Leviton Helps the Gadget Guru Wire his New Digs

July 1, 2012
Leviton Manufacturing Co., Melville, N.Y., recently collaborated with technology radio commentator Ron Rosberg, aka the Gadget Guru, to create a showcase

Leviton Manufacturing Co., Melville, N.Y., recently collaborated with technology radio commentator Ron Rosberg, aka the “Gadget Guru,” to create a showcase for the latest home technology and connectivity in the Technology Lake House, located on the shores of Clear Lake in Northern California, approximately 120 miles north of San Francisco. The 4,400-square-foot house, which has a three-bedroom guest suite and six-car garage, features more network connections than some office buildings.

When Rosberg arranged for the remote-accessible cameras, wireless lighting system, flat screen TVs and music controls in every room, it became obvious that the house needed a strong network infrastructure to serve as the backbone. That infrastructure also needed to integrate seamlessly with the multiple systems involved. That's where Leviton came in. In addition to the Leviton electrical outlets that were already installed in the house, Rosberg also decided on Leviton connectivity for its ease of use and organization.

Eric Cox, president of 20/20 dB Inc., San Leandro, Calif., handled the structured wiring installation for the Technology Lake House project. With help from Leviton Network Solutions' staff, he chose the Leviton products he needed to build a network that could support such a broad array of devices. In addition to the networking products, Cox also chose a Leviton 51110 series surge protection panel to safeguard the high-tech equipment in the home against harmful power spikes.

“I didn't want miles of cable stuck behind coats in a closet,” Rosberg said in a case study on the project. “The way Leviton designs the system makes it a no-brainer for nice-and-easy installation.”

Instead of being piled in a closet, all the Ultra High Flex HOME 5e and 6 patch cables, Twist & Mount patch panels, CATV modules, and telephone input distribution panels are organized neatly into three 42-inch structured media enclosures for the main house and two in the garage for the guest suite.

Cox used QuickPort wallplates, 3 GHz F-connectors, and Tool-Free CAT 5e and 6 HOME connectors in each room to connect all of the equipment. “There are five to six cables per room, so I like to use QuickPort connectors to color code the ports for the client so there's less confusion and they know what cables plug into what port,” he said.

Lowering the margin of error was particularly important for this project since Cox lived about three hours from the job site. Proper labeling allowed him to troubleshoot from afar and identify and solve problems over the phone. Also important for this project was a network that could be easily upgraded to support the latest technology over the coming years, and Leviton says its connectivity products helped Cox prepare for what might be needed five years down the road.