The Networked Home
Voice and Data Communications in
the Post-PC Era

The Market
With the rapid proliferation of personal computers and the Internet in US homes, there has been considerable attention given lately to the notion of a home communications network. A common definition given to a home network is one that ties all computers within the home together to share printers, disk drives, files and a single connection to the Internet. This definition, however, is not complete.

According to recent market research from The Yankee Group, 44% of all US households now have at least one computer, and 23% of all US households are actively using the Internet from home. This is tying up consumer phone lines, so 18% of US households now have two or more phone lines.

This leads to the area of home networking. The Yankee Group also recently reported that 13.4% of all US Households are currently interested in a home network to link their PCs together, while Dataquest recently projected that the market for home networks for data will grow to $2 billion by 2002.

From these statistics, other industry analyst reports, and activity from numerous companies developing strategies and products to build home networks, it is clear that this is a new and exciting new market for consumer products. Home Wireless Networks, Inc. believes this market will be successful, and has developed a comprehensive product strategy around all applications within the home, for data as well as voice.

Home Wireless Networks, Inc. believes the networked home of today and tomorrow is not, and will not be, centered strictly around PC communications and data-only applications, but instead must also include solutions for voice and other telephony applications.

Myopia: Data-Only, PC-Centric View
Many hardware and software vendors are providing solutions via a home Local Area Network (LAN) built around the home's PCs and its inside telephone wiring, electrical wiring or new wireless technology. As depicted in the graphic below, in this home LAN configuration, one PC generally acts as a Master to the network, providing network addressing and routing between the home and the Internet.

For the early adopters of home networks, this evolutionary approach appears simple and straight-forward as it simply marries familiar PC technology with new home networking technology. However, challenges exist to these solutions ultimately succeeding in the mass-market.

First, a home network built around a master PC implies that the PC always be on and available for communications. This implies that no other software or hardware application running on the PC can interfere with the ability of the PC to perform its communications tasks. While consumers today somewhat accept that PC applications from time-to-time cause "fatal errors," or in some other way negatively impact the computer, consumers are less forgiving of their communications network. They expect the network, much like the public telephone network, always be available and work reliably.

Second, approaching the networked home from a data-only perspective is myopic in view. It is merely focused on one consumer application and ignores other applications and possibilities within the home.

While some emerging uses for PC-to-PC connectivity exist such as file sharing, multi-user gaming, printer sharing and sharing a single Internet Service Provider (ISP) account, other voice-related networking needs are largely being ignored by most vendors. Yet, while the need for a home LAN is emerging, the need for high-quality, flexible voice communications which enhance and also simplify life at home or in the home office is highly desired today by the consumer.

Home Wireless Networks' View: Voice AND Data
Home Wireless Networks has taken a decidedly different approach than many other vendors in developing its home network. Home Wireless Networks believes that consumers today want a complete communications solution for their home, providing a voice and data network that is reliable, simple to install and easy to use.

As shown in the graphic below, Home Wireless Networks has developed a network controller that provides wireless communications within the home, as well as acting as a communications gateway with the Internet for data and the public telephone network for voice, fax and dial-up data traffic. This controller is a highly-reliable digital switch dedicated to providing communications for the home.

With this solution, Home Wireless Networks supports the following applications for the busy-household and home-office consumer:

1. Home Local Area Network (HLAN) - Taking advantage of the networking capabilities built into Microsoft Windows®, Home Wireless Networks provides an easy-to-install, and easy-to-use wireless LAN between all PCs within the home. The sharing of computer files, printers, and disk drives are all easily supported, as is the ability to support multi-player PC games in the home via a wireless Ethernet and/or TCP/IP LAN.
   
   
2. Internet Gateway - Home Wireless Networks provides an Internet Gateway for sharing a single ISP account and connection with all PCs. Everyone in the home can surf the Internet at the same time, and only one account and monthly charge is necessary. Without concern for wiring, all PCs in the home can share a 56kb, 128kb or faster connection to the Internet, and all addressing and routing of the traffic is performed by the Home Wireless Networks Controller.
   
   
3. Wireless Voice Networking - Home Wireless Networks provides a complete wireless voice network within the home as well as to the outside world. Using the latest in digital spread-spectrum technology for clarity and security, each person in the home can have their own wireless HandSet, and can make or receive calls on any of up to four telephone lines coming to the home from the phone company.
   
   Additionally, family members can make conference calls, transfer calls to each others' HandSet within the home, and even dial from a directory of commonly-called names, all from an easy-to-use menu on the large display on the phone.
   
   In addition, the HandSet displays Caller ID name and number information from the telephone company on every telephone line installed to the home. Individuals in the home can now see who's calling on each line, and make decisions about how to answer the cal For the first time, multiple telephone lines can easily be used throughout the home by anyone who needs them, and telephone services such as Caller ID are made very user-friendly.
   
   For the busy households, with children and working parents, this ability to easily share multiple telephone lines, advanced calling features and phone company features such as Caller ID simplifies and enhances their communications needs.
   
   
4. Wireless PhoneJacks - When a new telephone line is normally installed to a home, consumers must decide which rooms need access to that line, and either install new wiring or modify existing wiring accordingly. With Home Wireless Networks, that need disappears.
   
   All telephone lines coming to the home only need to terminate at one place, the network Controller, and are then distributed throughout the home wirelessly. These lines can be accessed by the HandSets mentioned above, or can also be accessed using a wireless PhoneJack.
   
   If a consumer wishes to add a fax machine, modem, new telephone, television set-top box or any other device requiring a telephone connection, to a room where a wired telephone jack does not exist or is in the wrong place, the consumer can now add that jack wirelessly. By simply installing a wireless jack in a manner of minutes, the new fax machine, or telephone is ready to make and receive calls, and the hassle and expense of dealing with telephone wiring has been avoided.

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PC-Centric Approach to Home Networking

• PC-Centric
• Frequent rebooting required
• Data only
• Master PC must always be available

• Voice and Data
• Wireless Voice - up to 5 lines
• Shared Internet access
• Wireless LAN