Home wiring is the application of electrical wiring for houses. It includes wiring for lighting and power distribution, permanently installed and portable appliances, telephone systems, heating or ventilation system control, and increasingly, for home theatre and computer networks. Safety regulations for wiring installation vary widely around the world, with national, regional, and municipal rules sometimes in effect. Some places allow homeowners to install some or all of the wiring in a home; other jurisdictions require electrical wiring to be installed by licensed electricians only.
Typical features
In new home construction, wiring for all electrical services can be installed before the walls are finished. In existing buildings, installing a new system, such as a security system or home theater, may require additional effort to install concealed wiring. Multiple-unit dwellings, such as condominiums and apartment houses, may have added complexity in distributing services within the building. Common services include:
Power points (wall outlets) Light fixtures and switches Telephone Internet Television, either broadcast, cable, or satellite High-end features might include: Home theater Distributed audio Security monitoring Security CCTV Automation Energy management Power and telecommunication services Generally requires entry points into the home and a location for connection equipment. For electric power supply, a cable is run either overhead or underground into a distribution board in the home. A distribution board, or circuit breaker panel, is typically a metal box mounted on a wall of the home. In many new homes, the electrical switchboard is located on the outside of the external wall of the garage. How services are connected will vary depending on the service provider and location of the home. The following home services are supported by discrete wiring systems: Information and communications Entertainment Energy management Security and safety Digital home health Aged and assisted living Intelligent lighting and power In new home construction, wiring for all electrical services can be installed before the walls are finished. In existing buildings, installation of a new system, such as a security system or home theater, may require additional effort to install concealed wiring. Multiple-unit dwellings such as condominiums and apartment houses may have additional installation complexity in distributing services within a house. Services commonly found include:
Power points (wall outlets) Light fixtures and switches Telephone Internet Television, either broadcast, cable, or satellite High-end features might include:
Home theater Distributed audio Security monitoring Security CCTV Automation Energy management Power and telecommunication services generally require entry points into the home and a location for connection equipment. For electric power supply, a cable is run either overhead or underground into a distribution board in the home. A distribution board, or circuit breaker panel, is typically a metal box mounted on a wall of the home. In many new homes, the location of the electrical switchboard is on the outside of the external wall of the garage. How services are connected will vary depending on the service provider and location of the home. The following home services are supported by discrete wiring systems:
Information and communications Entertainment Energy management Security and safety Digital home health Aged and assisted living Intelligent lighting and power
Elements
Power point Power points (receptacles, plugs, wall sockets) need to be installed throughout the house in locations where power will be required. In many areas the installation must be done in compliance with standards and by a licensed or qualified electrician. Power points are typically located where there will be an appliance installed such as telephone, computers, television, home theater, security system, or CCTV system.
Light fittings and switches The number of light fitting does depend on the type of light fitting and the lighting requirements in each room. The incandescent light bulb made household lighting practical, but modern homes use a wide variety of light sources to provide desired light levels with higher energy efficiency than incandescent lamps. A lighting designer can provide specific recommendations for lighting in a home. The layout of lighting in the home must consider control of lighting since this affects the wiring. For example, multiway switching is useful for corridors and stairwells so that a light can be turned on and off from two locations. Outdoor yard lighting, and lighting for outbuildings such as garages may use switches inside the home.
Telephone Telephone wiring is required between the telephone company's service entrance and locations throughout the home. Often a home will have telephone outlets in the kitchen, study, living room or bedrooms for convenience. Telephone company regulations may limit the total number of telephones that can be in use at one time. The telephone cabling typically uses two pair twisted cable terminated onto a telephone plug. The cabling is typically installed as a daisy chain starting from the point where the telephone company connects to the home or outlets may each be wired back to the entrance.
Data Data wiring has two components:
Data service delivery Data network cable The three most common ways data services are delivered to the home are:
ADSL service on the back of the telephone cabling Cable Modem Fiber Optic
ADSL service ADSL services are typically delivered using telephone cabling. An ADSL modem needs a filter to segregate voice handsets from the ADSL modem.
Cable modem Cable modems are typically installed in location where there is an existing Pay TV service outlet. The installation requires the installation of a Pay TV outlet (F connector).
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