Hey folks,
I want to get some informal answers and thoughts about home network setup and design. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and want to get a feel for how people are setting up, planning and working today. I’m interested in hearing about what kinds of devices (and their roles) people have on their networks and how they are connected.

Personally, I think IP connectivity is becoming the backbone for consumer electronics and that we are, more or less, set up for a paradigm shift in how we access, store and relate to content. If to take TiVo as an example, it works great as a standalone device to record TV, but it really shines when connected to a network in conjunction with TiVoToGo, etc (also see the deal they struck with Yahoo?). Digital music is another great example; with devices like Apple’s airport express or Sonos’s music system, you can stream audio around you house using a network. IPTV is poised to take off and I bet we set set-top boxes in a year. But on a similar note DirecTV is about to introduce what amounts to a server that has 6 inputs and can record a ton of shows at once. Then you put a small receiver box on each TV… whole house DVR. Content deliver is going to become 100% digital. Think about the check out at the grocery store, if you can do a self service check out and the store saves money by not having a clerk, then why should a record company print CDs? Better yet, why should I go to blockbuster? If I’m willing to wait 1 day for netflix to arrive, shouldn’t I be willing to let a movie (with or without DRM) download overnight? If content is delivered this way, how will you store it? On one PC? Different places depending on what it is? Should it be custom tailored (IE lower quality small stuff for iPod video and high quality DiVX or something for HD TVs?)

There is also a question about how desperate these devices are. Is your music system separate from your video collection? Are there separate user names and passwords for everything? What about file storage? Does your VoIP system interact with anything besides itself?

What about computers and users? If you have more than one computer at home, and epically if you have children, do you have multiple user accounts on each box? Do you, again, manage any kind of single sign on? What about access to the afore mentioned network storage, etc; are you passing authentication? On a related note, what about security in general? Do you turn off IM or the web for kids during homework time? Do you block porn sites? Do you have any control over telephone useage (or even care to)?

Finally, I’d like to hear about topography. Are you wired, wireless or both? Using wireless encryption- if so, and using WPA how do you support devices (like TiVo) that only support WEP?

Sorry if this is a long-winded uber question… With out going into detail (which I will if anyone is interested) I have a crazy setup at home. I’ve been accused of being a nut, but people are pretty impressed when I pick up my cell phone and turn iTunes on in my kitchen (why I’d want to… I don’t know… it was an exercise in late night programming).


Thanks in advance!
-N

Our ISP is Comcast. I have my Comcast modem connected to a Linksys wired/wireless router. My desktop, sitting under the router is connected via a wire. All of the laptops used in my house access the router via wireless. I have created a network and a 128 bit WEP. I do give the WEP out to people who use the my wireless connections. - When my kids friends come over with their laptop and need to connect, I type in the WEP.

We also use TiVo and have bought a wireless USB to connect to our network, but not for Tivo to go (I haven't been able to get that working yet) but so I don't have to run phone wires all through my house.

Nothing else fancy, just basic internet users.

First I REALLY appericate the reply. I had the feeling this thread would die a quiet death. I guess I should have included: what *would* you do (differently) if you could- or want to do?

Secondly, check out the thread on Packet Sniffers or read up at http://www.grc.com/securitynow.htm
Basically, WEP sucks, but I'm in a similar boat as you so I completely empathize. Devices like TiVo cannot support anything stronger (I have WiFi Phones that only use WEP)... I have come up with a sort-of work around... but it involves a complex router.

Wireless: abg WPA + mac filtering.
Wired: 100bt
Internet connection/Router/firewall/household server/fax server/mail server, etc.: old P3 running Linux.

Things aren't nearly automatic enough. I have a wireless router, cable connection, run a low-load webserver off my PC, and a wireless laptop (my wife's office laptop - no admin access )

I would dearly love to have my TV scheduling/guide/recording, cellphone, Internet, music, household systems (lights, heating, etc.), voice mail, everything connected online. Imagine remembering you forgot to schedule a program to record, so you connect by phone or web-browser to your home system, and set it up.

The technology is there, I can't understand why there's not more progress.

Sorry, I guess that doesn't help much, but I feel better!

This is EXACTLY the line of thinking that lead me to ask this stuff...
I could not agree more... we have the technology (que theme to $1 mill man) but everything works so damn independantly... frankly I think some content providers bank on that... but I digress.

Cable from the local cable company (Armstrong Cable) goes to a Linksys wireless router with simple WEP encryption, although the WEP key is a specific 26-digit number that I keep, not simple text. No, the admin password isn't "linksys", and the IP address isn't the default 192.... But I can detect 5 open networks of my neighbors, only 1 encrypted link. I guess the easy targets surrounding me make me safer.

The office computer it sits on is connected by Cat5 cable, the 2 PC's upstairs and our 2 laptops are all wirelessly networked.

Audio - mp3/streaming audio just doesn't cut it for me in terms of quality - I have a dedicated listening room and until I can stream 24/192 or not be able to hear the difference, I'll stick to little silver (CD or SACD) discs. I plug my laptop into the Tact RCS for configuration, but that's as close to "networking" as my audio system gets.

Video - another cable to an HD PVR, wired to a big screen, with a DVD player also wired in, audio through optical links to a A/V receiver - I spent enough on the audio rig, so I'm keeping it simple on video - big screen and 5.1, but generic Sony ES, Panasonic-type stuff.

Nothing fancy on the computers - single account, named folders for each person - heck, my 5 yr-old is still running 98SE. I get enough SSO, AD, Netegrity issues at work - I don't need them at home. My daughter's PC is very locked down - IE, shortcuts to Disney and Hooked-on-Phonics CD's, anti-virus/spam/etc, and that's about it. All her Disney and such sites are on the bookmark toolbar and she knows how to click on them. When she learns to surf a bit more, I'll need a NetNanny.

Nothing else really. I've looked at Slingboxes and more fancy equipment, but I just don't think I need it right now.

Cable Internet, Linksys WRT54 with Sveasoft, boosted to 250% signal, external Linksys antenna kit. Netgear gigabit switch. CAT6 to most rooms. USB device server for 5 printers (Color laser, label printer, CD printer, Epson AIO, HP photosmart). Toshiba wifi netcams throughout the place. Linksys has WPA with Radius authentication. Mailserver with SPOP, Secure webmail and secure SMTP which also acts as my home automation server. Citrix server. Tivo with AVCast distribution system and seperate Galleon server that also acts as webcam server for motion detection and video storage off the netcams. Server for music/video/photos with 1Tb of drives, server for automated backup and 2Tb of external storage. Slingbox. Vonage box.

That is about it...

In the coming months I was going to setup my own Asterix voip box, but have decided I'd much rather have a Cisco voip setup instead.

All of this is already available. If you have a Tivo you can schedule recording online. They have even collaborated with Yahoo to expand the service.

With a Slingbox you can control and watch your tv from anywhere you can find an internet connection.

Household system can be controlled if you use the right system and they are readily available. Even some of the cheapest version can be bought at Radioshack and Lowes or Home Depot.

Wifi capable cellphones are becoming more popular. Music system are everywhere.

You can get a remote control to handle all of this for you so you can do anything from the couch.

Shoot, you can even get a fridge that will receive tv and internet and will even tell you there is something going bad in the fridge.

[QUOTE=dcrandall]All of this is already available. QUOTE]

My two thoughts...
1) I agree that its all out there, but its all desparite. That fridge won't talk to the VoIP server to call you when you running errands and remind you the cheese is bad.... at least not out of the proverbial box.

2) how does the average person get all of this connected? Most hoses don't have cat5 in every room, and most home owners don't want/can't run their own. Is wireless the ultimate answer?

That being said, surveying this group is a bit single sided b/c you guys are all tech savy. But I know my mother could not buy a slingbox, a TiVo and a fridge and get any of them networked, let alone talking together.

[QUOTE=ScottC]Cable Internet, Linksys WRT54 with Sveasoft, boosted to 250% signal, external Linksys antenna kit. Netgear gigabit switch. CAT6 to most rooms. USB device server for 5 printers (Color laser, label printer, CD printer, Epson AIO, HP photosmart). Toshiba wifi netcams throughout the place. Linksys has WPA with Radius authentication. Mailserver with SPOP, Secure webmail and secure SMTP which also acts as my home automation server. Citrix server. Tivo with AVCast distribution system and seperate Galleon server that also acts as webcam server for motion detection and video storage off the netcams. Server for music/video/photos with 1Tb of drives, server for automated backup and 2Tb of external storage. Slingbox. Vonage box.


All I can say is WOW!!!
Wish i could do something like that someday
As it is my Old Lady sh**s a gold brick every August when I order The NFL package on Directv

You should try using ORB and installing their DVRAnywhere option. That turns your Tivo into a remote streaming device. I have a cellphone with WiFi and can watch FamilyGuy over EDGE or WiFi when I am stuck at the airport...

I love orb... but I hate that you cannot skip ahead with the DVRanywhere plugin... you have to watch it from the start...
Funny thing, I always watch family guy on my PDA now too!

What I have at the house is nowhere near where I'd LIKE to be, call it laziness. Router is a Snapgear 550 (since swallowed up by Cyberguard ) connected to a Netgear FWG114P access point running 128 bit WEP. Like so many of you, I'm stuck with equipment that ONLY does WEP. I'm running three slingboxes (one Time Warner, one Dish Network, one StarChoice canadian satellite), an ancient HP DeskJet 2230 hanging off a WiFi print server and two laptops. In the home theater, I have an HTPC that also acts as a media server with 1.5Tb storage. I don't use it much currently, simply because we watch most of our TV in the bedroom and I'm out of inputs on the bedroom TV! Thus, no place to put a media extender.

EVERYTHING is run off the wifi except for one Slingbox. For as much of a techie nut as I am, I am a luddite when it comes to installing servers and such at home. Basically if it means I'm going to have to teach the wife how to use it, I'm out. *LOL*

As for your network, you ARE insane.

Currently, DSL in, one computer and printer wired to the wireless router, and the rest of the place is wireless. Separate accounts on the machines.

It will change, hopefully soon, with hard wire connections to some of the rooms, and a wireless access point at the other end of the house, it's got a very weak signal. That will also give us coverage in the back yard.

The goal is to have two switches, one in the basement to handle the wiring I run to the first floor, and another up on the second floor to handle any wiring needs up there, with the two connected.