Articles and whitepapers

Wired for Speed - Home Networking using DSL (25/11/2003)

By Tom Starr

The average UK home has two and a half telephone sockets, sufficient for home telephone purposes, but today as broadband moves higher and higher up the wish-list for home-dwellers of all ages, the phone line becomes increasingly in demand. What technophiles already know, and the savvier consumer is just beginning to wake up to, is that the two-phone, one-computer scenario is just the beginning in home connectivity.

Home networking elevates broadband DSL (digital subscriber line) from its status as a 'useful extra,' to being a way of life. Broadband DSL bestows the typical family with bandwidths of a size that, five years ago, before the file sharing revolution, few ever expected would be in demand in the home. These fast, secure connections simultaneously link home appliances to the latest online applications and multi-media services - from gaming to business-quality video conferencing and peer-to-peer networking. Home networks converge these applications, revolutionising the at-home online experience.

DSL broadband is the leading broadband option in the world, with global subscriptions expected to reach 60 million connections by the end of 2003 - over 60% of all broadband connections. It provides the option for high-speed broadband Internet access over the existing copper telephone line, capable of delivering a triple-play connection of voice, video and data. Voice and data can run simultaneously along the same broadband DSL, preventing the need for an additional line to accommodate an Internet connection. As consumers look for more than just always-on, high-speed Internet access, this formula of high-level of connectivity with an in-built capacity to incorporate long-established home essentials, is proving irresistible.

Of the one million UK broadband DSL subscribers, 85% are residential users. According to a May 2003 Forrester Research, Inc. report, 44% of online households will realise the potential of their existing DSL connections to install a home network by 2008.

Traditionally, the primary motivation for building a home network is the ability to share broadband Internet access. Using the online connection, adults can be working with the office while children are playing an online game grand-slam with friends on the opposite side of town, without affecting the connection speeds or phone calls of other household members.

Broadband DSL home networks allow parents to be working from home while children compete in online games along the high-speed connection.

Networking however, is not just about connecting computers - it is the ability to connect your whole home. The abundance of peripheral devices available for home computers including printers, web cameras, and backup hard drives, can be shared through a home network. All the computers in the home can benefit from a single accessory in the household. The music library of one computer can be enjoyed everywhere by sending audio files, stored on one of the home PCs to a Hi-Fi system, or to a dedicated MP3 player. A networked home can also incorporate the home office, home security and surveillance, household lighting and temperature controls, additional voice services and medical monitoring. Day-to-day tasks can be managed and reported remotely enabling control of your house while you are away.

A networked home connects home appliances, home entertainment and home monitoring devices to provide access and control whether you are in the room, down the hall or even, at the office.

Planning ahead

When undertaking any new build or home improvement project. include plans for copper wiring and telephone sockets to provide the infrastructure for home networking. The function of a telephone socket now extends far beyond the household phone calls. Anywhere there is electronic equipment, entertainment equipment and home management tools, a telephone socket connected to the copper telephone line enables a digital home and a complete home network.

To achieve the greatest benefit from a home networking opportunity, homeowners should be encouraged to make an inventory of the computers that will be needed now and in the future. Consider also the other electronic applications that may be joined to the network, such as audio entertainment centres, telephone and fax machines, home utility controls and monitoring devices. Next, lay the infrastructure for this communication.

Hardware requirements

When installing sockets, networking foresight would encourage incorporating micro-filters into the socket. Micro-filters are used in networks to avoid background or outside noise from interfering with the communication between connected appliances. A micro-filter can be included in one of two ways, as an external piece inserted between the socket and the appliance plug, or it can be incorporated into the socket fixture inside the wall allowing for a more seamless look.

Home networks, like any information networks, require a router to connect the home network and outside networks or computers, as well as a hub or switch to connect the computers and peripherals within the house and disseminate the information they request appropriately. Routers and hubs/switches are traditionally separate units, but are more frequently being "bundled' in packages that include a built-in hub/switch and, at times, the actual DSL modem, making home networking easier.

The 'Internet gateway' is a hub/switch enabling home devices to be simultaneously connected to each other and, through the DSL modem (router) to the Internet. Hubs/switches are increasingly being bundled with routers to facilitate home networking.

Wireless

'Wireless' is becoming a buzzword in network connections. While wireless options exist, they are not a necessity and linking directly to the telephone line remains an effective means of networking a home. In older buildings especially, metal structures can interfere with wireless communication preventing its use. Including a wireless access point in the router main entrance will enable wireless connection so a laptop will even work in the garden. New hybrid networks are becoming available that incorporates wireline and wireless access points, potentially increasing the user's reach to anywhere in the home and close surroundings.

Summary

DSL broadband is a utility capable of connecting all facets of home life. The smart fridge recognising what groceries are needed, webcams ensuring access to continual home monitoring, and self-diagnosing appliances are a reality, through a telephone socket. When refurbishing a house or building a new home, consider wiring for a connected home. Just as you can never have too many electrical sockets, so soon, we will all want and need a phone socket by almost every power outlet so we can share our broadband DSL and the enormous potential of a networked home.

Tom Starr is President of the international DSL Forum. The DSL Forum is the industry consortium dedicated to developing the potential of broadband DSL to benefit the global community. Working with industry leaders, the Forum is encouraging 'plug-and-play' simplicity by coordinating technologies, and facilitating home networking opportunities. These advances are seen in the increased communication capabilities between individual routers and hubs/switches, allowing households to make use of their existing hardware. From the service end, broadband service providers are increasingly offering network installation, linking their broadband DSL to the home's hardware. Hardware and service providers alike understand the potential networked homes offer broadband DSL subscribers, and are increasingly facilitating this opportunity.

www.dslforum.org