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Structured wiring is a system of wiring used in internal construction whereby all the wiring components in a home or commercial building are set up using a home run configuration. This means all the telephone, video, satellite, cable, internet, security alarm system and other communications wiring are pulled from a central distribution panel, as opposed to a daisy chain wiring scheme whereby wires are looped from outlet to outlet, and jack to jack, throughout the house.

With structured wiring, the central panel is located in a closet, utility room, or any other unobtrusive place.  It is strongly recommended that the central panel be installed in a location with low humidity and controlled room temperature so that the panel doesn’t get too cold or overheat. Because all the wires run back to a central panel, it is easy to maintain or make changes to the system; the individual cables can be easily isolated to test for shorts or to change connections if desired.

With daisy chain wiring schemes, the wires are looped and spliced, which degrades signal quality.  As signals travel through the looped system they are split and grow weaker so that devices connected further along in the loop tend to have weaker signals and connectivity issues. Also, with daisy chained wiring, if one connection fails, all of the devices further along the chain go out. With structured wiring on the other hand, all of the signals are travelling the same distance and there is no need to split signals. This results in stronger communications signals and more consistent device performance throughout the building.

Structured wiring is considered a superior wiring scheme for homes or commercial buildings. It is a flexible, more layman’s-friendly approach to building wiring that results in a fully and smoothly functioning home or business place.