Start with the Basics
Planning to add technology to your home? This residential contractor suggests starting with a strong network infrastructure, so everything else can follow.
What’s the most important consideration when you add electronics to your home?
“Pay careful attention to the wiring,” says Todd Anthony Puma, owner and CEO of The Source Home Theater, Powered by Fregosa Design of New York City. “There are so many things you can do and so many ways to go about doing them. But how well it all works is going to depend on the first step you take: installing a hardwired network infrastructure.”
Puma and his team recently engineered and built an extensive home automation, entertainment, and security system in a beautiful five-story brownstone row house. “The homeowners started out by asking only for a five-room audio setup. As they came to understand what was available to them, they realized how much more they could do and how much they would enjoy doing more,” he adds. As the project unfolded, Puma collaborated with longtime partner, Richard Fregosa, to create a custom software and user interface package for the homeowner’s growing needs.
“Fortunately, they allowed us to install an extensive network infrastructure early in the construction process. Once that was in place, it was very easy to add and configure components and features anytime.”
The Source installed a Crestron DM-MD8X8 switcher to route video to the various TVs and a Crestron Sonnex® 24×8 Multiroom Audio System with an expansion unit able to route up to 24 audio sources to 16 different areas of the home.