|
The following is some home related tips. If you have any to add please let us know. What is the best type of wiring to use in my home for TV cabling? What is the best type of wiring to use in my home for computer networking? What do I need for a home network? or How can I share my internet connection with multiple computers? What is a patch panel and why would I want one? Dangers of lightening and how to protect your expensive electronics. What is X10 and what can I do with it? Notice about defective water heater dip tubes. What is the best type of wiring to use in my home for TV cabling? The best cable to use for either cable TV or satellite is quad shielded RG-6 cable. This cable can be obtained from Home Depot or Lowes. This is the minimum cable required for most satellite systems. This cable will shield you from most outside electrical interference. What is the best type of wiring to use in my home for computer networking? For home networks you really need to use at least CAT5 cable. This can be obtained from Home Depot or Lowes. This wire consist of 4 pairs of solid copper wire. One blue pair, orange pair, green pair, and brown pair per cable. There are two standard wiring configurations when buying either the patch panel or the wall jack. Be sure to match the two types. They are 568A and 568B. What do I need for a home network? or How can I share my internet connection with multiple computers? If you have a dsl or cable internet connection what you need to share that with the rest of your home is a Linksys cable/dsl router. This device will share the connection with several computers as well as protect (act as a firewall) your computers. You will need a NIC (Network Interface Card) in each computer you want to share the internet with. Be sure that your cable/dsl modem has a ethernet connection that will work with the linksys. If you have a usb modem only this can still be done just with additional hardware and configuration. Even if you have only one computer in your home I would recommend that everyone on the internet have a firewall of some type. The Linksys BEFSR41 has proven to be a very reliable and secure device. What is a patch panel and why would I want one? A patch panel is a panel usually located in the basement that is the central location for all wires to be connected. By having all wires connected at one central spot you can easily change the signal sent to any location in the house. Dangers of lightening and how to protect your expensive electronics. Lightening is a serious problem in Georgia. It can come across you phone line, cable TV, or power lines. It doesn't care if it is a TV, stereo, vcr, or computer. You should protect all the ways that lightening can enter your home. It can also hit a satellite dish and take out your receivers, TV, vcrs, and phones all because they are connected together. You should also consider battery backups on your computer and expensive entertainment equipment. This will prevent damage from power surges as well. At the minimum please use a surge protector on your valuable equipment. It can save you a lot of hassle. What is X10 and what can I do with it? X10 is a system that allows you to automate many electrical devices in your home. For example you can add a thin self stick light switch any where in your house and have it control any electrical switch anywhere else in the house. A good way to add a switch to a location that got over looked by the builder. You can also hook it up to a computer to completely automate your home. Going on vacation but you want the living room light to come on at 8pm and go out at 11pm, this system can do it. Very easy to install and use. Notice about defective water heater dip tubes. Notice to residents about a possible problem with hot water heaters produced between 1993 and 1996. The dip tubes inside the water heater can disintegrate. Dip tubes are extensions of the cold-water inlet to the water heater and force the cold water to the bottom of the tank to avoid contact with the hot water already occupying most of the tank. Defective 'plastic' or polypropylene dip tubes are reacting with the hot water by falling apart. Signs of a defective dip tube include: · The hot-water heater was manufactured between 1993 and 1996. Look for a stamped-on code, which should also include the year of manufacture. · Faucet aerator screens, shower heads, etc., suddenly start to clog with small white particles and clog quickly after cleaning them. · It suddenly takes forever to get hot water, it never seems very hot, or the hot water seems to run out much too fast - even though the thermostat on the water heater is set to max. The cost of a new dip tube is well under $5. If you suspect you have a problem you should consult a professional plumber. |