Word on the WireHow much (and what kind of) wire depends on the home it's going in.

Structured wiring is now one of the hottest topics in residential construction: Most builders think it should be included in the new homes they build. But how much “wire” is enough? And what sort of applications will homeowners ultimately want?

Both are trick questions because the answers are unknown. How much of what kind of structured wiring to include in a home will depend on the types of systems that home buyer will incorporate and, of course, the budget.

Here's a sample breakdown of application capabilities using the Siemon structured wire product line.

Standard Cat-5e as the base wire is a solid choice for homes with a computer (IT) network, basic home control system, and whole-house audio system with amplifiers and speaker wires deployed in individual rooms. Coax can be added for cable, satellite, or off-the-air TV reception.

An upgrade to Cat-6 will allow for more sophisticated IT networks and home control as well as adding standard-definition digital video transmission to the audio capability. Coax may still be necessary if a central media server is not the sole source of video.

The Tera 1200 (Cat-7) will theoretically handle high-definition video in addition to everything else mentioned in the “Good” and Better” lists. Coax would still be necessary for analog video signal transmission. The next step is fiber, but the only widespread use for fiber in consumer electronics entertainment and control technology is for copy-protected transmission of digital 5.1 soundtracks.