Structured Wiring Needs a PlanNew software allows for more organized low-voltage installations.

Recently David Dressler Inc. built a 16,000-square-foot home in Naperville, Ill., replete with a half-million feet of structured wiring. The job called for more than 20 systems and applications, from distributed audio/video, to closed-circuit TV, running over wires that terminated in two locations.

It could have been an installation nightmare, but the integration team used a new software tool from its structured wiring provider to help streamline the project.

Chicago-based Music in Motion and F.E. Moran of Champaign, Ill., began by inventorying their respective systems in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. But it was apparent the job was too unwieldy for simple project management. So they adopted the Web-based SmartWire System Design Tool from Hillside, Ill.–based Windy City Wire.

Using the program, installers can identify applications, devices, cables, and locations through a series of mouse clicks. If they decide to buy Windy City's various SmartWire cabling products, everything comes labeled, with a detailed job plan. The tool is free; builders and installers get log-in information from a Windy City sales rep.

The company sells a variety of structured wiring solutions. While the online tool makes it easy to pick out Windy City products, company officials say it can also create plans that incorporate non-Windy City products. (www.smartwire.com)