8. Wired or wireless? What's best for you?
How will a music component in the lounge play music through speakers in the bedroom? How will you control it all? That all depends on whether you choose a wired or wireless approach to whole home music.
This is one of the first big decisions you have to make.
A wired approach means that components, keypads and speakers etc will be physically connected using long runs of wire. A wireless music system uses a series of transmitter/receiver units placed around the house. There are no wires connecting everything – instead music signals are passed around your home using radio waves. It's the same kind of technology used by cordless phones, wireless internet connections, RC cars etc.
To wire or not to wire?
Although 'wireless' is on the steady rise, 'wired' is still the most common option. That may simply be because many new houses being built today are 'prewired' for entertainment. It makes sense that if your home is already wired for multi-room audio, you at least consider 'wired components'.
Otherwise, the best time to plan and install a wired multi-room system is when your house is being built or renovated. With your house just at the plans stage (or mostly dismantled) the walls are open and cabling can be run from room to room with ease. Overall you have more flexibility to create the system you want.
But for those of us happily living in a completed home there is an answer that doesn't involve ripping the walls out – go wireless. Without the complication of in-wall wiring, any time is a good time to install a wireless system.