All Articles Tagged Networking

CE Pro Editors | 05/29 07:28 AM, 1 Comment

Foster City, Calif.-manufacturer Pakedge Device & Software has been in business since 2003 and its goal has been to provide reliable, high-performance home networking solutions. Nick Phillips explains the importance of robust, custom installation–specific products and the possible troubles the market could experience with the new 802.11AC gigabit wireless standard rollout. How much has the custom networking category developed or evolved compared to what’s going on in mass-market residential networking? The CI [custom installation] market networking category has accelerated rapidly because most A/V and control equipment is networked, and the… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 05/25 08:40 AM, 0 Comments

The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) has released the second White Paper in the series on integrating mobile devices in residential systems integration. As homeowners’ dependency on IP networks and the number of mobile devices per location continues to grow, the modern home is faced with a constant need for increased wireless bandwidth in order to keep all devices working and communicating at all times. The new White Paper, "Ten Steps to Creating a Robust Wireless Environment for Mobile Device Integration," provides the electronic systems contractors (ESCs) with… View this story

Jason Knott | 05/24 07:21 AM, 11 Comments

Wendy Frank, founder of Accell Security Inc. in Birdsboro, Pa., wishes she had more competitors. It's not often you hear any integrator say that, but in Frank's case, she has good reason. The current Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract program authorizes five percent of Federal prime and subcontracts to be set aside for WOSBs. While that might sound fair on the surface, in order to invoke the money set aside for this program, the contracting officer at an agency has to have a reasonable expectation that two or more… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 05/23 01:02 PM, 0 Comments

Two leaders in the computer networking space are combining as hard drive manufacturer Seagate has entered an exclusive agreement to acquire network-attached storage (NAS) device maker LaCie. Seagate will purchase 64.5 percent of the outstanding shares of LaCie. Following receipt of governmental approvals and the close of this transaction, Seagate would commence an all-cash simplified tender offer (followed as the case may be by a squeeze-out procedure) to acquire the remaining outstanding shares. The transaction is expected to be neutral to Seagate's fiscal 2013 earnings per share. "Seagate has a… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 05/23 07:58 AM, 0 Comments

Legrand has unveiled the first additions to a new family of networking products designed specifically to give custom installers a complete, versatile set of home networking solutions. “In today’s increasingly connected households, the network has become so much more than a pipeline for computer data. It’s now the essential backbone for everything from entertainment to security to telecommunications,” says Fritz Werder, vice president and brand general manager for Legrand's Home Systems division. “However, many custom installers still find themselves purchasing network solutions off store shelves in order to build these… View this story

Clark Roundy | 04/06 08:38 AM, 18 Comments

Building a Wi-Fi network that delivers uninterrupted coverage to mobile or “roaming” devices can be a significant challenge - especially as coverage requirements increase. This challenge becomes considerably more manageable when the issue and the deployment alternatives are well understood. What Is Roaming and How Does It Work? Roaming occurs when a wireless client device moves outside the usable range of one wireless access point (WAP) and connects to another WAP - usually one with a stronger signal. There is no “roaming” issue as far as the WAP is concerned.… View this story

Jason Knott | 03/13 09:36 AM, 1 Comment

Despite the economy, demand for outdoor A/V systems seems to have remained steady. It seemed everyone was talking about outdoor entertainment several years ago, but we haven't heard much lately. The news has been glum for awhile. Outdoor TV maker Pantel filed for bankruptcy, and with the economy and housing still struggling, it's natural for homeowners to prioritize their spending inside the home. But a new study from Professional Builder magazine shows 11 percent of builders list A/V among their top-selling outdoor features. That may not seem like a high… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 02/14 07:33 AM, 0 Comments

ihiji has announced the addition of Access Networks to its manufacturer partner program. Access Networks is a provider of enterprise-grade plug-and-play networking solutions for the automated residence. Together, the two companies deliver a visible solution by integrating ihiji’s invision system into Access Networks’ preconfigured network solutions. This allows the integrator to more easily visualize vital data stored in network devices without needing to directly access the client network or log into each device separately. In addition, A/V and automation system event logging can now be correlated with network event logging.… View this story

Jason Knott | 01/27 06:22 AM, 3 Comments

Cable companies such as Comcast are converting set-top boxes and remotes to RF wireless to form the "next generation of home networking" that can control security, energy, health monitoring, home entertainment and other environmental systems. According to Cees Links, CEO of GreenPeak Technologies and the chair of the ZigBee RF4CE interface committee, connected set-top boxes will enable the cable companies to deliver the "smart, automated home" very soon. "Many technology watchers have predicted that [with] the arrival of automated smart homes, homeowners will seek out and install the latest, coolest… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 01/25 10:53 AM, 0 Comments

Information technology (IT) companies express tempered optimism heading into the first quarter of 2012, though longer-term prospects look more promising, according to the IT Industry Outlook 2012 released by CompTIA, the non-profit association for the IT industry. CompTIA projects a worldwide IT industry growth rate of 4.5 percent in 2012, with upside potential of 7.6 percent. The forecast for the U.S. market is slightly lower. IT industry executives are most bullish on IT services and software sales this year. “We may see modest improvement in 2012, but it likely won’t… View this story