|
Increasingly, homes are being populated with a divergent array of digital devices, multimedia applications, networked appliances, voice and data communications platforms, entertainment systems and much more. All the while consumers are acquiring more and more digital content, which often enters the home through broadband access to the Internet, is subsequently moved and shared among the devices in the home, and eventually may be transferred outside the home via the Internet or by loading it onto a portable consumer device.
The need to make sense of this situation and maintain some semblance of order has given rise to home networks, both wired and wireless. But centering a home network on a DSL or cable modem even if they have an integrated wireless networking router, or, for that matter, a personal computer, is not the answer. The complexity caused by the presence of more and more digital devices and the sheer quantity of multimedia content requires a managed approach. Such a solution would be more capable of supporting the ever increasing need for higher data throughput rates, signaling range that covers the whole house and robustness capable of mitigating the sources of interference found in the home.
The next-generation residential gateway (RG) will serve these needs. More importantly for the service providers that deploy them, advanced RGs are critical for coping with the uncertainties of the marketplace while reducing operational costs and providing an effective platform for launching a host of new revenue-generating services. And for the equipment manufacturers who will provide them, next-generation RGs must have a reconfigurable and flexible architecture that can adapt to the requirements of telecommunications service providers and cable companies in every region of the world.
Consumers can be greedy. As more homes have installed broadband access to the Internet in Consumers recent years, consumers have found that they enjoy the faster speeds considerably and that they want to do more. Unfortunately, the higher bandwidth was typically connected directly to the home's primary personal computer, limiting residents? access to the higher bandwidth.
To distribute the broadband bandwidth more effectively, home networks, and specifically wireless home networks, increased in popularity. Eventually, standalone wireless local area networking (WLAN) routers and access points gave way to DSL and cable modems with integrated WLAN connectivity. The first glimmer of an RG emerged.
At the same time, consumers were putting their newfound bandwidth to good use. Laptop computers could easily connect to the home network. Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems, interactive video gaming consoles, printers and other devices could access the Internet directly by way of the home?s WLAN. Other types of digital devices like portable MP3 and DVD players/recorders were relegated to ad hoc connections to the home network by way of an intermediary device such as a PC.
Over time and as more digital devices with their multimedia content enter the home, the unmanaged and ad hoc connections throughout the residence could show signs of strain under the sheer weight of the applications and data flow. As this happens, consumer frustrations and dissatisfaction could rise as well.
|
