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Parks Associates provides the following generic definition of the term "residential gateway": A residential gateway is a device that connects to an external network or multiple access networks and distributes service(s) to one or more devices through some type of network in the home. |
Mr. Hongjun Li is Director of Research at Parks Associates, a Dallas-based market research and consulting firm specializing in emerging residential technologies. Mr. Li can be reached at hongjun@parksassociates.com or 972-490-1113. |
Defining the Residential Gateway
The term "residential gateway" (RG) means very different things to different people or different industries. The Residential Gateway Group (RG Group), an informal industry consortium established in 1995, proposed to use the term RG to represent a centralized intelligent interface between external residential access networks and in-house networks. The RG is believed to have two key functions:
- the physical interface terminating all external access networks to the home as well as the termination point of internal home networks;
- the enabling platform for residential services to be delivered to the consumer, including both existing services and new ones yet to come.
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Over the past several years, efforts from multiple industries have pushed the residential gateway beyond the conceptual stage. In the meantime, however, the term "residential gateway" has been used to refer to many different types of products, hence creating confusion on what exactly is a residential gateway. Below is a partial list of products that have been classified or labeled as a residential gateway:
- Network interface units/devices (e.g., telephone interface box)
- DSL modem
- Cable modem
- Set-top box
- The hub of a structured wiring system
- An enhanced PC
- A broadband modem combined with a home networking solution
- A special in-home device that enables certain specific services (e.g., Ericsson's e-box)
- A whole-house gateway as envisioned by the RG Group.
Cisco Systems defines a residential gateway as "an intelligent gateway between networked information appliances inside the home and an intelligent broadband access network." (http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/756/cnp/technical/pdk_wp.htm) 2Wire, on the other hand, defines RG as a device that "seamlessly connects a home network to a broadband network, allowing the benefit of high-speed connection to be simultaneously enjoyed by all networked devices at home." (http://www.2wire.com/learning_center/residential_tutorial.asp) Both definitions consider an RG as a device that connects an external broadband network to an in-home network.
Parks Associates believes that if the term "RG" refers to "the residential gateway", then only a centralized whole-house gateway (as envisioned by the RG Group) can be called a gateway. However, because a few existing products already provide some specific gateway functions and because there are very different views from industries, the term "RG" can be used in a broad or generic sense. Thus, Parks Associates provides the following generic definition of the term "residential gateway":
A residential gateway is a device that connects to an external network or multiple access networks and distributes service(s) to one or more devices through some type of network in the home.
Figure 1 illustrates Parks Associates' RG classification model based on this generic definition.
Figure 1
RG-Enabled Applications and Product Examples
Different RGs enable different levels/categories of applications. The device envisioned by the RG Group enables virtually all the major applications a consumer may use at home. For example, the specification of a centralized RG currently being developed by TIA's (Telecommunications Industry Association) TR41.5 Committee is aimed at enabling the following categories of applications:
- Telecommuting
- Internet access
- Distance learning
- Telemedicine
- Video telephony
- Home appliance management and integration
- Security systems management
- In-home power regulation and management
- Automated meter reading
- Neighborhood cordless roam phones
- Video delivery and distribution
- Virtual VCR and video on demand
- Video intercom
- CD jukebox
- On-line advertising and electronic catalogs.
Convergence gateways aim at enabling integrated video, data, and/or voice applications over a single broadband network. Examples of convergence gateways include advanced set-top boxes, such as General Instrument's/Motorola's DCT-5000, Scientific-Atlanta's Explorer 2000, and NextLevel Communications LP's N3 Residential Gateway. The first two enable integrated services over HFC (hybrid fiber/coax), while N3 is typically connected to a VDSL (very-high-speed digital subscriber line) network and distributes voice, video, and data signals to their appropriate endpoints. Recently there has emerged a new type of convergence gateways that integrate a broadband modem (DSL and/or cable modem) and a home networking solution (e.g., HomePNA and HomeRF). Examples of such gateways include Cisco System's Internet Home Gateway, 2Wire's HomePortal, ShareGate's ISIS/Jupiter gateways, and Caymen Systems' 3220HW gateway.
The applications enabled by most of the service-specific and thin-server gateways are limited to a particular category, such as Internet access, telephony, energy management, and home control/security. Newly emerged thin-server gateways may enable multiple categories of applications. Ericsson's e-box, for example, is designed to enable energy management, home automation, home care, home security, and shared Internet access, among others. Other service-specific and thin-server gateways include Coactive Networks' Connector 2000 and 3000 series, the gateway node of Sage Systems' Aladn™ (Autonomous Local-Area Distributed Network), Emerald Gateway's ESG 400, and Scientific-Atlanta's former MainGate system (S-A's Control Systems business was sold to Comverge Technologies in 1999).
Parks Associates expects to see new RG announcements from various industries in the future. Overall, current residential gateway development is typically characterized by the integration of cross-category applications in a single device. Parks Associates believes that such a trend will continue to underline future RG development efforts.
RG Standards Efforts
Many companies have developed their own RG products. However, more sophisticated and coordinated RG development requires the creation of RG standards. Since the RG Group released its white paper in 1995, there have been three major initiatives to create standards for residential gateways, as summarized below.
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RG Standards Efforts |
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Standards Organization |
TIA TR41.5 Committee* |
ISO/IEC* |
Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi) |
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Gateway Type |
Centralized gateway (TIA/EIA/TSB 110) |
Centralized gateway (HomeGate) |
Services gateway |
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Current Status |
Being developed |
Being developed |
Specification 1.0 released in May 2000 |
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Major Services/ Applications Enabled |
All major services/applications related to voice, video, and data |
All major services/applications related to voice, video, and data |
Voice-over-IP, energy management, home control, security monitoring, e-commerce, and other services that can be delivered via the Internet |
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* According to both TIA and ISO/IES officials, the model from TIA and ISO/IES may look very similar. The two organizations have agreed to cooperate with each other and eventually seek to adopt a single, international standard for the residential gateway. © 2000 Parks Associates |
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Figure 2
Conclusion
Almost everyone agrees that the current residential network interface solutions would be more effective with the deployment of a centralized gateway. However, that is where the agreement ends. Because of the nature of existing external access networks, the diverse business models from service providers, the different network interface devices that already exist or are under development, and many other technical/business issues involved, there will be no single RG solution for the foreseeable future. Although a distributed (or multiple) gateway approach has numerous supporters, manufacturers and service providers still face the challenge of integrating multiple gateways. Ultimately, a whole-house centralized gateway will prove to be the most effective solution for bridging external networks and in-home networks/devices.
About Parks Associates
Parks Associates is a Dallas-based market research and consulting firm
specializing in emerging technologies and services for the residential
marketplace. Parks Associates will host a cross-industry conference, Forum 2000:
Empowering the Internet @ Home, in San Francisco, Oct. 17-19, 2000, at the
Fairmont Hotel. For more information about the conference, please visit www.parksassociates.com
or call Steve Harvey at 972-490-1113.
