 |
| EMagazine Volume 5 Issue 4 Aug / Sep 2000 |
Features |
|
|
|
Interviews |
|
Free
Email Updates |
|
|
 |
| Home
Toys Editorial - August 2000 - [HTI Home Page] |
KEEP INFORMED OF THE LATEST NEWS Sign Up for our Newsletter [Click Message To Learn More] |
And
the beat goes on! The theme for this issue is Residential Gateways and we
received several great articles on the topic from many of the major players in
this field. There are different views on what a Residential Gateway actually is
but I think Parks Associates has the most generic definition that I've seen ... 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. The "external network"
involves some sort of broadband connection to the internet (DSL / Cable / Satellite
/ Fibre / ???). That's pretty straight forward and I think there will always be
a wide variety of inputs available with different bandwidths depending on the
Service Provider selected.
When it comes to the home network configurations however, the options are not quite as clear (mainly because there are many of them). Different manufacturers focus on different priorities and therefore offer different solutions. This is a good thing in that it will give the end user many selections of useful features. For example ... Communications networks, entertainment networks, home control and security networks, data networks etc. Most homes now require (and always will require) a combination of these features.
The
problem is that we have added another level of confusion to that same end user.
To solve the confusion I started to write down what I would need from a RG with
the thought of helping simplify the world by suggesting that everyone just
"do what I say is right for you to do". Lo and Behold ... I
don't even know what I need and I got confused trying to figure it out :-( So
... who can help us answer these questions? Service Providers? System
Integrators? Fortune Tellers? Car Salesmen? I guess that's the next big question
that the industry will be answering in the upcoming months.
Fortunately there are several great articles in this issue and others that will help you decide what you need and what is available (or soon will be). The bottom line is that there is going to be a lot of wonderful products and services to make our lives more exciting in the future. Special thanks to all of those who took the time to share their knowledge with us.
The next issue will focus on CEBus. Are affordable CEBus products available yet? Who's got them ready? What are they? Where can we buy them? I've asked the CEBus Industy Council to poll the members and help us present some up to date information for those of us interested in buying and using the products. If you'd like to share what you know please contact me and I'll walk you through the process of submitting an article.
The HomeToys Mentor Section is proving to be a popular read and we are working to add experts to help you sort out the special requirements of a home of the future. Currently Wayne Caswell is keeping us up to date on the Data Networking topic and Reza Raji covers Home Control Networks. Would you like to become a mentor in your area of expertise? Please email bobh@hometoys.com if you do.
As always I ask that if you like HomeToys and what we provide for you ... the best way to show it is to support our advertisers and sponsors. Click those banners and check out these Hot Products. For those of you in the industry who would like a presence at HomeToys, we have several ad opportunities available which are both creative and effective. Click here to see the options and help us spread the word.
Enjoy!
