Home networks tend to be as varied as homes themselves, but the needs of the network builder and the family ultimately shape both the house and the technology that runs through it. The Best Home Network Awards recipients in the category of Entertainment and Education prove this to be true. The two winning home network configurations are more easily contrasted than compared. What makes them both winners? Each is a solid example of how technology can be creatively introduced in the home to bring people together, to entertain and to enjoy. While the winners in this category differ in their approach to building their home network, both are using their network to help improve the quality of life for themselves and their families, friends, and relatives.
Trail Blazing in the Home
By day John Duffie, winner in the Best Home Entertainment and Education Network category, is a software engineer in the Access Routing Technology group at Cisco. By night and weekend he is a home network pioneer. A gadget man. Over the last ten years, he has spent innumerable hours finding ways to improve his family's life with technology. In fact, he has turned his family into a network test bed, asking them to try out his latest new product or solution.
"There is such a breadth of features in Cisco gear, and I have tried to set up a network that exercises many of these capabilities," says Duffie. "I get a lot of satisfaction using the same gear in my house that I design while at work."
Duffie's home network 
(PDF - 104 KB) includes separate virtual LANs (VLANs), carries converged data, voice, and video, and integrates cell phones for convenient mobile access to many functions and content. On VLAN 1, a DMZ is used to host his personal website, and an IP-accessible X10 controller manages lighting and physical devices in the home. VLAN 2, the family's network, includes a media center and an Orb host to integrate mobile phone control features. This network also delivers voice-over-IP (VoIP) services and drives a touchscreen in the kitchen and webcams for monitoring the home.
The third VLAN isolates Duffie's Cisco-related traffic and supports, among other gear, a Cisco Unified IP Phone 7960, a Cisco Catalyst 2940 Switch, and his company-issued laptop. The Cisco equipment initially was made available to Duffie as part of an official Cisco project, the Teleworker Solution test.
Duffie cites the versatility of the Cisco routers as a key enabler for his home network configuration. Quality of service (QoS) features were also required to allow him to get the performance he needs out of the phones and multimedia platforms. "Cisco solutions are unique in their ability to give consumers feature-rich networks," he says.
Included among the capabilities Duffie's network offers:
- Hosting the Duffie family website keeps distant friends and family up to date and makes it easy to share photos and current events
- Connecting the family's PCs for shared Internet access, networked printers, and file sharing
- Flexible access to multimedia from anywhere in the home (including viewing recorded TV programs on any computer)
- Mobile access of hosted multimedia content (cell phones come in through an Orb host) as well as the ability to control home systems using a cell phone
- Integration of IP voice services
- Touchscreen in the kitchen for viewing news and weather
- On-network control of lighting; setting up automatic controls also helps save money on utilities
- Security cameras for viewing pets and the home from any Web browser while traveling or at work
- Home office setup including integration with the office phone system for extension-dialing from the office to the Duffie home
These capabilities have changed many things about everyday life at the Duffie household. The network saves the family time–they can turn off lights, for example, without going back upstairs or check the weather before sending the children out the door for school. At Christmas time, the network lets them control a festive lighting display in the front yard, complete with a webcam that lets friends and family view it over the Internet. Duffie has even given online visitors to his website the ability to turn on the holiday lights remotely.
"My wife hasn't always appreciated all the time I spend working on the network, but she always likes the results," says Duffie. And, he emphasizes, setting up a home network with features and functions similar to his isn't only for the sophisticated user. "When I talk to my neighbors and friends, they confirm that the average person can take advantage of wireless technology, IP voice, and many other network-enabled solutions. You don't have to have an engineer like me in the home to get started."
Moussa Chemali, runner-up in the Best Home Entertainment and Education Network category, offers a shining example of how home networks can introduce simplicity and functional elegance into our daily lives, making it easier for people to balance work with home life and bring the family closer together.
Chemali, project manager in the Worldwide Sales Processes and Systems group at Cisco, started out setting up his home network (PDF - 142 KB) in a suburb of Paris to make it easier to work at home. A long commute made it impossible to return to the office for late-night or early-morning phone calls, or come home for midday family events. With his home network in place, Chemali now works at home two days a week and can be available for extended hours to his colleagues in Asia Pacific and the US. Phone conferences no longer require extra trips into the office.
The benefits of Chemali's network extend well beyond the home office accoutrements. "My in-home technology has helped all of us including our extended family," he says. "We have relatives in the UK, Algeria, and Kenya. IP telephony not only reduces our phone bills but also keeps us in closer contact with our loved ones and adds video and instant messaging to our communications choices."
Other features enjoyed by Chemali's home network include:
- A satellite receiver and web server supporting video steaming of content to any PC in the home, and letting the family record favorite shows for any-time viewing
- Webcams for remote monitoring of the home over the Internet
- A multimedia server to share throughout the home personal videos, MP3 music, and photo albums
- Connections for game consoles providing access to other players over the Internet
- Access to learning resources on the World Wide Web, and parental control software to restrict the children to several approved websites where they can find resources and communicate with friends and other students
"The Internet is a great resource for students today," says Chemali. "Network access allows my kids to take advantage of all sorts of learning programs and content to develop their skills in mathematics, French, history, and other subjects. Besides these benefits, I appreciate what the network has done for me personally," he adds. "At work, I am not rushing to finish things up before I leave for dinner, and at home I am not rushing to get to work early to make international phone calls. Wherever I'm at work or home, I'm more relaxed knowing that I'm not missing out on anything important."
A mix of wireless and wired networking connects the family and ties Chemali into the Cisco corporate network. Bandwidth-sensitive devices, including the satellite receiver, are connected over Ethernet. Wireless webcams were installed and connected using wireless G technology.
"This is probably not the most advanced or creative network, but considering the users–my wife and kids–I try to keep it very simple and limit the number of cables," says Chemali, modestly. "Another important consideration is ease of use for the devices. The DP1500 and Dream Multimedia Satellite receiver help keep things simple."
IMPORTANT NOTICE: THE SAMPLE HOME NETWORKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SHOWN ABOVE (THE "NETWORKS") ARE PROVIDED "AS IS," WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NONINFRINGEMENT, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE. The Networks are presented for novelty and informational purposes only. The Networks do not constitute and should not be considered Cisco professional advice, nor should they be considered recommendations or endorsements by Cisco. The Networks have not been tested, validated, or otherwise confirmed by or on behalf of Cisco. The Networks may not address the unique circumstances of any user environment, and therefore, should not be relied upon alone to build a home network. Users should seek technical guidance from qualified third parties to address their unique environments. Reliance on or other use of the Networks is at your own risk.