 | November 1, 2000 |
Voices at the gate
TRENDS: Home gateways incorporate voice, ease of use
As DSL becomes an accepted—even preferred—method of providing voice services as well as data, voice-ready home gateways are popping up all over the place. Moreover, many recent entrants extend data networking into the home by supporting the HomePNA (Home Phoneline Networking Alliance) standard. Last but not least, these new products claim to provide plug-and-play ease of use.
For example, ShareGate's DSL2000 broadband services gateway has been designed for easy installation and operation, according to the company. Users simply plug the ShareGate DSL2000 into a telephone jack, and pronto, it's ready to use. Targeting SOHO and residential markets, the gateway features an ADSL modem, HomePNA support, and USB and Ethernet interfaces. The device supports up to four DSL voice lines. Household call activity can be managed through a secure Web page. In addition, the gateway comes equipped with a firewall for security.
And then there's 2Wire's HomePortal residential gateway, which also combines high-speed Internet access with in-home networking over existing telephone wiring. By plugging the HomePortal into any telephone jack, consumers have high-speed Internet connectivity and can network PCs, peripherals and Internet appliances via HomePNA. In addition, the HomePortal also supports USB, Ethernet, and wireless links. The gateway also provides firewall protection and VPN (virtual private network) capabilities. Consumers use a browser-based interface to configure the device and manage the network. According to 2Wire, HomePortal is upgradeable to incorporate telephony as it becomes available to the residential market.
Smart Link, meanwhile, offers DSLsnapp, a software-based system that integrates voice and LAN technology using a standard PC as a server. The software links the DSL service and the home's telephones and PCs using a HomePNA LAN. By connecting a standard phone to the RJ-11 port on the DSLsnapp intelligent telephone filter, the phone gets converted into a broadband-capable, digital LAN telephone. DSLsnapp supports any DSL flavor, including full-rate ADSL, G.Lite, and SDSL, and uses NAT (network address translation) and packet filtering for security.
—Margot Suydam
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