Enabling the Next Generation of Broadband Services
Today, residential gateways provide vital broadband services in millions of homes. They enable high-speed internet service throughout the home via wired and wireless networks. They deliver telephone service through directly connected POTS, IP phones and embedded support for DECT, ISDN and WiFi phones. And they enable QoS features to support video services via set-top boxes (STBs).
Over time, they could coordinate the content available to IP-STBs and other media devices, extend personal video recorder capabilities to any device (local or remote), allow a central storage point for video, photo and audio collections, and integrate home automation services, such as security, heating and air conditioning control, power management and other new services for the digital home.
- Because the residential gateway is strategic to the success of the service provider these devices must include a range of capabilities:
- Voice services – up to 4 VoIP channels with support for fixed, cordless and/or mobile devices
- Home networking services– support of home networking over Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n and other home networking technologies such as HomePNA, HomePlug, MoCA and future G.hn
- Remote management – Support for Broadband Forum Technical Requirements such as TR-069
- Security – support features to protect the customer from attacks such as denial of service by providing an integrated firewall and protect content through encryption
- Performance and QoS – support multiple streams of high-speed data traffic (internet and video) and delay sensitive traffic (voice) over any of the wired or wireless local area network (LAN) interfaces and the wide area (WAN) interface with an optimal Quality of Experience (QoE) for the user
- Home Media Gateway Services – support industry standard storage solutions and the software to enable networks to easily access and manage these storage devices
There are three types of residential gateways:
Depending on the approach chosen by the service provider, these residential gateways will need to support additional features.
