Joinery can make or break an AV installation.
A cabinet may look beautiful on the drawing but leave no space for cable bend, ventilation, access, remotes, source devices, power supplies or future service.
That is why joinery changes should trigger an AV and network review.
Equipment needs more than shelf space
An amplifier, decoder, Apple TV, HDMI extender, network switch or small processor may physically fit inside a cabinet.
That does not mean the installation is correct.
The equipment still needs airflow, power, cable bend space, access for replacement, IR or control planning and sometimes separation from other equipment.
TV walls hide many decisions
A TV wall may involve:
- power
- network
- HDMI or video extension
- speaker positions
- soundbar or centre speaker placement
- bracket depth
- ventilation
- access panels
- source-device location
- remote-control method
If the joinery is built before these decisions are reviewed, the AV team may be forced into compromises.
Network equipment should not be buried
Access points, switches, routers, fibre devices and small network components are sometimes pushed into cabinets because it looks tidy.
Tidy is not enough.
The equipment should remain serviceable, ventilated and documented. If the best access point position is near a ceiling speaker, the access plan should be deliberate, not improvised.
Interior design and performance can work together
DG Technologies does not believe technology must look messy.
But hidden technology still needs engineering. The earlier the interior designer, cabinetmaker and AV team coordinate, the cleaner the result can be.
We discuss the design side in how interior designers can hide smart-home technology without breaking performance.
Review before the cabinet is built
Changing joinery after manufacture is expensive.
Reviewing the AV and network requirements before manufacture is much cheaper.
The best joinery does not only hide technology.
It supports it.