REMOTE MANAGEMENT FEATURES

Many technology proponents believe that home networks will only penetrate the mainstream marketplace once they are deployed by service providers who use them to extend their broadband Internet connection into the home. It is entirely possible that service providers may eventually choose to redefine the lines of network demarcation to actually include the home network itself. Yet for this to happen, the service provider would need the ability to query a network that now extends all the way to the powerline transceivers embedded either into wall modules or into the devices themselves. Remote management features would need to be integrated into the transceivers in order to give network operators and service providers the option of this functionality.

One of the largest single expenses that service providers incur is the "truck roll" of dispatching a technician to the user's home for maintenance. With remote management features, intelligent "wizards" could be used to automatically configure the network and test it at periodic intervals. It would also enable the service provider to remotely query the network from a centralized customer service center. Thus, the more remote management features a powerline technology supports, the more likely it is to be adopted by service providers who are deploying broadband solutions.