Home Network Controller: A Cost-Effective Method for Providing Broadband Access to Residential Subsc

As new broadband networks and multimedia services emerge, users are increasingly likely to access information remotely from their homes. In this papec we present a cost-effective method for connecting multimedia terminals in a residence to the external broadband network, so as to support multiple simultaneous user sessions. At the heart of the proposed design is a Home Network Controller that terminates the extemal broadband network upon its entry into a home, and enables media distribution within the home by employing existing networking technologies, such as coaxial cable for real-time multimedia delivery to television sets, and Ethernet for data communication to home computers.