Wallingford

Project time and cycle: 2 weeks - Value: £25,000

Our Involvement:

• Initial design & specification
• Total system design
• Second fix installation & equipment supply
• System programming & Commissioning
• Supply of Cyber Homes operating system manuals
• After sales training & support

A newly refurbished six bedroom country home situated in a rural location in an Oxfordshire town.

The brief by the client was to install a completely wireless system as it was impossible to run any extra cabling within the property. The main request was to keep all aspects of the system simple to for the end user.

The key elements included:

• An advanced wireless network
• Wireless Multi-room music system
• An upgrade to the existing Home Cinema Room
• In particular, it was essential that it could all be controlled in a convenient way

The controls should be comprehensive enough to provide ‘blanket’ coverage of all systems, yet intuitive enough to allow use by all in the house - even the less technically minded!

The advantage with it being a wireless system meant that the client could literally plug ‘n’ play their components to any area in the property even in cupboard spaces out of sight. The Hand controllers could also be left on mobile docking stations or put in draws if they did not want them to be seen.

Wireless Network
The Broadband enabled telephone line was in an outbuilding and the client wanted to be able to have internet access in all area of the home. As wireless range is an issue a ‘bridge’ system was installed.

Four Desktop P.C’s were located in various rooms of the house and the communication was bridged using Buffalo access points. The idea being that the main P.C’s were hard wired to the access points and then they created a wireless mesh back to the main router. A Hewlett Packard Printer, scanner and fax machine was also accessed by all P.C’s in the property.

It was also possible to freely roam the property with a wireless enabled laptop.

Audio systems
A Wireless Sonos multi-room audio system was provided and distributed throughout to the Study, Gym, Kitchen, Swimming Pool, Lounge and Sitting Room. Three Sonos hand controllers were provided for control which was capable of streaming internet radio as well as all of the clients CD collection which was stored on the main PC’s hard disk.

It was possible to play individual music tracks independently in all areas as well as linking zones for the ‘party event’ situation.

Visual Systems
The main lounge was installed with a 50inch Pioneer True High Definition Plasma TV recessed into a bespoke fitted mantel piece. The surround sound system was powered by a Denon Processor and complimented with a Bowers and Wilkins MT 30 Surround Sound System and a Denon DVD player. All control was undertaken using an RTI T3 wireless remote control which also controlled the music system.

The client wanted to be able to view Sky+, DVD and control the music system within the lounge and also be able to view a standard Sky box and Sky+ box in all secondary area including the Kitchen and Master bedroom over the existing RF infrastructure.

Products used:

• Multi-room Audio - Sonos Wireless Audio System
• Speakers - Sonos Book Shelf Speakers
• Control - RTI T3 and RP6 Processor
• Cinema Audio Products - Denon, B&W
• Cinema Visual Products - Pioneer
• Wireless Network - Netgear, Buffalo Air Station
• Custom Built PC’s