With technologies constantly developing it is important to stay up to date with what is happening around the world. The best way that we have been able to do so is by following #LiveInstall. Colleagues from around the world are on Twitter using the common hashtag: #LiveInstall.
From the #LiveInstall Blog the philosophy is:
“LiveInstall is a community of smart home installers created by installers to promote their businesses and their industry. The live tweeting of installations has raised the standards in the industry because install tweets now reach thousands of twitter accounts worldwide. All you need to join in is a Twitter account, smartphone and an install to share, tag your tweets with #LiveInstall to start networking.
LiveInstall allows potential customers to see the creation of smart homes using state of the art technology by viewing images and videos of live installations projects at various stages of completion. Whether you simply want a TV wall mounted without the cables on show or aspire to owning a fully automated smart home, LiveInstall shows you how the process is carried out and can put you in touch with your local installer.”
With this in mind we watch out for various different pictures posted on LiveInstall. The following are of particular interest:
- High Definition Video Distribution
- Infrastructure Cabling Installations
- Systems Rack Building
- Special Installations
- Television Installations
This gives us better insight into what it takes to plan and carry out installations that we have not done before. There is no better way to prepare than to view the way that a trusted colleague has done their job. We are able to ask questions about problems that we have found onsite which helps decrease our troubleshooting time. This has become particularly important with modern issues effecting digital signals.
The type of installations that are being featured on LiveInstall include the following:
Infrastructure Cabling Definition:
“This is the cabling that connects all services within a building or home.”
These include:
- Data (Internet connections, wired and wireless)
- Voice (Telephone Distribution)
- Video Distribution (High Definition over CAT6 and Satellite Cabling to DSTV Decoders)
- Audio Distribution
- Security Camera systems
- Alarm Systems (Security, Access Control, Fire Warnings)
- Energy Monitoring Systems
This is a professional cabling installation carried out by our colleague Paul Wright from Avicci Limited. This is what a professional infrastructure installation should look like:
- Trestles setup with rolls of cable. Infrastructure cable ready to be pulled in.
- Cable drops are separated. Power is always separated form CAT6 to eliminate inteference
- CAT6 Cables dropped from tray to rack location, ready for rack installation
- CAT6 Cable laid into rack
- Infrastructure cabling correctly installed on a cable tray
- Close up of panel terminations
- Terminated panels being installed into rack
- Termination testing
- Dressing cabinet and installing earthing
- Rack dressing with cable sheathing to tidy installation
- Dressed rack with patch panels installed
- CAT6 patch panels labelled
- Data centre CAT7 cable installation
- Data centre CAT7 cable installation
- Infrastructure cabling separated and correctly installed on a cable tray.
Systems Rack Building
The purpose of Audio Video Rack building is to correctly install all the infrastructure components into the equipment rack and test them before installing the rack onsite. The method of rack building that we employ at Mirror Edge Networks is to have rack patch panels at the bottom of the rear of our Audio Video Racks. Infrastructure cabling installation takes place simultaneously to the rack build. Once both are completed the rack is delivered to site and the infrastructure cabling is simply patched into the rear of the rack.
These racks have been designed and professionally built by our colleagues at VisualizationAV who have a dedicated team that specialise in AV Rack Builds. They also offer other professional services, but this is the expertise that we would like to showcase here. Demonstrating the correct, professional way to configure and build a systems rack.
- System rack design
- Systems racks arriving, ready to be dressed
- Rack cabling being prepared for installation
- Rack build
- Rack terminations
- Internal rack cabling
- Rack testing and certification
- Completed rack ready for installation on site
Special Installations
These are any audio video installations that require a little extra work. Instead of the standard installation of a television or a pair of speakers, these installations require a little extra planning than normal. These can include the building of timber walls to accommodate speakers, televisions or even projector screens.
This installation by Jon Knight from Visual Sounds Ltd is a false wall to house a television with speakers:
- From Design to installation and project completion
- Project canvas: Blank wall for Television and Speakers
- Timber frame installation
- Timber framing installation completed
- Plasterboard installation
- Plasterboard installation completed
- Projector mount
- Projector mount boarded up
- Projector box plastered
- Front and rear timber frames boarded and plastered
- Front wall plastered
- Speaker cables and television installed
- In-Wall speakers installed
- Projector installed
- Projector screen
Home cinemas are a great addition to any home. It is not always possible to have a dedicated room for a cinema. If that is the case, we have to plan more creative ways to install the projector screens and speakers for these room. This installation features a false bulkhead to accommodate the projector screen and speakers. This professional installation carried out by Smart Nest:
- New project: Screen and speaker installation
- Timber blocks to secure bulkhead to the wall installed
- Bulkhead frame being installed
- Timber facing for bulkhead installed. Sonance in-wall speaker installed
- Projector screen installed and tested
- Front timber face installed
- Timber work completed. LED lights tested
- Projector Mounted
- Projector positioned and calibrated
- Projector video test. Project completion
- Painted, finished installation with projector screen down
- Completed installation
Television Installations
The last type of installation that we keep a keen eye out for are television installations. Watching to see how our colleagues are installing televisions is always interesting. This is a simple installation by Smart Nest of a Samsung television on a flush wall mount bracket. Featured regularly are motorised wall bracket installations as well as hidden television installations. This is just a preview of what it takes to install a television on a wall:
- Samsung television installation on a flush mount wall bracket
- Lay television on its box, ready for mounting television bracket
- Television brackets come with various screws for all television types
- Some Samsung televisions require spacers between television and bracket
- Fix bracket to television with correct screws. Do not over tighten
- Measure bracket fixing relative to top of television
- Measure top of lights. Or any other fixture you are aligning the television with
- Mark out bracket position. Where the holes will be drilled
- Check bracket is level. Check all cables are free and accessable
- Fix television bracket to the wall
- Install cables to the television. This bracket has a built in spacer to allow access to rear of television
- Complete television installation checking all working correctly
LiveInstall was started by Kris Gamble in 2013, with the goal to show the public what the professional audio video industry really does. LiveInstall has given installers a voice and a platform to showcase the quality of their work.
We would like to say thank you to Kris and the other professionals that started this movement. LiveInstall is a great platform where we are proud to showcase our work and discuss the audio video industry with like minded professionals.
To follow them and find out more about our industry, please find them on Twitter or visit their websites:
Kris Gamble (@customised) – http://www.customised.uk.com/
Glenn Impett (@SmartNestUK) – http://smartnest.co.uk/
Mark Hardie (@go4control) – http://www.go4control.com/
Noah Derrington (@SmartNestUK) – http://smartnest.co.uk/
Stuart Burgess (@japbespokeav) – http://www.ppsav.com/
Fantastic blog, excellent detail and such a glowing endorsement of #LiveInstall. It’s a great community to be involved in.