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38 W e d n e sd a y, Fe b ru a ry 5 , 2 0 1 4 JOIN THE LINWOOD INDEPENDENT HOME BUILDER NETWORK By Heather Starke, Director Marketing, Linwood Custom Homes of Linwood Custom Homes is expanding its network of quality, independent home builders to service its growing, widespread North American customer base. Linwood is an award-winning custom home design and material package provider. Celebrating excellence since 1968, Linwood has designed, created and shipped more than 7,000 home packages to 30 different countries. Every new home design created by Linwood is optimized in a Linwood building kit. This contains the materials required to build an outstanding home to the structural "lock up" stage – secure, weatherproof and ready for finishing. The Linwood building system offers the option of either conventional framing or its signature post-and-beam construction method. This allows for cost-effective, upscale features, including vaulted ceilings, large windows and open-concept living space. Why Join the Builder Network? Builders who already work with Linwood know that Linwood's exceptional building plans and materials help them get the job done with less waste, more efficiency, valuable technical support, greater profit and much higher levels of customer satisfaction. As a member of the Linwood Independent Home Builder Network (LIHBN), builders are introduced to existing Linwood customers, or can have a Linwood package created for their own customers. The Linwood system has been WHY WE CAN'T GO TOTALLY WIRELESS By Tom Cunningham, Director of Product Marketing for NuVo & On-Q, Legrand Technology is easy to fall in love with. As professionals and as consumers, we do it every day. And as professionals, we want to help our customers achieve their desire for the latest and greatest – even when that isn't necessarily the beall and end-all option. Therein lies a unique opportunity: providing solutions to problems our customers do not even know exist. For example, let's look at the "wireless home." Wi-Fi is one of the technology buzzwords, particularly with homeowners. Why run wires when we can do it all wirelessly? But can we really do it all wirelessly? In reality, that can be a risky, even detrimental, move. And so, for those of us tasked with actually fitting the myriad of modern electronics and digital services into a high-functioning, seamlessly networked home, it's important that we understand the entire landscape. What makes the current 802.11 WiFi standards so alluring is the convenience of its mobility, ubiquity and interoperability between so many devices. While the appeal is that Wi-Fi is seemingly in everything – our computers and smartphones, our televisions and cameras – that is also part of the problem. The 2.4GHz spectrum is being shared by all of your Wi-Fi devices, all of your neighbors' Wi-Fi devices, and even proprietary devices such as baby monitors. That's quite a load. When the physical limitations of RF bands are strained or exceeded, it reduces the quality of service for GENERAL SHALE'S ENDURANCE STRUCTURAL BRICK OFFERS EFFICIENCY, LONGEVITY AND AESTHETIC APPEAL General Shale's Endurance RS4™ Structural Brick is a forward-thinking product that has combined proven engineering with the exterior visual appeal desired by consumers. The RS4 stands for "Real Strong, Real Safe, Real Sustainable, Real Smart," giving Endurance Structural Brick a significant advantage when compared to other traditional brick products in the marketplace. General Shale is the North American subsidiary of Wienerberger AG and a leading manufacturer of brick, one of the world's oldest green building materials. Oversized for safer, stronger, more sustainable and energy-efficient construction, Endurance RS4 Brick eliminates the need for load-bearing wood or steel framing and has excellent thermal mass properties. The product is suitable for any type of foundation, and is designed to withstand higher loads and meet seismic requirements. As a result, Endurance RS4 Brick is the ideal solution for homes in areas prone to high winds, tornadoes and earthquakes, or for important commercial or government buildings such as hospitals, schools, courthouses and police stations. In addition, since it is larger than traditional brick, Endurance RS4 Brick can be installed with minimal labor and overall cost adjustments, which are key benefits for architects, builders and contractors who need easy-to-install, efficient and cost-effective building solutions. "Endurance Structural Brick meets the consumer-identified objectives for external beauty, endurance and energy savings," said General Shale CEO Dick C o n stru c tio n Ma rke tp la c e proven over thousands of builds. Linwood offers a true custom home package with many options. Linwood can also create a home package from a builder's own design, ideas or by using one of Linwood's proven home designs. Builders Save Time and Money Building a Linwood Home Package LIHBN builders work with high quality building materials and components. LIHBN builders get straight, appearance grade, kiln dried framing lumber, which makes the job of framing go quickly and gives a superior result for finishing. The added option of factory wall panelization can help speed up construction for builders. Building material is available when needed to avoid shortages on site. Sorting of materials is easy, since the every device using them. Those limitations are the source of audio drop offs, buffering delays or reduced definition when streaming a movie and latency in competitive multiplayer videogames. These nuisances undermine the intent of quick, reliable access to content, which is the very point of incorporating many technologies into the home. Part of the solution can be to use the 5GHz band to help alleviate some bandwidth traffic, but this option is not without its own limitations. While many new devices are expected to be dual band, 2.4GHz will continue to be the most used band in the near future. So the real solution is recognizing that wireless is not the whole solution. A network needs to be about uninterrupted access and content, and it falls on the installer's shoulders to ensure the best user experience. Networking a home with a strong wired backbone remains the best practice to achieve top performance. Green. "In addition, Endurance Structural Brick also addresses the practical needs of contractors by providing a single, high-quality product that is applicable for a variety of projects." Endurance wall systems can be used in conjunction with any type of interior wall construction (e.g., furring strips, nonload-bearing metal studs, hat channel, etc.) and insulation systems. One of the most efficient methods of construction, both in terms of costs and energy savings, is the use of continuous rigid insulation, which reduces thermal bridging. The combination of Endurance RS4 Brick and continuous insulation helps to dramatically increase a building's energy efficiency, which can lower a building's Home Energy Rating System score. Endurance Structural Brick is also the ideal solution for complying with the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code, which contains stringent requirements for insulation in right lengths are pre-bundled and identified by intended use. Pre-measured materials mean little waste, with the ability to trim on-site for adjustments. Linwood provides engineering and technical support for on-site changes. Working with Linwood minimizes financial risk to builders and reduces the amount of credit needed. The LIHBN builder program offers other incentives to support builders and deliver added value to customers. If you are a builder and would like to find out more, please contact: (in the U.S.) Jeff Herlocker: jherlocker@linwoodhomes .com or 800-451-4888; (in Canada) Jason Sharpe: jsharpe@linwoodhomes.com or 866-582-8453. For more information, visit www.linwood homes.com, call 800-451-4888, email jherlocker@linwoodhomes.com or stop by booth #C7315, Central Hall, IBS. Should an existing home have only a limited wired Ethernet network then a coax network using the MoCA standard or a powerline network using the HomePlug AV standard might be suitable alternatives. Both of these wired technologies are affordable, easy to install and can relieve the Wi-Fi network of its highest bandwidth responsibilities. This will ensure superior performance for streaming and surfing on mobile and smart devices. We love our new technologies, but as professionals we need to understand that committing solely to a specific technology can be a recipe for failure. Employing multiple technologies to build a complete, robust networking solution that can handle multiple applications is often the best solution. For more information, visit www.legrand.us, call 800-223-4162, email customer.support@legrand.us or stop by booth #C3062. new buildings in the U.S. in order to improve energy efficiency. "Since our company was founded more than 85 years ago, the nature of our business has been sustainable building," Green said. "Brick is the ultimate construction material for environmental concerns and energy savings, and this cutting-edge product has given our company an opportunity to take the advantages of building with brick to a new level." Endurance RS4 Brick units meet the standard specification for hollow brick and comply with ASTM C652, Type HBS Class 40V, Grade SW. Endurance RS4 Brick products are manufactured in a variety of colors, available in a standard unit size (2-3/4-inch x 11 5/8-inch x 5 5/8-inch) and a bond beam unit. For more information, visit www.general shale.com, call 800-414-4661, email dawn.henning@generalshale.com or stop by booth #S1618 at the International Builders' Show.