UNITED ALARM CO

United Alarm were contracted by my home builder to do the low voltage wiring (alarm, network, and cable tv) during the construction of my new home. It is obvious that the installers did not have knowledge of the proper installation requirements for Cat5 and coax cabling.
All cables were pulled tightly and stapled down every few feet using standard metal staples. Additionally, the coax and Cat5 cabling were run for long distances in parallel with the electrical cable in the house including through the same holes drilled in the frame. Cat5 and coax should be run with some slack and the installer should not use staples if at all possible. If staples must be used, they should use a T-59 staple (or equivalent type) with strain relief to avoid damage to the cable. Also, Cat5 and coax cable should not be run in parallel with electrical cabling due to the high possibility of interference with the signals carried.
Ultimately, the builder had all of the network and cable TV wiring removed and a different contractor was hired to complete the job.
In addition to the issues with the network and tv wiring, the alarm wiring could have been done better. They used low cost two-conductor cable for all runs and did not properly label the wires. While two-conductor wiring is the minimum required, a four-conductor wire is a better choice. If a conductor is damaged during the build out of the home (which occurred), the two-conductor cable must be replaced whereas a four conductor provides two additional wires for fail-over. The incomplete labeling job caused my security system installer (not United Alarm) to spend an additional hour at my home to trace out the wiring before he could begin installation. Also, the use of two-conductor wiring to the siren location precluded the installation of a modern communications/siren system. My installer had to run another wire through the attic to the siren location. Again, this could have been avoided had United Alarm done more than the barest minimum.
All-in-all, their improper installation caused several weeks delay in the construction of the home as the drywall installation could not proceed until a proper installation could be performed. It also caused nearly two hours additional work by the security system installer due to the missing labeling and insufficient wiring.