INSTALLATION (CONTINUED)
Start by examining all the possible routes you might take to run the sensor cable from the sensor location to the A/V components to be controlled. Use a stud sensor or other device to locate the internal structure of the wall. You want to avoid all studs or joists. A typical route would be from the sensor location up the inside of the wall to a new hole drilled into the top “plate” (horizontal 2 x 4 at the top of the inside of the wall), into the attic crawl space, then down another plate to the wall behind the stereo system itself. The other very common route is through the bottom plate of the wall into an unfinished basement or crawl space.
Identify where all of your electrical, phone, and TV wiring is likely to be and plan to route around it all. You can accidentally induce interference on your sensor cable right beside electrical cable for more than a few feet. Try to keep sensor cable running parallel to power cables at least 3 feet away. To find exactly where an electrical cable is routed, try inspecting the inside of the wall by turning off the breaker for a particular power outlet or switch, removing the cover plate and switch or receptacle, and shining a penlight into the wall. If you have access to an attic or basement space, you can see which part of the wall space is free of obstructions (Figure 13).
When you don’t have access above or below the wall, try to estimate the existing cable and pipe locations from the positions of electrical outlets and plumbing fixtures on both sides of the wall. Also, take a look at the outside of your house, sometimes a conduit, vent or drain pipe will be visible and will offer useful information. Choose the route with the fewest potential obstacles. If your house is built on a slab or you are wiring between two finished floors, look for baseboards which could be removed and replaced with the cable behind them. Doorjambs can be removed and often have enough space for sensor cable all the way around the door (Figure 14).
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