The most challenging projects we take on at DTV Installations are “whole home” installations – setting up unified audio, video and Internet throughout an entire house. They’re also the most rewarding. This Long Island project required a lot of planning and just as much work, but the client was as thrilled as we were by the way it came out.
The challenge was multifold:
- Install Internet connectivity throughout the home and grounds.
- Build three separate home theaters for this family of five: family room, master bedroom and basement.
- Install speakers and wiring to provide unified audio in all rooms including bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, home office and gym.
- Install and hang an HDTV in the gym.
- Wire and install outdoor speakers connected to the audio system.
The first part of the project was to wire the entire home. The walls and ceilings were all open at this point, so we completed all of the cable runs and then returned a month later, when the walls and ceilings were in place and all finish work and painting had been done.
Before going to work on the video and audio we installed three commercial-grade Luxul Internet access points, one on the second floor, one in the basement and one outdoors; this expansive network covers a range up to 10,000 feet, allowing the home’s residents to experience seamless wireless connectivity anywhere in the home or on the grounds.
The family room was next. We hung a high-definition television provided by the client, installed KEF Ci160CR in-ceiling 2-way speakers and a sophisticated KEF Ci4000QLb in-wall subwoofer with matching amplifier, and connected all of the components through a Denon AVR X3200 7.2 channel A/V home theater receiver. The system was completed with Apple TV, a Panamax MR4300 surge protector and power filter, and a top-of-the-line URC MX-980 universal remote control with a companion MRF-350 RF extender so all components could be controlled without direct line-of-sight.
The master bedroom home theater installation was virtually identical, from the customer-owned HDTV to the speakers and remote control system.
In the basement, things were a bit different. We supplied and hung a Sony XBR75X850C 75-inch 4K/3D LED Smart TV; for dynamic surround-sound audio, we used the same KEF Ci160CR in-ceiling speakers but added powerful KEF Q900 floor-standing front speakers, a KEF Q400b subwoofer and a KEFQ200c high-power center channel speaker. The system was powered by a Denon AVR X4100 7.2 channel home theater receiver, and again we added Apple TV and a URC universal remote control system, plus a small movable rack for the equipment.
Then we moved to the gym. We hung a Samsung UN32J6300 32-inch high-def smart TV, and installed an HDMI splitter to allow display of the same video and use of the same remotes for both the gym and basement systems. We also positioned a fully-ventilated wall-mounted rack to house much of the equipment for the entire system. KEF Ci160CR in-ceiling speakers were installed in the gym, and in the kitchen, dining room, office and all of the bedrooms and bathrooms.
Finally we installed outdoor speakers, and added Sonos CONNECT amps to all of the home theaters, plus Sonos amps to allow perfect audio outdoors and in the gym and kitchen as well. This allows everything to be controlled wirelessly by tablet or smartphone.
The installation went smoothly, the client was able to save a lot of money on the equipment thanks to our authorized distributor relationship with the manufacturers – and the family has state-of-the-art connectivity and entertainment in every room.
