KITCOM
With fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) as the main driver, the abundant availability of bandwidth in the local loop presents the next challenge for network operators: how to distribute Internet protocol (IP) services to devices inside the user premises. In-home networking technologies are being developed in the slip stream of FTTH as they are readily offering Gigabit capabilities. The key is to achieve a high satisfaction of a customer that is using a compelling service. Network reliability and broadband are therefore focus points when selecting a suitable in-home technology. On the other hand, remote management and troubleshooting are very important from an operational point of view. Most currently available technologies are copper-based; however, fiber-in-the-home is receiving much attention nowadays. Being either glass or plastic based, optical fiber is the only cabling that is allowed to be placed next to power line circuits because of specific characteristics: it is invariant to electro-magnetic interference (EMI) nor has emission of EMI
Architecture
The in-home network may have or may use point-to-point (PTP) or point-to-multi point (PTMP) architectures to offer multiple connectivity outlets per home. In the PTMP case, a single cable is split at an intermediate node that is either active, i.e. requires powering, or passive. The PTMP architecture follows either a bus or a tree-and-branch configuration. Well-known PTP versus PON arguments also hold in the residential space. In brownfield, that is legacy, situations, most homes are not prepared for in-home networking. Typically, a single COAX connection exists to a television, the power line circuit has a particular architecture, and perhaps some have installed CAT5 to several rooms. Plastic optical fiber (POF) is considered as a viable and commercially attractive alternative if the legacy copper plant is not sufficient. For example, a POF PON in-home network leads to a low connector count at the residential gateway, uses a passive splitting node, and provides lowest cable count throughout the home.
Technology
Several industry groups such as HomePlug Powerline Alliance, HomeGrid Forum, HomePNA Alliance, and MoC Alliance are promoting specific, and often competing, in-home networking technologies. Most could be grouped according to their targeted physical medium like coax, power line, or twisted pair. Recent developments are towards a homogeneous support of all available media, which in some cases include optical fiber (POF, SMF). The requirements are high since the user expects a similar quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE) throughout the home, independent of its location and means of connectivity. Regarding POF, bodies such as ETSI, ITU, and the German VDE are active in standardization activities. Several chipset vendors are offering a Gigabit solution, which is a promising and attractive development for the near future.
Benefits
With fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) as the main driver, the abundant availability of bandwidth in the local loop presents the next challenge for network operators: how to distribute Internet protocol (IP) services to devices inside the user premises. In-home networking technologies are being developed in the slip stream of FTTH as they are readily offering Gigabit capabilities. The key is to achieve a high satisfaction of a customer that is using a compelling service. Network reliability and broadband are therefore focus points when selecting a suitable in-home technology. On the other hand, remote management and troubleshooting are very important from an operational point of view. Most currently available technologies are copper-based; however, fiber-in-the-home is receiving much attention nowadays. Being either glass or plastic based, optical fiber is the only cabling that is allowed to be placed next to power line circuits because of specific characteristics: it is invariant to electro-magnetic interference (EMI) nor has emission of EMI.