Home Networking

This report discusses keypoints and overviews in related home networking literature. After introduction, five specific technologies (LAN, Phoneline, Powerline, Wireless and IrDA) are reviewed. Services and other issues are also discussed. Finally there is an overview of current market players.

A home network or home area network (HAN) is a type of computer network that facilitates communication among devices within the close vicinity of a home. 

Devices capable of participating in this network, for example, smart devices such as network printers and handheld mobile computers, often gain enhanced emergent capabilities through their ability to interact.

 These additional capabilities can be used to increase the quality of life inside the home in a variety of ways, such as automation of repetitive tasks, increased personal productivity, enhanced home security, and easier access to entertainment.

Physical connectivity and protocols

Home networks can use either wired or wireless technologies to connect endpoints. Wireless is the predominant option in homes due to the ease of installation, lack of unsightly cables, and network performance characteristics sufficient for residential activities.

• Wireless
• Wireless LAN
• Wireless PAN
• Low-rate wireless PAN
• Twisted pair cables
• Fiber optics
• Telephone wires
• Coaxial cables
• Power lines

Endpoint devices and services

Traditionally, data-centric equipment such as computers and media players have been the primary tenants of a home network. However, due to the lowering cost of computing and the ubiquity of smartphone usage, many traditionally non-networked home equipment categories now include new variants capable of control or remote monitoring through an app on a smartphone. 

Newer startups and established home equipment manufacturers alike have begun to offer these products as part of a "Smart" or "Intelligent" or "Connected Home" portfolio. The control and/or monitoring interfaces for these products can be accessed through proprietary smartphone applications specific to that product line.

• General purpose
• Entertainment
• Lighting
• Home security and access control
• Cloud services

Network management

• Embedded devices
• Apple ecosystem devices
• Microsoft ecosystem devices

Common issues and concerns

• Wireless signal loss
• "Leaky" Wi-Fi
• Electrical grid noise
• Administration

New Home Network Technology

New developments in home networks affect more than just home offices and entertainment systems. Some of the most exciting advances are in healthcare and housing.

In healthcare, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) let doctors monitor patients wirelessly. Patients wear wireless sensors that transmit data through specialized channels. These signals contain information about vital signs, body functions, patient behavior and their environments. In the case of an unusual data transmission -- like a sudden spike in blood pressure or a report that an active patient has become suddenly still -- an emergency channel picks up the signal and sends medical services to the patient's home.

Builders are beginning to offer home network options for their customers that range from the primitive -- installing Ethernet cables in the walls -- to the cutting-edge -- managing the ambient temperature from a laptop hundreds of miles from home. In one trial experiment called Laundry Time, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Panasonic, Proctor & Gamble and Whirlpool demonstrated the power of interfacing home appliances. 

The experiment networked a washing machine and clothes dryer with a TV, PC and cell phone. This unheard-of combination of networked devices let homeowners know when their laundry loads were finished washing or drying by sending alerts to their TV screens, instant messaging systems or cell phones.

 Research and development also continues for systems that perform a wide variety of functions -- data and voice recognition might change the way we enter, exit and secure our homes, while service appliances could prepare our food, control indoor temperatures and keep our homes clean.

Dwonload 1 PDF HOME NETWORKING

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_network

https://computer.howstuffworks.com/home-network.htm