Home Area Networks and IPTV

Chapter 7

Service Platforms

In a house, any devices connected to the network allow users to access services. These services are operated by operators or service providers.

7.1. Service platform for a managed network

7.1.1. Services

The operators of cable networks, or ADSL, offer Internet access but also other services on their networks, mainly voice over IP and TV today, though also new applications in the near future, such as:

– alerts, for telephone calls;

– multi-screens with adaptation of content to the device;

–  sharing between local processing and remote server processing;

– location and tracking.

When these services are directly managed by the operator, we say that they are on the managed network:

– the bit rate is guaranteed or has priority (for example TV has priority over voice in case of congestion on an IP network);

– the logic network is unique to the service (a TV VLAN, a video surveillance VLAN, etc.).

Therefore, the security of services on a managed network is guaranteed by the operator, and does not allow a user (A) to access the private network of user (B). Firewalls protect the access of one user from another. It is in response to the problems of firewalls and service multiplication that platforms have evolved towards web services.

Figure 7.1. Web services and multi-developers

The service portals proposed by the server and network equipment providers give direct ...