Posted by : Unknown Friday, July 26, 2013

Abstract

Once connected, consumers find innumerable uses for their home networks. Sharing in-home appliances to provide faster Internet access has proven to be the main motivator for consumers installing a new home network. Knowledge workers, students, and families are some of the groups of people that are at the forefront of the home networking revolution.

The ultimate goal of a home network is to provide access to information, such as voice, audio, data, and entertainment between different digital devices around the house. Home networking allows users to communicate and interact anywhere at anytime. This new and emerging technology will bring the Internet to the hands of the consumers, to every appliance in the house, and help interconnect people across the globe. It allows access to homes via the Internet when one is away, enabling security and energy management. Home networking is really a three part equation offering entertainment, information, and automation services that are distributed between appliances in the home.

Introduction

The integration of computer and smarter chips into next generation, everyday consumer devices is one of the major factors that is driving the home networking market. The home network enables the distribution of data, voice, and video between different consumer devices. Our cars have had intelligent consumer devices for years—now children's toys, our kitchen appliances, and our living room entertainment systems have computing power that rivals previous generation desktop computers. This paper provides a brief overview of how convergence of technologies and digitization of appliances are fueling the demand for home networks. It also provides a brief overview of the motivating factors to network a household and also gives the architecture of home networking systems.

Topic Details
Convergence and Digitization

We are transitioning from an industrial-based analog economy to an information-based digital economy. The momentum for this transition is been fueled by a number of converging factors.

Converging media: Digitization of data, voice, video, and communications is driving consumer product convergence. Convergence is happening in everyone’s backyard with incredible computing power being embedded within everyday consumer appliances. The digital revolution, be it from vinyl players changing to MP3 players or from analog TV to digital TV, is occurring very rapidly. Data, video, and voice can now be transmitted over the same backbone due to the digital revolution.

Internet based lifestyles: As quickly as the Internet came into our lives it has become omnipresent. Families are becoming more aware of how the Internet can be used in their homes, and companies are also increasingly using it as a commercial channel. The Internet serves as the technology platform that enables an entirely new generation of consumer applications, including voice and video communications, e-commerce solutions, personalized news services, home security and automation, utilities resource management, and entertainment title distribution. The availability of such a wide variety of applications is changing the way people relate to the Internet itself.
 “Internet Lifestyles” is a new way of thinking that has resulted in the formation of an organization called the Internet Home Alliance. The principle behind this new organization is that consumers want to enjoy the benefits of the Internet lifestyle without worrying about the technology that enables it to work. The Alliance is bringing new levels of comfort, convenience, and security by creating the necessary infrastructure. Installation and support from various companies provide integrated services, eliminating the need for multiple points of consumer contact.

Deregulation: There is a heavy deregulation of global infrastructure industries such as telecommunications, utilities, and cable. These companies are developing new ways of improving their business by using the Internet and increasing revenues through additional services to the home.

Digitization of consumer products: For some time now, there has been a trend towards the digitization of consumer products. A product that is digital is one which is synonymous with higher quality, greater accuracy, higher reliability, faster speed, lower power, and lower cost. Simply stated, anything that is digital is better. The digitization of consumer products has not only led to the improvement of existing products, but it has also lead to the creation of a whole new class of products that never before existed. PVRs (Personal Video Recorders) are revolutionizing the way we watch TV, satellite modems are bringing faster Internet access to the home, and MP3 players have revolutionized portable digital music.

What is Home Networking?

From a purely technical perspective, a home network connects a number of devices or appliances within a small geographical area (home, SOHO). A home network improves communication and allows the sharing of expensive resources among members of a family. A home network consists of a number of components, which may be divided into two basic categories: hardware and software. It has evolved from its roots in automation and security and has come to include the distribution of audio, video, and data content around the home. Home networking is also the interconnection and interoperation of different home electronic appliances, entertainment devices, PC hardware, and telecommunication devices. In general, home networking is all about the convergence of voice, video, and data, and their associated appliances in the home.

Motivations to Network a Household

For the vast majority of people, the prestige of being up to date with their nearest neighbor is not enough to motivate the installation of new home networking technologies. The motivating factors that encourage people to network different classes of household appliances and computers together are:

Leverage existing investments: First and foremost, people want to leverage their investments in expensive appliances such as computers, set-top boxes, personal video recorders, digital cameras, and cable modems. Hence, sharing hardware resources is the number one motivating factor for consumers investing in new home networking interconnection technologies.

Shared Internet access: The second most popular motivating factor fueling the deployment of home networks is shared Internet access. Home networks, in conjunction with devices called media gateways, allow different members of a family to simultaneously use a single, fast Internet access, thus saving money.

Interconnecting subsystems: Other motivating factors include the ability of a home networking infrastructure to interconnect different types of subsystems together. For example, home security systems are also defined as a network, but instead of interconnecting devices like printers and PCs, in-home security networks connect different types of sensors to a central controller. Integrating this type of network with an existing PC-based home network helps people expand the functionality of their security system and better manage different subsystems.

Rise of multi-PC households: The rapid growth of multi-PC homes indicates that the number of nodes in a PC network will continue to skyrocket as home networking appliances are introduced. Also, sharing PC peripherals (such as printers and scanners) between multiple PCs provides cost savings.

Evolving in-home applications: File sizes of typical personal computer applications are growing rapidly with each generation of standard software applications. For example, the file size of a PowerPoint demonstration with the same content has doubled over the last few years. Graphics and digital photography over e-mail are now commonplace. Also, distributing video, MP3 files, and other digital content between information appliances is gaining importance.

Architecture of Home Networking Systems

Home networking is in fact a four-part equation defined by broadband access, residential gateways, home networking technologies, and information appliances. The middleware software is also a key component of the home networking market. 
Broadband Access

Digital broadband access to the home has revolutionized communication by providing a very fast, two-way communication channel. Internet access and the ability to transmit real-time audio and video anywhere at anytime is a revolutionary concept helping drive broadband access to the home. Rapid technological advances have immensely extended the list of possible broadband platforms that consumers can use to access the Internet. Solutions available include xDSL, cable, powerline, satellite, and wireless platforms.

Media Gateways (Residential Gateways)

The media gateway (MG), also known as a residential gateway, is the interface device that connects the broadband access technologies to the in-home network, effectively bringing a bidirectional communications channel to every networked device in the home. Since it serves as the centralized access point between the home and the outside world, the media gateway represents an important strategic technology. Additionally, the MG serves as the convergence point that bridges the different broadband and LAN technologies. Another important function of the MG is to serve as an access platform through which service providers can remotely deploy services to the home via the Internet.

Home Networking Technologies (Information Appliance Network)

The Information Appliance Network (IAN) consists of high-speed in-home data networking technologies that distribute Internet access to ubiquitous access points and appliances. The IAN provides interconnectivity for all home appliances. A wide variety of technologies exist for interconnecting devices within the home, but no single technology meets all of the requirements for the diversity of applications that will be created. While traditional Ethernet systems offer a robust and proven solution, most consumers do not have the time, interest, or knowledge to rewire their homes. Fortunately, the emergence of “no new wiring” technologies offers possibilities for solving the mass-market home networking issue. New technologies include wireless, phoneline, and powerline solutions. Since each solution presents distinct benefits and drawbacks, many organizations are beginning to suggest that all of these technologies will co-exist in a multi-layered home network architecture. Types of home networking technologies are:

New Wires: Ethernet, optic fiber, USB/USB 2.0, IEEE 1394
No New Wires: Phonelines, powerlines
Wireless: HomeRF, Bluetooth, wireless LANs (IEEE 802.11, HiperLAN2)

New Wires

Ethernet solutions provide the highest data rates and are reasonably priced, but require the installation of special wiring, which can be expensive and inconvenient to install, if even possible or allowed (rentals may not allow this). Additionally, future changes to room layouts or use can require additional rewiring and cost.
Options for new wiring include Ethernet based Category 5 Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP), Coaxial cable, fiber, or structured wiring that includes a combination of these cable types. To help solve the problems associated with installing new wires in homes, such integrated cabling systems can now be installed when constructing new homes if requested by the homebuyer. These systems can handle various telephony, data, video, and home control technologies.

Twisted Copper-Pair or Coaxial-Based Transport Systems (Ethernet)

The typical topology of these systems is demonstrated in Figure.
Typical Ethernet System

This technology is based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 standard, which has undergone many revisions since its conception to enable interoperability between many manufacturers. Copper-pair or coaxial-based transport systems are bidirectional, typically have a high degree of reliability, and are thus widespread among businesses as the standard choice for networking office PCs and printers. They require the use of bulky Category 5 (CAT5) cabling, and are typically expensive to install. Some home networks have Ethernet, but because of its expense and difficulty to install, few have chosen to use it.
No New Wires

Solutions that use a home’s existing wires, whether phone lines or power lines, provide more convenient and affordable alternatives for home users.

Twisted Copper-Pair-Based Systems (Phone Line)


Based on a specification developed by the HomePNA (Home Phone-line Networking Association), phone-line networking uses the same basic transmission technology as traditional Ethernet. A recent increase in speed from 1 Mbps to 10 Mbps has created additional momentum for this technology. A drawback of using phone lines is that users are restricted to the locations of the phone jacks.
The typical topology of these systems is demonstrated in Figure.
Typical Phone Line System

Alternating Current Powerline-Based Transport Element


Equipment that uses AC power lines to network PCs offers more flexibility, since power outlets are found in almost every room of the house. While the data transmission using power lines has traditionally been slow and unreliable, industry standards are being created to solve these problems. As a result, power line networking may become a more attractive approach to networking the home. They are used as transport facilities to send and receive discrete frequency-based control, monitoring, and communications messages to smart devices that manage lighting and environmental systems ("turn off," "turn on," and "dim"). They also are used as voice-communication elements for telephone extensions, computer-modem access, and intercom devices through standard electrical outlets.
The typical topology of these elements is demonstrated in Figure.
AC Powerline-Based Transport Element


No Wires (Wireless)

While existing wire-based networks offer no-new-wires installation, wireless takes this one step further to enable “no wires” mobility and convenience. A wireless home network uses radio frequency (RF) instead of wires or cables to transmit information. A network unrestricted by wires is the most suitable solution for the home. Most homeowners do not want to incur the expense and inconvenience of running special cables throughout their homes, nor do they have a dedicated IT staff to assist with network installation. Wireless helps simplify home networking.
Of the home networks available, wireless networks offer the most flexibility. They allow users to share peripherals and Internet access while also giving them mobility. For example, a wireless home network allows a laptop user to download a file from the World Wide Web and print it on a printer connected to a networked PC in the family room – all from the comfort of his sofa, kitchen table or back patio. The most useful wireless home networks support the household’s needs for voice and entertainment as well as data. These networks allow users to talk, surf, compute and communicate from anywhere in or around the home without being tied to telephone jacks or power outlets.
Solutions are being developed that will enable multiple network environments to work together easily. For example, wireless networks can be made to communicate seamlessly with phone line or Ethernet networks. This will soon enable wireless home networks to serve as a backbone for interconnecting PCs, information appliances, home security systems, and digital entertainment centers.

The Controller-Based Data and Voice Home Network
Figure demonstrates the use of one integrated home-network system available on the market today.
Voice and Data Wireless Home Networking System
In this scenario, the microprocessor-based digital switch acts as the communications server, addressing and routing voice data traffic throughout the home. The controller supplies a robust home network for voice and data with high bandwidth capacity. It is the bridge between the transport network element serving the home from the customer-selected service provider and the wireless home network. Networked devices require no wires or fixed wired jacks. This system also offers several hundred feet of accessibility within and outside the home. There are no relocation restrictions. Data and voice services, including internal device-to-device communications, are commonplace.

Information Appliances

These intelligent devices have the ability to communicate and interoperate using the IAN. In cases where the IAN is connected to a broadband access, these devices will be able to connect to the Internet. Networking these digital appliances will bring improved convenience and flexibility for the consumer. The functional requirements of digital appliances are:
Ubiquity: Prevalence of network access points
Reliability: Operational consistency in the face of environmental fluctuation such as                                  noise interference
Cost: Affordable for mass market
Speed: Support high-speed distribution of media rich content
Quality of Service (QoS): Must support scalable QoS levels for application requirements of individual devices
Security: User authentication, encryption, and remote access protection
Remote management: Ability for external network management (queries, configuration, upgrades)
Ease-of-use: Operational complexity must be similar to existing technologies, such as
   TVs and telephones.
These information appliances include: PCs, printers, scanners, Web pads, MP3 players, kitchen pads, digital VCR, gaming consoles, set-top boxes, DVD players, digital TVs, IP phones, utility meters, security cameras, etc.

Middleware

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), Home Audio Video Interoperability (HAVi), Jini, and Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) are competitors in what is called the middleware market. Middleware operates between the operating system and a home networking application. It allows home networking users to run applications that are independent of the underlying hardware platform.

Conclusion

In the near future, by virtue of Home Networking every home may become a center of a convergence of competing technologies, architectures, and suppliers, each with a unique set of advantages and solutions. Systems are being researched, developed, and deployed to manage, monitor, and control the following list of functions:
  • data and voice communication needs internal and external to the home
  • electronic entertainment devices
  • service appliances that prepare food
  • systems and devices that maintain the in-home environment
  • devices that keep the home secure from intrusion or damage from internal and external man-made or natural events
Successful home-network system providers must develop capabilities that are upward compatible. A central controller (the brain, microprocessor, switcher, or data storage device) to capture home-network events and react in conditioned or learned responses is essential to future product innovation.
The home-network transport medium of the future will be wireless, as is dictated by the homeowner's need for flexibility, the moving continuum of product development, and the high cost and sheer inconvenience of wire-based installations.

In addition, consumers will require a system that manages everything within the home, including voice, data, and appliances. Wireless technology will provide necessary convenience, simplicity, and long-term cost savings. 

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