Blog Archives

Home automation tips for new construction projects

A few months back, reader Billy wrote: We’re building a new house, and what better way to get in when you have all the walls open to begin with. I was wondering if you had any recommendations? Maybe you could

Posted by Matt Chiste
November 15

Relocate your media center for a cleaner look

It dawned on me about a year ago that now that I had the ability to run ethernet between floors, send HDMI signals long distances, install ceiling speakers, and cleanly connect everything together, the media center taking up space in

Posted by Matt Chiste
September 6

Modular, low-voltage wall jacks with Keystone connectors

We’ve talked about installing ceiling speakers but didn’t cover much about what’s on “the other side”. You could just stick the wires through a hole in the wall, but that’s not going to offer you the cleanest look. Instead, look

Posted by Matt Chiste
April 9

Mounting brackets for low-voltage systems

When you install an electric outlet, you’ll need to use a single-gang wiring box, nailed into an adjacent stud, and all wiring connections need to be made inside the box for electrical code and obvious safety reasons. On the other

Posted by Matt Chiste
January 16

Leverage the space between floors for wiring

I’ve written about wiring ethernet between floors before, but during my latest round of home improvements I came across something I hadn’t really thought much about before: there’s usually a ton of space between floors in a house. This space

Posted by Matt Chiste
January 12

Leverage existing in-wall wires for low-voltage power

When I moved into my house, it had an old 1980s-style tape deck intercom system that I replaced with a custom Home Command Center. That meant the intercom units on the walls were basically just non-functional eye-sores: Recently I received

Posted by Matt Chiste
September 10

Make your own ethernet cable

Ethernet cable is traditionally used to connect networked computers, but it’s actually a great type of cable to have in your arsenal for other purposes. Before we get ahead of ourselves on some non-traditional ways they can be used, let’s

Posted by Matt Chiste
October 16
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