re: Parents are having a new home built - how should they have it wired?

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I’d put a good HDTV antenna in the attic and drop coax cables into rooms for free HDTV local channels

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You can run coax if you want, but it's not needed for free OTA locals. Get an HDHomerun to put your locals on your network, then you can watch by using the HDHomerun app on your streaming device rather than switching TV inputs. You can then also watch TV on your phone/tablet/computer, and you will also have several options to set up DVR for your locals (hdhomerun scribe, plex, etc).

Never heard of a plex server. Will have to research it. But IMO I want a diverse stream of TV options.

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Sorry, but this is just bad advice. No one will ever wish they had run less cable, but almost everyone wishes they had run more at some point.

Aside from the fact that wireless consistency and reliability will never match wired, physical cable can transmit power as well as data. PoE is incredibly useful already, and it will only become more so in the near future. So really I would not only run cat6 to where I expect to put TVs, cameras, and computers, but I would also run it everywhere there is a light switch or light fixture, and doors & windows. PoE smart lighting, temp/humidity/brightness/presence detection, touchpanels, pervasive sound/mic and bluetooth, powered window blinds, window and door alarm contacts, etc. The list of low power applications goes on and on, and it will only grow larger as we dream up new ideas. Not to mention any of these devices can also serve as a wifi access point, providing wifi coverage that will beat any mesh system hands down.

Yes, the future is about more cable, not less.

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Yep, that is what I have been doing now, going away from WiFi. 5-6 years ago we ditched cable and went with Roku/FireStick devices to the TV. Now that the kids are getting older and watching more TV, using tablets, me working from home, the wife using her laptop etc, we are going away from Wireless where we can.

Smart TV is wired in, my docking station is wired in, her laptop will be wired in when she's at her desk as soon as I put a box in the wall and have a RJ45 port there, going to add wired access to the FireSticks, and I've added a wired access point for faster WiFi at one end of the house, away from the router. It is a Ubiquiti POE and I set that up this weekend. Pulled 114 mbps download speeds over that to my phone. Streaming on the TV has been awesome since I wired it in a couple weeks ago.

My wife is doing Zoom calls for work once or twice a week, and wasn't able to use her Laptop when I still had the router upstairs. Now that the router covers one end of the house and the AP covers the other, she can go where she needs it to be quiet and not have to use her phone. Wish I had done this years ago, but didn't really have the need until I was working from home and the kids were doing school online.

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Looks like it runs off the internet. When I say diversify I mean I can get entertainment off multiple platforms. I don’t want to be forced to just TV off the internet.

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HDHomerun doesn't need the internet to work, it just needs your local network. All you need is electricity, which is required anyway if you're watching TV.

Just now, I powered off my modem to disconnect my home from the internet. I was still able to watch my local channels from my HDHomerun on my phone with the HDHR app and on my TV via Roku w/ the HDHR app. I didn't have to switch inputs on my TV, I just had to use the HDHR app. Additionally, my Plex server continued watching the streams from the HDHR to DVR the shows I have scheduled to record, and I can also watch live TV view the Plex app instead of HDHR if I choose since it gives me pause/rewind functions.

Again, you can run coax if you want to, but it is not required to watch your locals without the internet. HDHomerun makes your viewing options more diverse, not less, because it allows you to watch on devices that don't even have a coax input.


Not trying to be a dick, only trying to be helpful.


Edit: Just noticed that you replied to bluebarracuda about Plex, but Plex likewise does not require the internet. It allows you to watch all of your local content, as well as live TV direct from an HDHomerun, with no internet access required.

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When I say diversify I mean I can get entertainment off multiple platforms. I don’t want to be forced to just TV off the internet.

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I have an HD antenna in the attic ran to a couple TVs. In the event of a storm and cable/internet is out I'm l still able to get a local broadcast. Other the that it doesn’t get used.

They'll install what's called an ONT, which takes the fiber in and outputs RJ45, which will connect to your equipment. As to whether it's inside or outside of your house depends entirely on the ISP.

When the tech is installing, even if it's an outdoor ONT they'll likely install it inside of you ask and have a place for it. The industry is moving to indoor ONTs anyway.