New structured wiring equipment and procedures can help developers of multifamily communities and subdivisions provide residents with the “plug and play” capability they expect in their connections to the telephone, broadband and television, according to speakers at a recent NAHB webinar sponsored by AT&T Connected Communities.

These systems start outside in a “video ready access device,” or VRAD — a big weather-tight box that’s located in a utility easement or next to a multifamily building. This installation is the source of communications access for large numbers of residents.

From there, all the wiring goes to the “interim distribution frame” (IDF) closet in a multifamily building, or directly to a single-family home. Setting up a well-organized IDF closet is essential to making multifamily move-in and move-out changes fast and easy.

Most of the new wiring solutions work best in new construction or major rehab and upgrade situations, the presenters pointed out as they discussed how to set up a fiber-based system and the equipment involved.

A fiber-based system, they said, makes it easy to use wall jacks in the homes — two for phones, one for data (broadband Inernet) and one for cable.

AT&T’s new “five-bar” technology, which will be out in the near future, supplies high-speed wireless technology to the residences as well.

Click here to replay the free webinar on the Multifamily E-Learning page on NAHB’s Web site.

For more information on multifamily resources available from NAHB, e-mail Ann Marie Moriarty, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8350.