The Digital Home of 2013: High-speed telecommunications

Don Reisinger — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:21:29 -0700

In 2013, you can forget about the cable guy running coax cable through your home or your Wi-Fi signal petering out in the master bedroom. By then, you'll have high-speed Internet access anywhere you go, regardless of whether you're chillin' on the deck out back or surfing upstairs in your pajamas. Constant access to the Internet will be provided by technologies like WiMAX and 4G.

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and 4G are the future of mobile broadband access. Instead of being tied down to a cable or a wireless router in a certain part of the house, the digital home in 2013 will be capable of utilizing 4G and WiMAX technologies in every room, and outside the home. Not only are the technologies wireless, but also they are far more powerful than the cellular, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi technologies used in devices today.

WiMAX is designed to provide high-speed Internet access over wide areas through mobile cellular access. Based on the IEEE 802.16 standard, the technology can carry signals much further than current Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) networks. Vendors claim WiMAX can reach clients approximately 50 miles from the receiver and can maintain speeds of about 50Mbit/s at that range. 802.11n connections, while still the best Wi-Fi technology right now, can only maintain a high-speed connection for 300 feet, at most. And while WiMAX is not as fast as certain types of wired networks, it could be a viable alternative to broadband connections.

4G is the next evolution in wireless communication. Designed to replace 3G -- a high-speed cellular broadband technology now being expanded in the U.S. and other countries -- 4G can theoretically provide access speeds of about 100Mbit/second while the client is moving, which is noticeably better than WiMAX.

In 2013, these emerging wireless technologies will easily eclipse the slow, short-range connections that currently drive most home wireless networks. With faster speeds and better range, the way you browse the Web at home will change drastically. Even 3G networks will start to fall by the wayside, meaning Steve Jobs' "one more thing" introduction for the iPhone 6.0 should be really interesting!

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Table of contents from the Industry Standard special feature, Ten Technologies from the Digital Home of 2013:

Introduction: What your future really looks like: The Digital Home of 2013
1. The Digital Home of 2013: High-speed telecommunications
2. The Digital Home of 2013: It's an HD world
3. The Digital Home of 2013: Gaming gets real
4. The Digital Home of 2013: Reach out and touch something
5. The Digital Home of 2013: Automated home control
6. The Digital Home of 2013: Green goes mainstream
7. The Digital Home of 2013: Welcome to the cloud
8. The Digital Home of 2013: The rise of streaming media
9. The Digital Home of 2013: Online distribution of TV, movies
10. The Digital Home of 2013: Collaborating across town, and across the world
Sidebar: The castoff home technologies of 2013?

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The Digital Home of 2013: High-speed telecommunications