DOMESTIC INSTALLATION ISSUES
HOME WIRE YOUR WAY
1st Place (Group Prize) - British Telecom “New Home Wiring Solutions”
BT came to Brunel with a problem, they understood that wifi doesn't produce the same reliable performance as data sent through cable.
Devices such as mobile phones and baby monitors disrupt a wifi signal. BT asked for 5 teams to combat the problem which they described.
With the introduction of smart TVs and the new high powered gaming consoles (PS4 and Xbox one) a good internet performance is demanded
by the customer.
In-order to solve this problem a multi-disciplinary team was assembled. The areas and background skills of the team ranged from;
graphic design, electronic engineering, product design and mechanical engineering.
This cross-range of skills allowed for a deep understanding of the problem and a scientific approach to research. During the initial stage of the project,
concepts were generated, one involving the use of a flat-wire laying technique. This proved to be a great solution of hiding cables within the home.
Once the idea had been given the go ahead by engineers at BT the team went into development of the concept.
The final concept involved a tool-kit and an option to call-in an engineer to install the kit, another option would be to do it yourself.
The kit involved the laying mechanism for the wire and all the terminals required for each end point.
The final stage of the competition required the team to present the concept to BT, each member described their role and the smooth holistic approach
the team had to the project.
