Residential LAN architecture

The home network of the future will be a full-fledged subnetwork on the Infobahn. Access services to the home will be provided over public or private networks, including both wireline or wireless. Homes may have many client devices which will connect to services over the WAN. Inter-device communication within the home will also be common. This article treats the design of an architecture for the residential LAN and its interface to external networks. The requirements for a residential LAN are developed. It is proposed that the TCP/IP protocol suite coupled with existing and evolving Ethernet technology are the technologies of choice to support all residential requirements, including the distribution of real-time audio and MPEG video. In addition, the functional requirements for the gateway are developed, including service multiplexing, protocol conversion, routing, interworking, security and filtering functions.