Integrated Connectivity for the SOHO Environment, Part Three
By: Dana Whitney, vice president of network products, N/A
Contents
The residential gateway
DOCSIS connections
Wireless LAN connectivity
Gateway needs to be standalone
SOHO Security
There are three main challenges associated with building a small office/SOHO office (SOHO) network: distributing connectivity in the office, providing a comprehensive gateway for data access in the SOHO, and providing security and control of the connection to the outside world. In this final installment, we will look at residential gateways and network security.
The residential gateway
Loosely defined, a residential Gateway is an intelligent hardware device that connects home devices and appliances to the Internet. It may also incorporate the network access interface. In many cases such devices will be primarily marketed as access devices with integrated home networking functionality. These all-in-one boxes will allow service providers to deliver multiple services by deploying a single box on the customer premises.
By 2005, an estimated 23 million North American households will subscribe to broadband services. Bringing Internet connectivity throughout the household alone will allow the emerging market for residential gateway hardware to reach $4.7 billion worldwide by 2005, according to a new report from Allied Business Intelligence (Oyster Bay, NY). North America is expected to be the leading market for residential gateway deployment because of higher multiple PC penetration into the home and greater penetration of non-PC Internet appliances.
A centralized control point is critical to the success of SOHO networks. There are two reasons for this. One reason is the need for coordinated access to the outside world. The other reason is to ease the complexity of SOHO networks. Since homeowners are not interested in learning about IT issues or employing IT professionals, the service provider and equipment vendor must hide the complexity of the system. An integrated gateway that contains both the WAN connection (such as a cable modem or DSL connection) and the LAN connectivity with an easy-to-use interface fits the bill.
DOCSIS connections
Cable modems that conform to DOCSIS (Data Over Cable System Interface Specification) successfully mask the complexity of that WAN connection. Automatic negotiation, registration, encryption on the cable network, and automatic assignment of an IP address are a few features that make it easy and comfortable for users who subscribe to the service. As a point of comparison, ISDN services required almost two decades to develop a cruder version of WAN service "plug and play" compatibility.
Once the broadband connection is delivered seamlessly to the SOHO, it must be distributed to the information appliances in the office just as effortlessly. Real plug-and-play connectivity must be achieved for users to trust this technology.
The Home Phone-line Networking Alliance (HomePNA) devices on the market today are close to delivering on that promise. For the most part, they install easily and work without the need for additional hardware, such as a hub. The products work with almost any wiring configuration in a SOHO. Cards on the market also have superior installation programs that automatically configure the networking parameters in Windows so that the user does not have to. A successful residential gateway should connect to HomePNA devices effortlessly as well as establish and control network parameters, such as IP addresses without the need for operator intervention.
Wireless LAN connectivity
A more elegant solution to distributing connectivity is to offer a wireless LAN connection. The challenge to make wireless LANs easy to setup and use is now being answered with some of the latest products to enter the market. This type of easy-to-use wireless "access point" technology in a residential gateway is the ultimate incarnation of the connected SOHO. It allows transparent use of the broadband connection anywhere in the office at any time.
The residential gateway should allow multiple distribution media to coexist. It should also handle most networking "housekeeping" chores—for instance provide a dynamic host control protocol (DHCP) server function to all the devices on the SOHO LAN, so there is no need to assign IP addresses to the connected devices.
Gateway needs to be standalone
The residential gateway should be an always-on device that users forget about. Probably the largest factor in ensuring that it lives up to this standard is that it is an integrated, standalone device. Although the Microsoft, Intel, Compaq, and Dell contingent may protest, it is a disservice to the customer and a major mistake for the service provider to promote the use of a PC with an internal cable modem as a residential gateway.
PCs and their operating systems are not designed for the tasks of a communications gateway. They are power hungry machines that are not always turned on and are notoriously prone to crashes. In contrast, dedicated real-time devices such as routers have been proven in the corporate world to be reliable and cost-effective.
Using PCs as a residential gateway likely will generate more technical support costs. Imagine subscribers calling their service providers each time a system disruption is caused by newly installed software on their PC. An important consideration is that users not be confused and dissatisfied with a PC-based gateway. In contrast, an effective appliance that is running with little or no input from the user is what will inspire confidence and generate happy users.
SOHO security
Another on users' minds is the security of their connection to the Internet. Residential gateways should provide simple mechanisms for controlling the access to the SOHO network and possibly content that is accessible on the Internet. DOCSIS cable modems do provide encryption on the cable network. However, the Internet connection itself is largely unfiltered.
Successful residential gateways will include simple-to-use firewall capability, anti-hacker technology such as network address translation (NAT), and an easy way to "disconnect" the office from the outside world without disrupting the SOHO network functions, such as file and printer sharing.
Finally, if there is a problem, the residential gateways should provide enough information for the user to narrow the focus of the issue. A straightforward "dashboard" style interface will provide users with accessed information about their residential gateway's operation.
All of the issues discussed in this article—ease of installation, standards-based distribution, centralized gateway, no reliance on PCs, and security features—point to a concept that is key to user acceptance: ease of ownership. These devices must be easy to install, understand, use, maintain, and upgrade.
It has been proven time and time again that technology must virtually disappear into everyday life for users to thoroughly embrace it. Products that have the features described in this article can deliver on the promise of the "connected SOHO" with a world of information instantly available.
About the author:
Dana Whitney is the vice president of network products for Zoom Telephonics Inc., a Boston, MA-based supplier of modems, dialers, and wireless networking equipment.