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| EMagazine Volume 4 Issue 5 October 1999 |
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While the services offered by today's broadband provider's deliver the benefit of high speed Internet access, this is only the tip of the iceberg with regards to the potential spectrum of service offerings. As the services become more complex, the residential gateways needed to decode the information will play a vital role. |
With
the debate raging in the technology community and press about what will win the
standards battle in the residential gateway wars it always seems one fundamental
aspect of the home network continues to be overlooked: The infrastructure
necessary to distribute the disparate signals coming out of the gateway. As
broadband providers begin offering more services via a single pipe into the
home, however, this debate will become very important to the average consumer.
With today's DSL and Cable modem connections offering little more than high
speed Internet along with their traditional services, there is limited incentive
for either the industry or consumers to install a fully integrated home network.
As the market matures and the services offered by broadband providers expand and diversify, the need for a robust home networking solution will become more apparent. In the initial stages of broadband, where the Internet is the focus, a traditional PC to PC networking architecture works well. When additional broadband services such as high definition television (HDTV) and embedded interactive appliance communications become available the networking model begins to diverge from the traditional data network to include entertainment and video components as well as non-traditional data.
As this divergence happens the residential gateway becomes a critical component in the network. With the embedded intelligence necessary to separate the individual types of signals included in a single broadband connection the gateway acts as the control point in the home, responsible for getting the right signal to the right network or device. In order to accomplish this the gateway must be able to communicate with multiple network types and protocols. Thus, the need for a networking solution that offers multiple options without limiting either the user or the provider as to the devices that can be on the network.
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While the services offered by today's broadband provider's deliver the benefit of high speed Internet access, this is only the tip of the iceberg with regards to the potential spectrum of service offerings. As the services become more complex, the residential gateways needed to decode the information will play a vital role. The key to success, however, will be the ability to couple the residential gateway with a flexible home network that meets the needs of the homeowner. Only when this combination is delivered in tandem will consumers be able to take advantage of the full benefits offered by broadband technologies.
