Best Ways to Cable Manage Your Electronics
Introduction
Tools You'll Need:
- Scissors or Wire Cutters
- Power Delivery Devices
Supplies You'll Need:
- Zip ties, velcro ties, or other bundling items
- Two-Sided Tape or Temporary Adhesive
- Screws and screw anchors (depending on where and what you may wish to attach)
Before You Begin:
- An inventory of the items you want to route and manage
- Ensure you have enough time to complete the work
Expectations
Each cable management job is unique and different. Each person wants something different out of the work, as well. Some simply want a nice, neat look, while others look to build-in easy upgradability in the future as you expand a home theater or get extra computer peripherals. Still others want better heat dissipation or or other functional requirements that certain cable management techniques can provide.
Because of this, you may or may not wish to use every recommendation given. Rather, take this information as hints and tips to work into your own cable management solution, and not as "hard and fast" rules.
Time Requirements
No cable management routine goes quickly; rather, it takes time, planning, and a lot of work to accomplish. Much of that work tends to be tedious and 'fiddly', working with cable ties, velcro ties, or routing cables 'just right'.
Make sure you set aside time for the actual re-wiring, as well as have everything planned out ahead, and have all your tools and supplies ready and available. Having to slow down and stop because of a missing piece is incredibly frustrating, and can end up in dissuading you from accomplishing your goals, and leave you with a half functioning system.
1 Maximum Cable Lengths
There are many things to consider when getting cables for your computer or home entertainment setup.
Maximum Length
The majority of different cable types used for connecting home theater and computer equipment have different recommended lengths. What's bundled with your system is more than adequate in most cases; but when it comes to cable management, you tend to want to add a little slack, and may end up purchasing additional, longer cables to accomplish your goals.
It's best to know, beforehand, what length of cables you can use for each type of cable, and have a successful setup.
Video Cables
Audio Cables
Data Cables
Data cables are used to send digital information from one device to another.
2 Keeping Your Cables Organized
We can now begin bundling together and making the cables behind your system neat and tidy.
You can use one, or multiple different methods to give the look, and accessibility you want to the wiring of your home theater or computer system.
Cable bundling
Cable bundling will most likely be the first step in cleaning up the cables from your home theater or computer installation.
These can be used to attach cable bundles, power adapters, or other equipment to the back of a desk or entertainment hutch.
Service Loops and Slack
Label Everything
For example, on your Blu-ray player's HDMI cable, a little loop of tape saying "Blu-ray" where it connects to your Blu-ray player, and where it connects to the receiver, can help you immensely should you replace the player, or the receiver, somewhere down the line. Likewise for power cables.
3 Deciding Which Type of Power Protection to Use
While you simply need to power every device in your home theater or computer setup, thinking about how to protect your investment from power surges is also something to consider. Also, collecting all the power delivery to one place makes it so there's fewer cables running away from your desk or entertainment center.
This is an area where a little planning goes a very long way:
- How many devices will you be connecting?
- If you have six total devices, a small four-plug power strip will not suffice.
- Will you want to expand and add more devices later?
- Most people will end up adding to and expanding with more devices in the future. You'll want to have extra outlets available to accommodate your future needs.
- Do you want an easy way to turn on and off your whole setup?
- Some power delivery devices will have front facing power switches, or readouts for how power delivery is happening.
- What shape of plugs do you have?
- While most devices have moved away from the large, boxy AC to DC adapters that stick out of the wall or hang off the socket, they can still pose a problem. Depending on the type of power delivery accessory you choose, these types of plugs might interfere with neighboring outlets. Some power delivery device manufacturers have taken this into account, and rotated the plugs to make it less of an issue.
All power delivery devices wear out over time. Some may wear out more slowly, but expect to have to replace this part of your system every couple of years to avoid problems.
Different types of Power Protection
There are 3 different types of power distribution and protection devices.
It can be extremely dangerous to connect one power delivery device to another, or 'daisy-chain' them. Always plug these devices directly into a wall outlet, and not into another power delivery device.
- Very low cost.
- Minimal, if any, protection. Most power surges are just passed through to your equipment which can damage or ultimately destroy them. Some models have a small fuse in them which is destroyed when a particularly strong surge occurs.
- Average cost.
- Provides decent protection to your devices. Some of these types tend to offer some extra protection as well for cable lines or networking lines. Many come with simple warranties that protect against power surge damage should your devices incur any while connected to one of these.
- Higher cost.
- Performs some basic power conditioning.
- Provides battery power when your power goes out — most useful for a computer, so it can stay running for a few minutes to close and save your documents, and shut down properly in case of a power outage.
- Very high cost.
- Provides not only decent protection, but also 'conditions' the power, so there's little if any noise or power fluctuations introduced to your equipment. While subjective and very dependent on what is coming to your equipment in the first place, some people feel it can help with picture and sound quality.
- These tend to be aesthetically pleasing, and integrate well with modern home theater and surround sound setups.
4 Mount Equipment to Further Organize Things
Many computer peripherals, power delivery devices, and smaller home entertainment devices that you don't swap out much can be mounted to a wall, or to the back of a desk or entertainment center. This brings them up off the floor, and helps lessen trip hazards and keep things clean.
Good examples of items you may wish to mount are:
- Power Strips
- Routers
- Modems
- Network Switches
- Cable Hooks
Mounting with Screws
Before considering this, make sure the device you want to mount has places to hang the device on screws.
Wall Mounting
Mounting to a wall usually involves drilling into the drywall, then using wall anchors to ensure they don't rip apart your wall. Then, you place a screw into the anchor, with some sticking out to hang the device on.
Mounting to Desk or Entertainment Center
When mounting to a desk, you'll want to use washers to distribute the weight along the desk, or even reinforce it on the back, to prevent heavy equipment from ripping through your desk.
Mounting with Adhesives
If you cannot screw a device to the wall, desk, or entertainment center, two-sided tape or reusable adhesives may help, provided the device is light enough to be held up that way.
As with all adhesives, check the type, notes on the product, and test on a small out-of-sight area before using on any surface.
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Tools You'll Need:
- Scissors or Wire Cutters
- Power Delivery Devices
Supplies You'll Need:
- Zip ties, velcro ties, or other bundling items
- Two-Sided Tape or Temporary Adhesive
- Screws and screw anchors (depending on where and what you may wish to attach)
Before You Begin:
- An inventory of the items you want to route and manage
- Ensure you have enough time to complete the work
Expectations
Each cable management job is unique and different. Each person wants something different out of the work, as well. Some simply want a nice, neat look, while others look to build-in easy upgradability in the future as you expand a home theater or get extra computer peripherals. Still others want better heat dissipation or or other functional requirements that certain cable management techniques can provide.
Because of this, you may or may not wish to use every recommendation given. Rather, take this information as hints and tips to work into your own cable management solution, and not as "hard and fast" rules.
Time Requirements
No cable management routine goes quickly; rather, it takes time, planning, and a lot of work to accomplish. Much of that work tends to be tedious and 'fiddly', working with cable ties, velcro ties, or routing cables 'just right'.
Make sure you set aside time for the actual re-wiring, as well as have everything planned out ahead, and have all your tools and supplies ready and available. Having to slow down and stop because of a missing piece is incredibly frustrating, and can end up in dissuading you from accomplishing your goals, and leave you with a half functioning system.
There are many things to consider when getting cables for your computer or home entertainment setup.
Maximum Length
The majority of different cable types used for connecting home theater and computer equipment have different recommended lengths. What's bundled with your system is more than adequate in most cases; but when it comes to cable management, you tend to want to add a little slack, and may end up purchasing additional, longer cables to accomplish your goals.
It's best to know, beforehand, what length of cables you can use for each type of cable, and have a successful setup.
Video Cables
Audio Cables
Data Cables
Data cables are used to send digital information from one device to another.
We can now begin bundling together and making the cables behind your system neat and tidy.
You can use one, or multiple different methods to give the look, and accessibility you want to the wiring of your home theater or computer system.
Cable bundling
Cable bundling will most likely be the first step in cleaning up the cables from your home theater or computer installation.
These can be used to attach cable bundles, power adapters, or other equipment to the back of a desk or entertainment hutch.
Service Loops and Slack
Label Everything
For example, on your Blu-ray player's HDMI cable, a little loop of tape saying "Blu-ray" where it connects to your Blu-ray player, and where it connects to the receiver, can help you immensely should you replace the player, or the receiver, somewhere down the line. Likewise for power cables.
While you simply need to power every device in your home theater or computer setup, thinking about how to protect your investment from power surges is also something to consider. Also, collecting all the power delivery to one place makes it so there's fewer cables running away from your desk or entertainment center.
This is an area where a little planning goes a very long way:
- How many devices will you be connecting?
- If you have six total devices, a small four-plug power strip will not suffice.
- Will you want to expand and add more devices later?
- Most people will end up adding to and expanding with more devices in the future. You'll want to have extra outlets available to accommodate your future needs.
- Do you want an easy way to turn on and off your whole setup?
- Some power delivery devices will have front facing power switches, or readouts for how power delivery is happening.
- What shape of plugs do you have?
- While most devices have moved away from the large, boxy AC to DC adapters that stick out of the wall or hang off the socket, they can still pose a problem. Depending on the type of power delivery accessory you choose, these types of plugs might interfere with neighboring outlets. Some power delivery device manufacturers have taken this into account, and rotated the plugs to make it less of an issue.
All power delivery devices wear out over time. Some may wear out more slowly, but expect to have to replace this part of your system every couple of years to avoid problems.
Different types of Power Protection
There are 3 different types of power distribution and protection devices.
It can be extremely dangerous to connect one power delivery device to another, or 'daisy-chain' them. Always plug these devices directly into a wall outlet, and not into another power delivery device.
- Very low cost.
- Minimal, if any, protection. Most power surges are just passed through to your equipment which can damage or ultimately destroy them. Some models have a small fuse in them which is destroyed when a particularly strong surge occurs.
- Average cost.
- Provides decent protection to your devices. Some of these types tend to offer some extra protection as well for cable lines or networking lines. Many come with simple warranties that protect against power surge damage should your devices incur any while connected to one of these.
- Higher cost.
- Performs some basic power conditioning.
- Provides battery power when your power goes out — most useful for a computer, so it can stay running for a few minutes to close and save your documents, and shut down properly in case of a power outage.
- Very high cost.
- Provides not only decent protection, but also 'conditions' the power, so there's little if any noise or power fluctuations introduced to your equipment. While subjective and very dependent on what is coming to your equipment in the first place, some people feel it can help with picture and sound quality.
- These tend to be aesthetically pleasing, and integrate well with modern home theater and surround sound setups.
Many computer peripherals, power delivery devices, and smaller home entertainment devices that you don't swap out much can be mounted to a wall, or to the back of a desk or entertainment center. This brings them up off the floor, and helps lessen trip hazards and keep things clean.
Good examples of items you may wish to mount are:
- Power Strips
- Routers
- Modems
- Network Switches
- Cable Hooks
Mounting with Screws
Before considering this, make sure the device you want to mount has places to hang the device on screws.
Wall Mounting
Mounting to a wall usually involves drilling into the drywall, then using wall anchors to ensure they don't rip apart your wall. Then, you place a screw into the anchor, with some sticking out to hang the device on.
Mounting to Desk or Entertainment Center
When mounting to a desk, you'll want to use washers to distribute the weight along the desk, or even reinforce it on the back, to prevent heavy equipment from ripping through your desk.
Mounting with Adhesives
If you cannot screw a device to the wall, desk, or entertainment center, two-sided tape or reusable adhesives may help, provided the device is light enough to be held up that way.
As with all adhesives, check the type, notes on the product, and test on a small out-of-sight area before using on any surface.