Home Networking Basis: Transmission Environments and Wired/Wireless Protocols

After broadband access capabilities reached homes and most electronic devices became digital, the need for a home network to interconnect network and devices arose. Data networking for home is the initial popular application. This book examines popular options in a systematic approach and are analyzed to familiar readers with transmission potentials and associated special issues. Standardized communication protocols, such as Ethernet, HomePNA, HomePlug, Wireless LANs, and HomeRF, are then developed on these median as well as their implementations studied with simulation models including MATLAB and SIMULINK. Finally, mechanism and available protocols to link access and home network are presented. There are a few transmission media on which a home network system can be based on and many existing and emerging standardized communication protocols from which one can choose. A home network system can be based on in-house telephone wiring, TV coaxial cable, existing power line, or radio frequency for wireless. Over the telephone wiring, standards (HomePNA 1.0 and HomePNA 2.0) have been developed by the HomePNA industry consortium. Using power line, a standard called HomePlug is being finalized by the HomePlug group. Plus, household electronics are more oriented towards digital contents such as MP3 for music, DVD for video, and HDTV. Home networking can be useful for the distribution of these digital multimedia contents.