Why Choose Structured Cabling Over Point-to-Point Wiring?

How Organized Wiring Sets Up a Successful Smart Home

Point-to-point wiring is all too common, even in some smart home and office installations today. This setup risks being unable to carry the heavy data load in high-bandwidth applications, but transmitting bandwidth is paramount to a successful integrated home. 

In case you haven’t already guessed, we recommend structured cabling to not only solve this issue but also clean up unsightly wires and support future updates to your smart home. In this blog, we’ll compare point-to-point wiring with structured cabling and share some insights regarding why we highly suggest structured cabling and how AV Design Consultants can help you implement it in your Fort Smith, AR, home. 

SEE ALSO: 4 Best Practices for a Strong Structured Cabling System

Point-to-Point vs. Structured Cabling - Key Differences

We’ll talk about what the structure of these two cabling systems entails before elaborating on this topic. In short, point-to-point cabling runs fiber-optic cables (also often called “jumpers”) directly to and from the hardware itself. This system served its purpose when homes had less complex data needs and weren’t transmitting as much bandwidth. Now, however, most smart homes require structured cabling to sustain multiple high-bandwidth applications. 

Structured cabling creates a streamlined infrastructure for transmitting data, video, audio or internet signals through the network. Even at the surface level, it makes sense that structured cabling would produce a more organized, streamlined smart home, but how? Let’s explore these perks in greater detail. 

Structured Cabling - Major Benefits

Eliminate Messy Wiring

Have you ever sat down to enjoy a movie in a friend’s home theater or media room, but you couldn’t help but fixate on the long wires running everywhere, reaching to the nearest connection behind the couch or TV? Structured wiring can eliminate that mess and create a cleaner look that allows for more discreet AV technology. Concealed wiring allows homeowners to get by with the most minimalist looks, like hidden speakers and pop-up displays.

More Scalable System

Messy wiring affects more than aesthetics. Once you’ve decided that you want a brand-new AV tool, you probably don’t want to spend much time waiting to experience it in your home. Because structured cabling makes the installation process easier for integrators, all they have to do is connect the wire to the nearest cabling panel, and you’re ready to enjoy your device in no time. We often conceal wiring racks in a closet or basement area so that we have all the cabling we need in one place that no one sees. When it’s time to add or change your installation, we go to that rack and make the necessary changes, whether we’re adding, changing or removing devices: No more fumbling through hundreds of cables that look nearly identical and struggling to find a suitable cabling panel. 

Cut Down on Downtime

It stands to reason that if structured wiring facilitates installation, repairs speed up, too. In the rare event that something goes wrong and we need to fix your connection or rewire a device, you don’t have to wait too long. Because we can see everything in one place, it’s easier to analyze issues and correct them at their source. An additional benefit is that your work or entertainment won’t be interrupted if those devices aren’t connected to the cabling panel we’re servicing.

Contact AV Design Consultants Today!

Are you tired of seeing wires strewn all over your house from a DIY integration project or a negative experience with a less seasoned integrator? Or, perhaps you want us to make sure your existing structured cabling system is up to speed. 

 

AV Design Consultants can organize all your cabling so that it’s finally out of sight and out of mind -- and optimized to take on any technology we install later. Call us today at 479-365-2201, visit our contact page or enter a message in the chat-box at the bottom of your browser. We look forward to hearing from you!