Abbott’s and HTSA (Home Technology Specialists of America) understand you may have questions when adding a home theater and related technology solutions to your home. As you may need knowledge to make educated decisions, we’re pleased to bring you this guide. Come in to discuss your ideas. We look forward to meeting you!

Here to Help

Stop by Abbott’s and pick up the complete Home Technology Planning Guide including additional articles on Whole-House Music, Wiring Your Home, Video and more.

Type #3 – Whole-House Networking

If you were smart enough – or lucky enough – to have your house wired, you probably have a wire in your walls called CAT-5e (Category Five-Enhanced) or CAT-6 (higher speed and voltage standard wire), both of which are capable of distributing audio signals, though they should not be used simultaneously for a computer network, as well as audio signal distribution.

Type #4 – Dedicated Computer Audio Network

As previously mentioned, you can use your computer to distribute audio over your CAT-5e or CAT-6 network in the form of AAC, MP-3 digital audio files or Internet radio. The first step is to move all your music and related content over to the digital world. This will make it accessible, eliminate the need to store it and organize it, and make your whole-house music system more accessible.

Type #5 – Wireless Music Distribution

As wireless technology has improved, so have the options for wireless distribution of music. The most common wireless technology is Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) and you should try to stay with the wireless N type if at all possible. Wireless G may exhibit glitches or imperfections in the transmission of the music, because it has limited speed and bandwidth.

• Wireless Music Adapter – These devices send a Wi-Fi signal to another adapter connected to your multi-zone home theater receiver, enabling you to listen to music in a remote zone that uses your computer or NAS as a source on your A/V receiver.

Conclusion:

Now that we know the various types of systems available, we can better decide what will fit our lifestyle, budget and construction parameters. The only other consideration needs to be: How do you want to control your whole-house music system? Do you want to use volume potentiometers or LPADs to access your systems? Do you want keypads or touch-screens?

The key to planning your whole-house music system is recognizing that there should be locations where you plan for higher performance and areas where you can get away with background music. You should also focus on enlisting the aid of an independent expert such as Abbott’s. They can help you design a system that fits your budget and accomplishes your goals.

Music everywhere will make one of life’s little pleasures more convenient and enjoyable! HDL