Does it have to be so difficult to start equipping your homes with proper wiring? If you're like many builders, you've decided to take the plunge and start running wiring for audio in the homes you construct. Now what?

Your installation crew-whether it's in-house or the staff of a qualified integrator, electrician or security contractor-only has to pick up a copy of the soon-to-be-released Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Multiroom Audio Video Council's audio wiring standard, and you are off to the races. (See page 18 in this issue.) Easy, right? Wrong!

If the new CEA-developed standard is anything like the EIA/TIA-570-A residential cabling standard (and its addenda), you've just discovered what may be one of the most limiting factors in boosting the penetration of structured wiring ... you have to pay a cool $660 to receive the 570-A standard. On the Web site of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)-the industry association that developed the standard-you are jumped to a third-party vendor called Global Engineering Documents for purchasing. But the Global site does not list the cost for an electronic version of the standard, nor does it post the cost for a hard-copy version of the updated standard with full addenda. (I suppose it's on eBay somewhere at a discounted price, but I couldn't find it.)

Unfortunately, if you ask your electrician or integrator about it, he will likely say, "I know the standard ... don't worry ... trust me." Should you trust him? No way.

Even if you are using a top-notch integration company for your installs, every homebuilder should have a copy of the standard on hand for their own liability. Wiring, especially involving home networks, is tricky. It's a different animal than standard electrical wiring. Plus, before the homebuyer moves in, a builder typically sees if there's a chip in the granite countertops, if an electrical outlet isn't functional, or if there's cracking drywall seams. You can even detect plumbing leaks right away, but you don't know if the home network is functioning properly until after the buyer takes possession. Don't you get enough angry phone calls from new homebuyers already?

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) charges $119 for its National Electrical Code, but there's a big difference between a code and a standard. The NEC is adopted statewide by fire marshals and inspections are required. Those checks make it tough to screw up an installation.

The TIA has an editorial on its Web site about how associations should be able to charge for standards. It says, "Companies and individuals have to accept the fact that in order to gain benefit from standards, they must participate in and help pay for the development process. Not every company can afford the costs of participation, but most companies can afford the cost of purchasing standards."

So again, this brings into question exactly how, and for how much, the new CEA audio wiring standard (which will be introduced to builders for the first time officially at TBX in Phoenix May 18–20) will be available to builders? At this point, it's unknown (even by members of the committee). A high-priced standard will create a restrictive roadblock for homebuilders. What do you think?

Jason Knott
editor
jknott@ehpub.com