In this challenging real estate market, it is not sufficient simply to build quality homes. Today's builders need to set themselves apart. Being fiber-ready is an amenity that accomplishes that. It enhances the quality of life for buyers and differentiates the builders' products.

Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network access is increasingly available to homeowners, in both new and existing neighborhoods. The impact on selling prices for homes that have FTTH access versus those that do not ranges from $4,000 to $7,000, with some estimates as high as $15,000. While it's an amenity today, the home network is quickly becoming a requirement.

To leverage the powerful communications capability offered by FTTH access, the network in the home must be ready for the network coming to the home. While fiber can be run within the home, the right combination of copper and coax wiring will create a robust network for most homes, supporting the services delivered to the home and the devices connected within it.

Why Fiber-Ready?

More and more of today's homes are broadband connected, placing increasing demands on the wiring within the home. As a result, most existing homes require wiring upgrades to deliver broadband services to the devices inside the home. Further, it's not just the external connection to the world placing demands on the in-home network; the future of moving video and data internally will also require substantial bandwidth.

Fiber-ready looks beyond the requirements of today's copper- and coax-based service delivery and stand-alone devices to a host of completely integrated services and devices within the home. This vision requires a whole-home network approach to leverage what fiber can and will bring to the home and how to enable it in the home. People tend to know that fiber can enable voice, video and data for in-home networks, but the same principles will support other uses of in-home networks such as home automation, security and whole-house audio.

Keys to a Fiber-Ready Home Network

In order to ensure the network will be able to support fiber-ready requirements, seven key elements must be addressed. They are:

• Cabling topology — this determines how the communications devices (phones, televisions, computers, games, etc.) will connect to the optical network terminal (ONT – for fiber) or copper/coax from a service provider as well as other devices, such as video and data servers, printers, etc.
• Cable types — there are three cabling areas that must be covered when talking about communications. Voice grade (Cat 3) copper cables are adequate for phone connections, but Cat 5e data cables are highly recommended since they can support up to four phone lines in one cable sheath. Data grade (Cat5e) copper cables are the minimum for high-speed Internet/data connections. Video requires coaxial RG-6 cable. Dual shield and quad-shield types are available. Quad shield is preferred because its lower signal attenuation will maintain video quality over longer distances. Cat 6, Cat 6 Enhanced and Cat 7 data cables are available and may be used for data as an upgrade or for future-proofing.
• Cable and outlet quantities — at a minimum, each room in the home should have at least one communications outlet with data, phone and video connections available. One Cat 5e cable can be used for up to four voice lines, and a second Cat 5e should be provided to support a high-speed data link. At least one coax (RG-6) should be available for video. Of course, these are minimum requirements. It cannot be overstated that it is far more economical to place plenty of outlets at the rough-in stage of construction than to leave them for retrofit at a later time.
• Hardware — to provide connectivity to active devices, hardware is required at both ends of the cabling. Outlets in rooms can be modular in design, allowing connections for as many as six cables. They can also be split up, with phone and data in one outlet box and video (coax) in a separate outlet box to suit room arrangement needs. Extra-deep boxes should be used to allow for extra cable storage in the box, in case a connector needs to be replaced in the future. Voice-grade RJ-11 and data-grade RJ-45 connectors should be used for phone and data cables respectively. High-quality compression type "F" connectors are required for coax cables. It's important to check with a local service provider or local building codes to determine if there is a preferred location for the distribution device in the area.
• Pathways for future use — allowing for change can be accomplished by installing conduit to "blank" outlets in each room. Flexible conduit provides a future pathway from an easily accessible common location, such as an attic, to an outlet in each room. Flexible conduits can also be used in home entertainment areas to enable future installation of speaker wires and other cables. In addition, at least two large conduits (2–3 inches) should be placed from the basement or crawl space to the attic of your home. One can be used for future power circuits and the other can be for additional communications circuits. It's important to ensure at least several feet of separation exists between the two conduits.
• Proper installation practices — data cables should not be pulled tightly, avoiding kinking and sharp bends. If run parallel to power cables, data cables must have a minimum separation of 12 inches between them. If they must cross, they should do so at a 90-degree angle. Cables should be routed around light fixtures and never pulled through the same hole as power cables in joists and studs. If staples are used to support cables, they should be of a type suitable for communications cables and approved by the cable manufacturer. Staples should not be driven tight against the cable. Also, when pulling cable in conduit, a single cable per conduit is preferred. If two or more must be placed in the conduit, they should be pulled simultaneously. Finally, when optical fiber cables are installed, the manufacturer's minimum bend diameters must be observed, both during and after installation, to prevent signal loss.
• Power — a dedicated 15amp, 120 V communications branch circuit must be provided. It should have no more than two outlets—one at the central housing where all the cables converge and one near the point where the service provider's drop cables come to the house. Outlets should be labeled "communications only." This circuit can supply power for data routers and phone equipment at the central point as well as for an optical network terminal at the service entrance. Typically, building electrical codes do not currently require this circuit, so it must be negotiated between the builder and the electrical subcontractor.

How to Sell It

To market a fiber-ready home network to the homebuyer, there must be a complete and understandable solution set. Clearly, a lot can be accomplished with home networks, but it must match the buyer's needs and be compatible with the home size and price point. Many large homebuilders are now allowing buyers to choose from packages that encompass either basic or comprehensive capabilities plus a la carte items that can be added. The exact package offered must be tailored to the market in which the builder operates.

Building homes that are truly fiber-ready increases the value and profitability of a builder's product. Being fiber-ready provides homeowners with a robust connectivity solution. Making a home fiber-ready increases the quality of life for the owner, but even more important, it increases the present and future value of the home.

Mark Conner is project manager for Corning Cable Systems (www.corning.com).