1.- What is Inhome Networking?

Home networking has so far applied to the interconnection of PCs in the home, however, inhome networking is lately moving much further than that, and is now facing the interconnection of a number of different electronic devices. Figure shows an example of a home network where different type of devices are connected and sharing data, which may be stored both internally in the network (PC, NAS, MP3 player...) or come directly from the operator.



Home networking is already today the linking of all types of electronic devices for applications such as entertainment, telecommunication, home automation systems and telemetry (remote control and monitoring systems). And given the wide range of previously unrelated technologies involved, standards that allow for interoperability are seen as key to the successful marketing of the concept.

The wide deployment of home networking is expected to open up access to content from PCs, mobile phones, DVD players, game consoles, and video cameras, all for viewing on the TV. Some vendors are extending IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks into the home to manage the delivery of that content between devices in the wide and local areas. Vendors are also keen to enable viewers to get easy access to Internet content (either in conjunction with middleware vendors, or by use of sophisticated electronic programming guides in the STB) and to integrate communications functions with content (for instance, by adding messaging or caller-ID functions).

Market status and operators service offer show that home networking is lining up to be a key battleground for all types of service providers. It is also clear that many service providers haven't really thought out their home networking strategy while some others currently offer a home networking approach but still have not reached the expected QoE for the user.

The big unsolved problem now centers on the last meters – not just delivery of IPTV and other multimedia services to the customer premises, but also its distribution throughout the premises via home networking. Evidence is mounting that the home will be the next key battleground for IPTV.

The ultimate goal is to provide intelligent, ultra-reliable, high-throughput networking that connects the home gateway, multiple IP set-top boxes (STBs), the whole-home digital video recorder (DVR), the PC, the media server, the dual-mode handset, and any other digital device in the home.

While early home networking initiatives were driven by end users, the whole-home networking model envisioned by most service providers puts control of home network resources firmly in the hands of the network operators themselves. This dramatic shift in perception will have massive and permanent ramifications for the entire home networking supply chain.

Given the number of service providers worldwide, their different home network technology preferences, and the vast matrix of existing home wiring options for subscribers around the globe, several multimedia home networking technologies will continue to evolve in parallel for the foreseeable future. The bottom line is that the home network transformation driven by IPTV opens doors for vendor competition inside the home that will lead to opportunities for both large and small companies, silicon and systems vendors alike. There is also plenty of room for industry consolidation, as larger vendors are looking at the next-generation home network as a market segment to fill out end-to-end triple-play solutions and provide product differentiation as service providers set their sights on the residential customer premises as an area for investment and service differentiation.

In the next posts I will provide an overview of this home networking technology as well as an examination of standards that address interworking, performance, QoS and security issues. The aim of next posts is to provide a review of existing technology in order to identify current solutions and future trends. Special attention is given to both the technology and IPTV services aspects of this new technology.