Went to a trade show yesterday; got the impression these are the main suppliers for structured cable systems.

What do you guys prefer, and why?

What have you used that you now STAY AWAY FROM, and why?

Thanks for the input. I'm hoping to get up to spped on these in the not too distant future.

Tom, I have sold/installed all three of those, but switched to UStec about a year ago. I got tired of getting beat up on price. OnQ, leviton, open House et al, are widely available to anyone with a pulse. UStec is more expensive but, easy to build value. The other system I considered was Future Smart.

Deco

www.ustecnet.com

Would you likely just put one quick port per room, or would you have a couple? I could see in a master bedroom for instance, at the end of the bed where the TV would go, having 2 coax/2 cat 5, but maybe beside the bed having a couple cat 5 accessible for phone or computer/network.

Do most rooms get just one or many get two?

Tom,
Most rooms, such as kids rooms usually get one. Master bedrooms get one or two, plus a couple CAT5 next to the bed. Typically I will put at least 2 hybrid cables in the home office and one or two in the kitchen. I dont work for production builders anymore because they would limit the amount of runs, ie: Four multi-ports in a 3500 sq ft home and advertise "wired for the future" Custom builders are more open to covering all the bases and doing it right. In new constuction I also run at least one 2" conduit from the basement to the attic for future pulls. I see that alot of BIG companies ( like SEARS ) are getting into the game which will put pricing pressure on guys like us, we will have to build value with knowledge, expertese, and quality of the install ( like everything else we do ) Structured wiring has become a huge part of my biz and got me alot of A/V work too. Do your homework before you jump in and you will do fine. Good Luck!!
Deco

We use the GreyFox system. Check out GreyFox.com

Good Topic, I'm having a similar dilema right now. I've got a showhome that the client wants lighting control, dist. audio/video, and they want touch panels. I'm considering the On-Q or Leviton, but I'm not sure what is best. The On-Q website isn't very complete, so difficult to research. The Leviton site is VERY complete, but based on the info, it appears that the Leviton is a basic system for providing distributed services, with little control (ie a/v source selection at point of contact). I'm also wondering about integrating a touchpanel (such as Secant) into either of these systems. Any thoughts?
Would love to get some input on this. Thanks very much.

You better check out the Crestron Stuff if you wanna get mac daddy. It is most likely what this guy wants. If you don't want extreme, going with OnQ and x-10 is cool if you add remotes like the Pronto-pro.

B