Geoff Meads, Network School Trainer for CEDIA, looks at how networks are configured and operate and explains why they’re the bedrock of a quality smart home installation.
When you think about a ‘smart home’, what do you imagine? Maybe it’s a huge property with fancy lights, piped music, and a TV in every room? Perhaps there’s a sophisticated security system and curtains that open and close automatically?
Even the most modest view of a smart home might include a video doorbell, wireless speakers and maybe a ‘smart’ thermostat.
Whichever type of installation comes to mind, it will have one common technology as its backbone – an IP network.
Once only found in the world of corporate IT systems, the IP (Internet Protocol) network found its way into homes with the introduction of internet access in the late 1990s. For many people, it’s just known as ‘the Wi-Fi’, an anonymous black box in the corner of a room downstairs or by the front door.
Nowadays, a huge amount of pressure is put on this little black box, especially with the introduction of mobile devices and internet-based TV systems like Netflix, YouTube and BBC iPlayer.
Because home networks are now so ‘busy’, venturing into smart home technology without IP networking knowledge is like trying to do electrical work without knowing your ‘twin and earth’ from your RCD. You might be able to make a guess as to how it all works, but disaster won’t be far away without a bit of education underpinning your work.
What is a network?
So, what is an IP network? We can think of a network as an interconnected collection of devices. However, unlike simple point-to-point connections like traditional audio and video cables, network connections are different: they offer two-way communication, they split transmissions up into smaller chunks (rather than a continuous stream of data) for transmission, and information can travel through many other devices before reaching their destination.
The way network traffic moves can be understood by looking at the patterns that devices form when they’re connected together.
First is a ‘bus’ network. Just like busses on roads, data can be exchanged along a common ‘road’. The ‘road’ can be a cable but, in modern times, the most common bus network is Wi-Fi, which uses the air around us as the ‘road’.
The second pattern we find is called a ‘star’ network. Much like a roundabout, a star network uses a single, central point to bring several roads together, so traffic might move from one road to another in order to reach its final destination.
Finally, we have a ‘mesh’ network. These are a little more complex, as each device has multiple incoming and outgoing connections. A full explanation of a mesh network is beyond the scope of this article but is covered in many network courses.
When splitting each transmission into small, more manageable chunks, (in network terms we call them ‘Packets’), the reliability of transmission is increased. Also, network protocols allow for the notification and resending of missing or damaged packets, meaning a network can guarantee message integrity.
Network devices exchange data with each other using addresses. Each component has an ‘address’ much like each building does in the world around us. The addresses for both sender and destination are added to every packet being sent, such that any device dealing with a packet en-route between origin and destination knows where the packet is destined for and who sent it, in case of problems!
Key network components
The foundation of any network is what we call its ‘physical layer’. This means the physical pathways that connect devices together. These are normally formed from one of, or a combination of, three types: electrical signals via Ethernet cables (typically Cat5e or Cat6); Wi-Fi (using electromagnetic waves through the air) and light pulses, using fibre-optic cables.
In order of decreasing bandwidth, the best option is fibre-optic, then Ethernet cables and finally Wi-Fi, which offers the lowest bandwidth/network speed.
Hardware network devices can be split into two types. Firstly, we have ‘infrastructure’ devices. These are the pieces of hardware that form the network itself and allow packets of information to move around.
The most important infrastructure device is called a ‘router’. Just about everyone has one of these at home already. You might have a BT Homehub, Virgin Hub or other device that came free from your internet service provider and that is, in its most basic form, a router.
You might also have a ‘switch’. These allow you to connect more than one or two wired network devices. Finally, we have ‘Wireless Access Points’ (WAPs). These provide a wireless connection into the network using radio transmissions.
Typically, the router you have at home will have a WAP built in, but these rarely provide enough coverage for a whole home unless it’s a smaller house with only a few occupants. To extend Wi-Fi coverage, we can add more access points around the house and connect these back to the router using ethernet cables.
The second group of devices is called ‘client’ devices. They operate on the end of network connections and are the things humans interact with. Here, we find smart phones, laptops, televisions, security cameras and a myriad of other devices.
What do you need to know?
If you’re thinking of learning more about networking and adding it to your offering, there’s good news – every house needs a network to deliver data to phones, TVs, computers, etc. The potential market is huge!
However, like learning any new technology, you’re best placed if you start at the beginning. Learning from first principles not only sets you up to design and install networks that will work well and be reliable in the long term, but also means you’ll be able to fault-find more quickly if things go wrong.
The ideal route for new starters
CEDIA’s suite of ‘Network School’ courses are ideally positioned for new starters in networking. They begin assuming zero knowledge on the part of the student and build a level of understanding that allows new engineers to approach networking from a fully professional starting point.
If you just want to ’dip your toe in the water’ then the one-day ‘Residential Networking’ class is the ideal starting point. It includes basic connectivity, setup, and configuration of basic network hardware to the level required for an installation in a basic family property.
Further courses in the CEDIA network pathway explore advanced configurations, remote access, and a deep dive into more sophisticated Wi-Fi setups too.
Get more details on CEDIA’s range of courses and pathways here
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