Home Connectivity Simplified

By Icron Technologies

As the home connectivity market rapidly grows, consumers are looking for ways to share and distribute digital content throughout the home in a simple and consistent manner. As digital media becomes the primary source of information, education and entertainment, the home computer and the Internet have become the conduit to popular social communities, family photos, music libraries, videos and games. The home computer and its associated Internet connection have become the heart of the digital home, but integration with traditional media outlets like High Definition TVs and stereos remains a challenge. This article discusses how to take the computing environment beyond the desktop, and enable a home connectivity solution that is easy to set up, and simple to use.

Typically, most homes have only one central computer usually located in the office or den, yet consumers want to have access to all that content while sitting in the family room, or in front of the TV. Connectivity solutions exist today, but they require sophisticated users with a strong understanding of computer networking that is beyond the scope of most consumers. Some solutions enable only selected media content, pictures, music and certain videos, but none deliver a true PC experience with full online interactive browser capabilities, and access to all PC applications and content.

The PC on TV Solution
For a PC on TV solution to differentiate from existing media extenders and provide a complete PC experience anywhere in the home, it must offer interface connections the same as those available when sitting in front of the PC, specifically, video and USB.

With numerous digital video technologies capable of extending high quality video from the desktop to a remote monitor or television, the challenge in implementing true PC on TV solutions is in enabling peripheral connectivity. With over two billion devices in the marketplace today, USB has become the peripheral interface of choice for PC and connected electronics. Offering plug and play functionality for all types of devices from keyboards and mice to music players, digital cameras and hard drives, USB is the ideal choice, although with limitations in connection reach. USB standards restrict cables to 16 feet in length.

With technologies such as ExtremeUSB® from Icron Technologies, USB connections can break through the 16 foot cable limitation and can be deployed to provide peripheral connectivity in many remote desktop applications. These solutions, designed together with standard video interfaces such as VGA, DVI or HDMI create a unique solution that extends the power of a PC well beyond the traditional desktop.

Combined video and USB connectivity solutions allow the primary PC in the home to be connected to a variety of devices without having to move the computer from where it’s currently situated. It allows the consolidation of content and applications to be accessed throughout the home.

ExtremeUSB - The Enabling Technology
Developed and commercialized by Icron Technologies, ExtremeUSB enables USB peripherals to be placed wherever users need them. Agnostic to the physical connection medium, ExtremeUSB provides true USB 2.0 over wired and wireless media, simplifying installation and enabling a variety of solutions to suit user needs. ExtremeUSB is capable of providing USB up to 6 miles away from a host computer over fiber optics, and throughout a home over wireless technologies such as 802.11g or .11n. With ExtremeUSB technology, peripheral devices function as if they are within the 16 foot limit specified by the USB-IF. Bringing home entertainment to a new level, ExtremeUSB enables remote connection of any USB device, from iPods, hard drives, webcams, educational toys, and mobile phones, to simple keyboards, mice and joysticks.

Key advantages of USB connections enabled by ExtremeUSB is that no new software drivers are needed (true plug-and-play), and it supports all USB devices and all operating systems such as Windows, MAC OS X and Linux. ExtremeUSB is the ideal solution for peripheral connectivity in home networking applications. Extension solutions using Cat 5 Cabling, Ethernet, Wireless, Powerline, or Coax are possible, leveraging connection infrastructure already available in the home.

Conclusion
Consumers are demanding to consume content and applications when they want and where they want in the home. By utilizing Icron’s ExtremeUSB combined with video running over various connectivity options, users can easily extend their PC experience throughout the home, with standard USB peripheral I/O to ensure they maintain the simple and familiar user experience they have come to enjoy.

For more information about ExtremeUSB, please visit http://www.icron.com/resources/usb-extension-products.php

To read our TV2.0 white paper, please visit:
http://www.icron.com/products/usb/tv20wp/tv_20_wp1.php