With HDTV, Wi-Fi, video streaming, and high-speed Internet becoming essential components in the home, it’s important to consider strategies for organizing the devices that support your network. Structured Media enclosures serve as a centralized distribution point, where all your home network devices (router, modem, video splitter, etc.) are housed. They provide a straightforward solution for managing connectivity and hardware in the home. However, it’s important to choose the right-sized enclosure for your home networking needs.

Leviton Structured Media enclosures provide a convenient termination location for wiring home runs from wall outlets, creating a distribution point for voice, data, audio, video, and wireless applications. They are available in compact, 14, 21, 28, and 42-inch sizes, as well as a 30-inch plastic enclosure for enabling wireless signals. To ensure you’re choosing the enclosure that best meets your needs, consider the following:

Size of the home
For a small condo or studio apartment, the 14-inch enclosure is ideal. With fewer rooms, there will likely be fewer phone lines and fewer internet connection points, which means only a handful of components need to be housed in the enclosure. A larger apartment or single-family home with multiple bedrooms will need more connection points and require a larger enclosure.

Systems being installed
For homes with only a simple voice and data network, a 21- or 28-inch enclosure might be sufficient. However, if you plan to include more systems, such as a multi-room audio, security, video signal distribution, and other applications, you will need a larger enclosure. Even a small home, if equipped with enough of these systems, could be high tech enough to warrant a 42-inch enclosure.

Future expansion
If system upgrades are inevitable, it makes sense to over engineer the system. Installing a larger enclosure than you currently need to satisfy future home network demands, especially for a new build. It is much easier and less expensive to pull cables as part of new construction, compared to going back and trying to fish cables around obstacles in finished walls. 

Structured Media enclosures make it easy to manage your home network connectivity and hardware, but choosing the right size can be difficult. Fortunately, Leviton has a number of resources available to help you select the right Structured Media enclosure for your home, as well as provide some insight into installation and device recommendations. 

To take a look at Leviton’s Residential Installation Guide, visit: leviton.com/ch.

For help configuring your structured cabling and structured media components, check out Leviton’s Structured Media Enclosure Design Tool at: leviton.com/smctool or call Tech Support at (800) 824 3005.

Whatever size enclosure you choose, Leviton has the solutions and support to make your choice the smart one for a better home network.