Home Networking Lab

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Home Networking Lab
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Overview

• Concept
• Simply put - no new wires
• Since homes (other than new construction)
  typically have an older wiring, how can we
  communicate without installing high speed cabling?

• Questions
• What kind of connectivity do we have? (physical
  and data link layers)
• What can we get done? (applications)
• What are the issues surrounding the project?
  (compatibility, etc.)

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Components

• Infrastructure - wiring, jacks, etc.
• ISP - servers, remote access technologies, etc.
• Applications and Customer Premises Equipment
  (CPE) - consumer based needs (email, etc.) and
  connectivity
• Environment - simulated house with walls,
  furniture, television, appliances, etc.

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Infrastructure

• We have several connection points (stations)
  within the house
• Each station has (will have) 2 data (Ethernet), 2
  telephone (1 for POTS and 1 for ADSL) and 1
  coaxial jack
• Simulated basement containing networking equipment

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Wiring
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Infrastructure reasoning

• Maximize connectivity and testing speed while
  still being able to simulate what normal home
  conditions are
• One of the Ethernet lines goes back to our
  servers for testing and configuration
• 2 telephone lines allows us to test / compare
  traditional dial up to ADSL
• We will also install equipment in the home spaces
  to show what consumers will see

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Internet Service Provision

• We have set up our own systems independent of the
  campus network except for our outside connection
• This includes servers (DNS, DHCP, NIS, etc),
  remote access (ADSL, cable plant, dialup)
• The heart of our ISP is the cable modem system
  and the ADSL multiplexer

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Outside connections
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Applications and CPE

• Infrastructure and networking only takes us so
  far
• Consumers want to know what they can do and
  whether or not they can do it themselves (email,
  games, web browsing, pc card installation, etc.)
• So, we will test compatibility (ex. X10 vs.
  Powerline), interoperability, out of the box ease
  of use, etc.

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The house
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Technologies

• Phone line - using the internal home telephone
  lines for networking
• Powerline - plugging nodes into outlets (data and
  control)
• Cable modems
• ADSL and standard dialup
• Wireless - radio based and infrared

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Student involvement

• Faculty members direct lab activities and
  students benefit from additional hands on
  experience and exposure to cutting edge
  technologies
• Currently students actively participate in
  configuration, installation and planning of the
  lab facilities (ex. cable pull)

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Current status

• Walls are up living spaces defined
• ISP - configuration continues but is in part
  dependent upon infrastructure
• Cable and connectivity - in the last 10 days
  students and faculty have been installing the 5
  sets of cabling to the house stations
• Next - finish building the computers and test
  connectivity

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The Future

• Unlimited but take the following scenarios..
• Plug and play squared (Huh, I took it out of the
  box and it worked!)
• Smart home (Hi Dave, what are you doing home so
  early?)
• High bandwidth (Lets play Whats missing
  application?)
• Not only No new wires - but no wires period!