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| EMagazine Volume 6 Issue 2 Apr/May 2001 |
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Toys Article - April 2001 - [Home Page] |
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As the Web-savvy family of the future evaluates and compares home networking, the industry offers a wide array of options in wired, phone line, powerline and wireless technology. Although each option offers its own unique qualities and advantages, none are without disadvantages. I strongly believe the home will always employ a hybrid of these technologies; however, powerline technology definitely has the potential to connect more nodes than any of the other technologies. |
Today's technologies are developing at a phenomenal rate, offering newer and faster methods of automation, communication and interaction. Recent breakthroughs in LAN technology are now making it affordable for consumers to set up home networks that allow them to share a single Internet connection, transfer files between computers, share a printer and enjoy multi-player games.
According to Yankee Group, 10 million North American households will use home networks by 2003. About 20 million homes now own two or more PCs; a figure that Access Media International of New York expects will double by 2002.
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Option 1: Wired networks have been utilized within the office environment for some time. As a result, wired solutions are time tested and offer distinct advantages over the other three options available; however, wired technology isn't a panacea. The primary drawback of wired networks is the need to pull unsightly wiring between networked computers, appliances and devices. This can prove to be an insurmountable deterrent for networking within an existing home, not originally pre-wired. For new construction, wired technology provides an extremely efficient, reliable, high-speed alternative, and should be highly considered when new home construction is involved.
Option 2: Phone lines provide a cleaner and more reliable medium than any other home networking technology on the market. However, this networking option is severely limited by the number of phone jacks in most American homes. AT&T recently noted that most U.S. homes contain an average of 2.7 phone jacks per dwelling. The average Asian and European home contains only 1.0 phone jack per dwelling. Although phone lines offer a low cost networking option, these same costs will skyrocket when additional phone lines are installed to extend past its two-outlet limitation.
Option 3: Powerline technology utilizes a home's existing electrical wiring and offers limitless connections - allowing any electrical outlet throughout the entire house to be a networking location. This feature offers the ability to handle tremendous growth and scalability without increasing expansion costs. Although slower than phone line connections, powerline technology currently provides a connection rate that is 30-40 times faster than current 56K modem technology - easily capable of handling MP3 audio, voice connections and other multimedia streams like Web concerts, etc. Powerline technology scales easily to both low-speed and high-speed devices and offers a high number of networking connections for next-generation appliances. Powerline delivers an extremely low cost home networking option.
Option 4: Wireless technology is untethered and offers freedom from wire-based systems - allowing connections anywhere throughout the house without the hassle of wires or walls. Wireless phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other remote control devices are tremendously convenient and utilize wireless signals. However, wireless networks also come with a hefty price tag and hidden strings attached. Wireless signals encounters significant challenges in overcoming barriers like metal or concrete obstructions - preventing many signals from passing back and forth, creating "dead spots" within the home. Microwave ovens and other RF-emitting appliances may also disrupt wireless signals. Wireless technology transmits at a high frequency and, therefore, requires complex logic. This requirement translates into substantially higher development and delivery costs. Nevertheless, wireless technologies will continue to be the solution of choice for pure mobile devices.
As the Web-savvy family of the future evaluates and compares home networking, the industry offers a wide array of options in wired, phone line, powerline and wireless technology. Although each option offers its own unique qualities and advantages, none are without disadvantages. I strongly believe the home will always employ a hybrid of these technologies; however, powerline technology definitely has the potential to connect more nodes than any of the other technologies.
Overall, powerline provides the best balance between ubiquity of connections, scalability of appliances, reliability of data delivery and overall affordability. Powerline provides a common native infrastructure that acts as the glue to bind subsystems of varying size and complexity. Most electrical appliances already come pre-configured for a powerline network connection. The majority of these appliances can also benefit from a link to other appliances through the same port that supplies power. Powerline doesn't require the user to think about connectivity; it is truly the only "plug-n-play" solution available.
Alan
Walbeck, founder and CTO of Inari, not only understands powerline networking; he
helped develop it. Walbeck came to Inari at its inception in February 1997. The
original architect of Novell Inc.'s Embedded Systems Technology (NEST) division,
Walbeck co-founded Inari (formerly Intelogis) and orchestrated the spin-off from
Novell in February 1997. Inari's technology transmits high-speed digital signals
over existing AC electrical wiring.
As CTO, Walbeck focuses on new opportunities to best leverage and maximize Inari's technology. Through Walbeck's vision and leadership, Inari brought the first and only powerline networking solution to market: the PassPort Plug-In Network, marketed under the Intelogis name.
A founding member of Inari's board, Walbeck was recently elected to the board of directors for the Power Line Communications (PLC) Forum, a European-based standards organization created to unite and represent organizations who are promoting Powerline communications technology throughout the world.
Walbeck was a senior hardware/software engineer for Novell and was founder and vice president of engineering at Vyzynz International, an Internet service provider. Walbeck received his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah.
