1. Who are the major players in the HomeRF Group and how many companies are presently involved?

A: Currently, the HomeRF WG membership totals approximately 90 companies. The companies range across all industries from the consumer electronic and semiconductor industries to the computer and communications industry. We have even begun adding channel companies with Radio Shack joining this quarter. It is this breadth of involvement from our members that is what we are most proud of today, while all the major wireless players are heavily involved we get contributions from all areas. We do carry a complete list of member companies, on the HomeRF website at http://www.homerf.org/roster/ .

2. What kinds of devices/systems will be developed as a result of the HomeRF specification and how soon will consumers begin to see them?

3. Please describe (in laymen's terms) what the HomeRF Working Group is trying to accomplish and why?

A: HomeRF is working to provide the foundation on which a broad range of consumer electronic devices can interact through digital wireless technology. The Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP) provides member companies with that foundation. The products that member companies will eventually provide will offer consumers a user experience unlike any other. Consumers no longer have to be "tied down" to a modem connection or an electrical or phone outlet. They will be free to move about and still use their PC effectively. HomeRF also wants consumers to have the ability to network their homes without the expense of installing new wiring or upgrading old wiring.

4. What is the difference between HomeRF / Sharewave / Bluetooth in terms of technology and consumer benefits?

A: HOMERF/BLUETOOTH: This is a great question as the perception seems to exist that HomeRF and Bluetooth occupy the same market space and that really isn’t the case. While both are wireless connectivity protocols, HomeRF is designed as a true wireless network protocol that can cover the entire home and yard, while Bluetooth is a cable replacement technology that connects devices like cellular phone and PDA or PC across the much smaller space of, say, a room. From a technology perspective this means that Bluetooth is optimized for short-haul, point-to-point connectivity, or two devices can connect over typically 10 meters or so. To introduce a third device requires that one device act as a server to forward communications between the other two devices. HomeRF is a pure peer-to-peer networking protocol, allowing for multiple simultaneous device interactions at ranges of over 50 meters.

The consumers need to identify which technology is best for their particular need. If your primary goal is to bring your laptop home from work and set it next to your home PC to print or share files, or to collaborate between your cell-phone and laptop for an Internet connection from the road this may be the best technology. However if you wish to share Internet access and utilize your PC enhanced cordless phone at the same time you are in the kitchen looking for the perfect dinner recipe on the Internet, you may require a more robust networking technology.

HOMERF/SHAREWAVE: Sharewave has done an excellent job positioning its proprietary technology as a multimedia networking solution to share movies, video, audio between two devices in the home. They employ a Direct Sequence method to achieve a raw data rate of 4 Mbs, which allows them to move video around their system, while they remain in the 2.4 Ghz spectrum. Since HomeRF uses a frequency hopping method our data rates run a bit lower (1-2 Mbs raw), this is all that is needed to move voice and data, however it is insufficient to move multimedia.

For consumers who like to live on the bleeding edge, ShareWave’s proprietary systems may be attractive, as they will be the first on their block to be able to share movies from the Internet to their TV’s. However we believe that the first, and most cost-effective, usage scenarios will not involve multimedia at all. Since we view multimedia as a second-generation technology, we are examining how best to do that, it may involve bumping up the spectrum to 5 Ghz that is unclear today.

HomeRF is focused on reaching consumer price points with for the #1 application - Internet sharing. Although the HomeRF vision includes a standardized way of distributing TV (and even HDTV) signals in the future- and we are developing the market requirements for such a standard- we don’t believe that today’s technology can yet deliver the capabilities we want at the mass-market consumer price points we desire.

5. I'm ready to invest in a Home Automation system today. How can I ensure that what I buy and install won't be obsolete in a few years?

Unfortunately, this is a rapidly evolving market. Many of our member companies have already launched their own products to the market place, and this has somewhat confused the market. It is our hope that these vendors will create backward compatibility into their future releases. This would allow you to automatically benefit from SWAP and other networking technologies simply by performing a minor upgrade, though this is ultimately up to the individual companies.

In addition we believe that Home Automation (of security, lighting, HVAC, etc.) falls well below data networking as a driver of home systems and that data networking can drive demand for automation systems.

After all, the least expensive way to network systems is with wiring- if the wiring is already in place. Some people just put all of their PCs in one room and run category 5 UTP wiring around it. Others have wired their new homes with cat.5. Ethernet adapters cost as little as $22 each, and 4-port hubs cost as little as $30.

Since most homes don’t have advanced wiring and the task of running new wires in walls can be daunting, an easy to install "no new wires" approach (like HomePNA and HomeRF) is preferred by most consumers. HomeRF wireless networking has a role to play even in homes with advanced wiring installed. That’s because it offers mobility to extend the "plug and play" concept to let you "unplug and roam" - to the sofa, the garage, or the garden. And it supports the integration of voice and data.

6. Where does HomeRF sit in relation to the more universal protocol offerings such as CEBus, Home Plug and Play, Lonworks etc.?

CEBus, Lonworks, Home Plug and Play, and don’t forget the dominant X-10 - these are all designed for control networks, not data networking. Data networking uses technologies such as TCP/IP and Ethernet. Think of HomePNA as "Ethernet over existing phone wires" and HomeRF as cordless Ethernet and phone service -- no wires at all.

7. With todays proliferation of Standards / Specifications / Protocols, are we destined to create a home full of smart devices that speak different languages?

Consumers do not want to have to spend an hour in the store determining which product will work with what they already have, they would prefer a seemless transition, the ultimate in "plug and play." The goal of the HomeRF group is to improve the user experience in the home and provide some consistency across wireless technologies. In addition we are investigating what SWAP hooks and support are needed to enable a manufacturer to build bridging devices or gateways between the wireless HomeRF network and various wired home networks, such as home phone line networks.