Data-centric networks will be in 28% of US households and the number of nodes (devices connected to networks) is expected to top 100 million by the end of 2008.
Parks Associates reports that 9.9 million home networks were in existence at the end of last year. This indicates that the number more than doubled from 4.5 million at the close of 2000.
The tech research firm says that demand for data networks will continue to grow for a number of reasons. In the first place. an increasing number of US homes have more than one computer in use and consumers in these households are more likely to purchase a new PC in the next twelve months (29%) than consumers in single-PC households.
Broadband is another key driver of home networking. Parks Associates’ research shows that 80% of households with a home data network have broadband internet access, and that 50-60% of broadband homes report having a data network. Some 15 million US households have multiple PCs and broadband, a sizable market for network providers.
Improvements in wireless technology brought about by rising demand for networking systems means that consumers now have access to easier-to-install, more robust and more secure solutions.
Looking beyond data networks, Parks Associates sees great potential in multimedia solutions. A significant number consumers have expressed interest in the ability to stream video content among multiple devices and distributing music content from the internet to audio devices in the home.
Pay-per services are still in their infancy but cable companies and internet providers are investigating ways in which video-on-demand (VOD) can be made available to more households (see Video On-Demand Gathering Pace, Says InStat). Quality downloadable content is vital to the uptake of multimedia networks in the home.
