By Anna Valmero
MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA—For Cisco, the futuristic homes characterized by a fully connected digital lifestyle and pervasive video isn't too far from the horizon.
At least 19 billion devices will be connected to the Internet and home networks by 2016, with at least 88 percent of users tapping their smartphones and tablets while watching the TV.
This ushers a new era in computing from today's technology “focused broadband connections” to one where laptops, smartphones and even home appliances can stream data and content with one another. And the user can access and control them from anywhere, even outside their homes.
According to Boon Ping Tang, Asia regional sales director at Cisco's home business networking unit, entertainment will be a key driver in a connected home as 1.2M minutes of video will be uploaded and viewed online every second by 2016, and each user generating at least 32 gigs of Internet traffic per month.
“Technology vendors should make networking easy and hide all the complexity inherent in the process so customers can enjoy entertainment and connected experiences fully,” said Tang.
Aside from intelligent wifi routers that can simplify networking for homes, Tang said that third-party applications will also be key to make the user experience great.
These apps can range from security, guest access controls, parental controls, usb storage and media prioritization to online video playbacks, including those that allow beaming of digital content between devices.
The apps will act as enabling platform to share data between devices and parties so Cisco decided to tap independent third-party developers so that the apps are not vendor-specific, added Tang.
By fostering open ecosystem partnerships with mobile app developers, consumers will enjoy net connected devices regardless of brand.
To complete the digital experience, Cisco also added the Cisco Connect Cloud app on its new offerings so users can access their media on any device
For this, the company has launched recently its Smart wifi Linksys routers product line, which features 802.11ac, meaning it is ready for the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. The triple-bandwidth devices can also utilize 802.11bgn and stream high-definition videos.
The new products include Linksys EA4500, a dual-band N9000 router delivering speeds of up to 900Mbps (P9,950 each); Linksys EA3500,a wireless N-dual band router with 750Mbps speed (P7,850); and Linksys EA2700 that has speeds of up to 600Mbps (P5,550).
(Photo by Cisco)
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