electronics without requiring them to make a huge investment in training, product selection, or a particular integrator".

And what makes you think architects or builders want to be dealing with this any more than I want to be dealing with tiling the bathroom when we install speakers. It's not their field.

I bet hes been Contracted by AVAD.....

Oooooohhhhhhh, generic 'sparky' custom. Cant wait for this. Does anyone remember why we still get out of bed for this kind of abuse?

I think I'll come up with a wiring standard....

From this point on, Every low voltage location in a home should be wired with the following.

4 Cat-6 Runs
4 RG-6 Cox runs
1 Cresnet/Axlink run
1 14/4 SPeaker wire
2 14/2 speaker wired going to mystery speaker locations
1 Belden 1418 mini RGBHV
2 18/4 Sheilded
1 Fiber Optic
1 Sony Proprietary Plasma Control Cable
1 Sharp Proprietary Control Cable
1 DVI Cable

This configuration should accomodate almost any potential TV, Keypad, Touchscreen, Volume Control,or Network device that may come out over then next few years at least.

Oh, and of course, all these leads should not only be run to a home run location, but should proboly also be run to a several local source areas.

I'm sure I left out something... Feel free to add your additional specifications....


Wes;

I commend your efforts on this project. maybe I'm missing something, but the only people I can see getting excited about something like this are the wire manufacturers.... As you can see from the responses so far, the Professional integrators, Designers and instalers dont have your same vision.

The way I see it, a "Standard" cannot be developed untill al the manufacturers start building equipment with the same sytle connection and cableing requiremnets. I dont see Crestron, AMX, Xplore, and other Control system manufactureres sitting down a room anytime soon to come up with a universal connetion interface for all of their panels... Same with Litetouch, Lutron, Vantage, etc etc etc....



Impaqt

That's an ambitious program you are developing. I just don't see it being successfull but I wish you luck. The last I heard firewire was supposed to solve all our problems, or was it the 2 cat5e, 2 rg6, 2 fiber optic structured cable. My concern is that some architect/contractor/whatever will install this wonder cable and expect it to work with everthing. Depending on which side of the pond you live, measurement, electricity, video standards and which side of the road you drive on change arbitrarilly. I don't think humanity is ready for this technology. Maybe in a millenium. Klaatu, byrada nicto or something like that.

......

This message was edited by Shoe on 11/07/03 07:16.

I think your standard sucks. Where the hell is a cable for the Mashbedaya WMX1. Unless I can install that, I'm not interested in your so called standard :-).

This message was edited by QQQ on 11/04/03 17:52.

"umm...hello, Mr. Custom Integrator? This is Mr. Money calling. I just bought a house from Bob the Builder for 2.2 million dollars. He's assured me that is has been wired to handle everything I want, with the highest quality wire to some new fangled industry standard....anyway, I see from my research on the web that you are the only locally authorized dealer for some gear I want, so thus the phone call. I would like to purchase a pair of Wilson Grand Slamms, and two Boulder Amplifiers mono block's....No, I don't need wire or cables, as Bob assures me that the Carol 16/2 the electrician used should be more than sufficient. I'd just like the 2 $85,000 speakers and the two $120,000 amplifiers, and you to install them using the existing wire..."

Now wouldn't THAT be a shame?

It'd be kinda funny actually, as the amps have so much ooomph they'd probably just MELT the standardized wire....

The above scenario is exactly the reason why A/V pros, with lots of A/V experience should ALWAYS be involved in ALL facets of writing ANY sort of industry standard. It's also testasment as to why there won't ever be a true "standard".

The mere suggestion that an electrician can pull the wires in ANY A/V or home integration standard is ridiculous! Now don't get me wrong, I have the utmost RESPECT for electricians, and their inherent ability to pull wire like mad! I would never try to perform their job, and have no interest in the education and skillset it takes to be an electrician like those I work with everyday. Most electrician's however, do not take the time to educate themselves and become true A/V guru's like Brijaws and LarryFine (among others) have. Most look at it as, "wire is wire." NOT TRUE....most simply get the cheapest crap they can from the electrical house, and then charge their standard labor rate, which is typically 20-30 less PER HOUR than what most professional integrators charge. Most do not understand, or care, about signal loss, slope and fade, or anything else that is VITAL to making the rest of this proposed "standard" work. Anytime you're trying to establish a standard in a field, you need to talk to established experts IN THAT FIELD... builders talk with senior builders, electricians talk with electricians, and brain surgeons talk with brain surgeons. I consider myself pretty damn smart, but I sure as hell would't attempt brain surgery and would NEVER try to write a "standard" wherein I suggested that a proctologist could could adequately perform brain surgery....(and no I am not inferring that electricians are ass-doctors while true integration and A/V guys are brain surgeons, it's just an analogy. Change the occupations to plumber and auto mechanic if you like, the theory is the same)...

pretty sure I got a little off topic there,, but yo uguys know what I'm talking about!

avdude
site admin
www.integrationpros.com

U mn ow ed on 't

H eh e

john...

that' sno tnice

(I'm working on it....)

avdude