Information Technology

September 1, 2006
Home Networking: A Dream Home System

Runa Mukherjee

NEW DELHI -- Have you ever felt that transferring data from one computer to another in a small set up is not only clumsy and time consuming, but also not very reliable? Networking the computers can easily solve this problem. Networking computers generally involves connecting two or more computers using some medium. This medium can be wired or wireless. Such a setup is termed as a Network.

Home networking is the collection of elements that process, transport, manage, and store information, enabling the integration of multiple computing, control, monitoring, and communication devices within the home. Computers have recently become very popular in homes. Even eleven years back, only a few hundred thousand households in the US had a home network, although many seemed to be interested in having one.

Today, many millions of households in the U.S. and worldwide have adopted home networking. Those who have already taken the plunge are now beginning to revamp their networks for wireless, a new wave of technology that has swept the concept of home networking.

Networks, classified as local area network (LAN), metropolitan area network (MAN) and wide area network (WAN) depend on the distance between the terminals or upon the area it covers.

The scenario

Home networking has been largely ignored till recently. The increasing number of PCs and the Internet in our homes, advancements in telecom technologies, and progress in the development of smart devices has largely enhanced the scenario. As these trends continue, the need for simple, flexible, and reliable home networks will greatly increase.

Some people share files between computers using floppy disks or USB keys. A home network allows the sharing of these files much faster and more conveniently simply by utilising the available network connections between computers. Home networks allow sharing of other things also, like a printer or an Internet connection. Finally, home networks helps to use new applications like multiplayer online games.

"Home networking is proving to be a moderately attractive proposition in markets such as the US where it has a penetration of around 20 percent of all households - it is moving to what can be considered as a mass market or mature technology. As it crosses the threshold of early adopters and technically savvy people, it is likely to face further deceleration in growth," said Ashok Waran, senior vice president, Asia Pacific, SupportSoft, a leading provider of Real-Time Service Management (RTSM) software designed to ease enterprise technical support. It also provides for IT endpoint automation and enables triple play service automation for VoIP, video or broadband delivery by service providers to their customers.

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"Wireless technology has become so popular in recent years that almost everyone is using it, whether for home, office or business. In fact, home networking equipment (routers, notebook adapters, access points, media players, etc.) represents the largest segment for computer industry sales in the US, Europe and Asia. Studies show that home users like the convenience of installation (no wires) and setup (plug and play). They also enjoy new freedom by the ability to move around the home with laptops and still be connected to the Internet and other PCs. If the 80s and 90s were the era of PC, the new century is the era of wireless home networking," said Steven Joe, president and CEO, D-Link Systems, Inc., the North America division of D-Link Corporation in Taiwan. Founded in 1986, D-Link is a global leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of advanced networking, broadband, digital, voice and data communications solutions.

Dynamic Workplace

Many changes are sweeping the workplace today. The changes are in turn changing our corporate culture, bringing cost-cutting measures and clean-air acts that demand less travel to and from work. To implement these, IT managers must not only connect telecommuters to the corporate LAN and intranet but provide voice solutions as well. To conduct business properly, telecommuters must access files and store network information and therefore require a high-quality, secure voice network able to sustain multiple lines.

Internet Sharing: A home network can be configured to support one Internet connection to be shared among all of the household's computers. Net access is the primary goal of setting up a home network for most people. Both slow traditional modems and faster broadband connections can be shared. Setting up Internet connection sharing is fraught with pitfalls; unfortunately, many find the setting up experience unpleasant. Several technologies and approaches for modem sharing exist, but having so many choices also overwhelms those with little networking experience.

File Sharing: Often a file or program they've downloaded from the Net is important to be made available to all of the computers at home. It can be easily shared on a home network than with alternatives like floppy disks or removable Zip drives etc. On a home network, files can be moved and copied remotely, without needing to be present in front of the computers involved. Some operating systems provide built-in support for network file sharing that includes some important security features. Once properly configured, file sharing generally works reliably and safely.

Home Network Gaming: Home networks open up an exciting new world of gaming. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have offered online gaming services over the Internet for a considerable period of time. While they are functional and popular, these services remain limited by the slow speed and uncertain response time of Net connections. Many families prefer to play games with each other rather than with strangers on the Net. Installing and playing network games on the home LAN offers an alternative to Net gaming.

LAN Parties: LAN parties have also become popular with some home networking. LAN parties bring friends, mostly students together to play multiplayer games at home, on the local area network rather than over the Internet. While one computer can act as the server, all the players can plug their computers into a shared hub. LAN parties of a larger scale can involve a lot of people with simply a dedicated game server and multiple hubs or switches. Games that are chosen for playing at LAN parties, like Half-Life, Quake, and Unreal Tournament, are generally first-person shooter games. So even if they show simulated violence, they do hone one's skills.

Peripheral Sharing: Apart from modems, several other accessories or peripheral devices are available for home computers:

• Printers
• Scanners
• Writeable Cd-Rom "Burners" (Cd-Rw)
• Internet cameras (Web cams)

Growth Drivers

The growth of wireless technology is one of the major contributors according to some industry players.

"Setting up a wireless home networking to share an Internet connection across home PCs and appliances is simple and effective. In addition, Digital Media formats that allow a home network to connect and feed an appliance such as a television is helping its growth. Advanced abilities like home security or remote appliance management are interesting but still beyond the reach of the mass-market consumer. Entertainment applications are likely to drive growth in the future, once the underlying technology becomes simple and easy for consumers to setup along the lines of a wireless network for PC connections today," said Waran of SupportSoft.

Like any other market place, need, convenience and availability in a cost effective manner is driving growth. Widespread availability and low cost has made the "NET" quite accessible. Especially in urban centers, a large Indian population in countries like the US is making senior citizens in India turn to the computer to keep in touch with their children.

"As a matter of fact, to most computer literate people, Internet is ubiquitous and they depend on it for day-to-day activities like bill payment, reservations, etc. Also, in an effort to keep service costs down, large corporations in the service sector are encouraging people to use more and more self services applications in the form of web based systems," said Rajkumar Chandrashekar, vice president, technology, Infinite Computer Solutions.

Steven Joe of D-Link said: "Home networking is becoming more popular each year due to the proliferation of multiple computers in the home, the availability of higher bandwidths and faster digital streaming into the homes via cable modems or DSL. It also is a result of the influx of multimedia availability in the form of audio and video files, high-definition TV and various mobile devices (iPods, MP3 players, video players, PDAs, etc.) Home networking and digital home equipment is expected to continue in double-digit sales figures for the next five years, according to the Consumer Electronics Association of America."

Standardisation

Wireless home networking systems are based on standards established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). All manufacturers' products must adhere to those standards for quality, reliability, functionality and interoperability. Today's latest standard is 802.11n draft, with the actual standard are likely to be ratified by the IEEE next year. Most homes still use previous drafts, 802.11a, b or g, and all are backward compatible. The newest 802.11n standard is designed to allow data transfer, signal speeds and range that are markedly faster or longer than previous standards-based products, especially useful for larger homes.

• Popular WLAN technologies all follow one of the three main Wi-Fi communication standards. The benefits of wireless networking depend on the standard employed:
• 802.11b was the first standard to be used in WLANs.
• The 802.11a standard is faster but more expensive than 802.11b; 802.11a is more common in business networks.
• The newest standard, 802.11g, combines the best of both 802.11a and 802.11b, though it is a more expensive home networking option.

"Wireless technology based on the IEEE 802.11 (and variants) Protocol has certainly made basic applications of a home networking easy - what will be killer applications, Entertainment, security, appliance management are still lagging awaiting The advent of low-cost plug and play solutions. Beyond this, there is no dominant standard and the work of several alliance such as home plug and play, Home PNA, Internet home alliance, etc. will drive standards into the future," said Waran.

Home networking boons

Telecommuting: Telecommuting, also termed as telework, is defined by the ability of company employees to work outside of their office. This concept is going to gain acceptance in a big way in the future because though it hasn't picked up in its full potential, yet it is definitely one of those technological masterpieces that cant be overlooked for a long time.

A single computer with Net can be temporarily sufficient for telecommuting, but a full-featured home network supports multiple family members. One does not actually require high-speed Internet access for effective telework. Mostly, remote workers can communicate through small email messages that travel over networks very quickly. Workers can also write and edit documents and software programs on their local computer, using the network only for sending final results to the office.

Simplicity and Reliability: The key market drivers for home networking are simplicity and reliability. If the process is not maintenance-free, easy to use, and quick to install, it will not likely be accepted. While consumers desire the sophisticated functionality of a LAN-voice networking, shared Internet access, and smart device control-they certainly do not want to engineer or administer a complex system. They want plug-and-play functionality, as they believe that only experts require technological knowledge.

The Right Choice

Wired Ethernet has been the traditional choice in homes, but Wi-Fi is gaining ground fast. Both wired and wireless can claim advantages over the other; both represent viable options for home and other LANs. They can be:

• Ease of installation;
• Total cost;
• Reliability;
• Performance; and
• Security.

Cost

• Ethernet cables, hubs and switches are not expensive. Some connection sharing software packages are free; some cost a nominal fee. Broadband routers cost more, but these are optional components of a wired LAN, and their higher cost is compensated by the benefit of easier installation and built-in security features.

Reliability

• Ethernet cables, hubs and switches are very reliable, mainly because Ethernet has been evolving over several decades. Loose cables likely remain the single most common source of failure in a wired network. Broadband routers have faced some reliability problems but have matured over the past several years.

Performance

• Wired LANs offer superior performance. Traditional Ethernet connections offer only 10Mbps bandwidth, but 100Mbps Fast Ethernet costs little more and are readily available. Fast Ethernet is sufficient for home file sharing, gaming, and high-speed Internet access for many years into the future.

Security

• Firewalls are the primary security consideration when networking is concerned. Wired Ethernet hubs and switches do not support firewalls. However, firewall software products like ZoneAlarm can be installed on the computers itself. Broadband routers offer firewall capability built into the device, configurable through its own software only.

Today's technology also presents some limitations to the average home networker.

• A network's sharing capabilities can be difficult to configure initially;
• Home Network cabling can be difficult to manage and set up;
• Shared Internet access may not perform upto a standard level.

The major limitation is that beyond sharing an Internet connection, other potential applications of a home network (security, appliance management) are beyond the reach of the mass-market consumer, thus limiting the utility of a home network. Another limitation is also in the technical expertise needed by a common consumer in setting up, managing or troubleshooting a home network. While wireless technology has helped make it easy for the tech savvy person to share the connection across PCs, advanced applications require a professional installation.

"Lack of adequate training, customer care and awareness is a major factor. Also, home networking is still only widely prevalent in the urban areas. Rural India has certainly not seen the benefits of the Internet and is yet to embrace this concept. In large parts, computers in India is still looked at as an elite toy - vis-à-vis more of a luxury item as opposed to being a necessity," said Chandrashekar of Infinite Computer Solutions.

Using wireless home networking are based on the router's ability to overcome distance and home structural challenges such as steel beams, central air conditioning ducts or other obstacles. Access Points often remedy those problems, and the new "N" standard also is solving previous problems. Another limitation is network traffic. The more people who use the network at any given time may face data streaming slowdowns. Finally, security can be an issue. However, today's wireless switches and/or routers are equipped with the latest encryption and firewall standards to prevent network intrusion.

Security: Still a Concern

Telecommuters handle company's information that must be kept a secret from competitors.

Telecommuting over the public Internet may create security 'holes' if the telework system is not implemented properly.

Companies that are concerned about the security of remote work over the Internet implement a VPN. With its support for authentication and data encryption, a VPN provides a private connection between home and office on the public Internet. Companies may choose to provide standard dial-up networking servers, VPN servers, or both. They can actually save companies money if, for example, their workers often make long distance phone calls to gain remote access.

D-Link's Steven Joe assures the security angle of D-Link home networking products: "Every available security measure is built into D-Link products, both for home and business. Using the latest data encryption and firewall technologies, as well as data detection, filtering and monitoring methods, D-Link products continue to pass the home networking security test."

While security provisions e.g. setting wireless encryption protocol (WEP) while setting up a wireless network are available, the lack of awareness and expertise that a home user has to set this up and maintain security is probably the largest cause for concern

Unfortunately, security on the home network front has not kept pace with the rapid strides that have taken place in other areas. While broadband has made rapid inroads in quite a few urban communities' people have not taken adequate care to protect their systems and data. ISP's can certainly do more to educate home users on the risks of having an "always on" system and instead of just focusing on the cheapest link, provide additional value added services to protect the systems better.

Home Networking: A Long Way To Go

Depending on the size of one's home, company, and more importantly, the size of one's budget, wired home networking can be a viable solution. It can be installed in much the same way a small business would install an Ethernet wired network. Solutions now exist that enable a home network to be installed using regular home electrical wiring and ordinary wall outlets. Using a wireless router, together with the wired system, allows for Internet connections outside the home. It basically establishes your home/organisation as a "hotspot".

The home is the center of convergence of competing technologies, architectures and suppliers, each with a set of advantages and solutions. Systems are being researched, developed, and deployed to manage, monitor and control the functions. Successful home-network system providers must build compatible capabilities. A central controller i.e. the brain, then the microprocessor, switcher, or data storage device that can capture home-network events and react in conditioned or learned responses is essential to future product innovation.

The home-network transport medium of the future will be truly wireless, due to the sheer effectivity of wireless networking and the inconvenience of fixed lines. In addition, consumers will soon get a system that manages everything within the home, including voice, data, and appliances. Home networking will, very soon, become a complete experience.