Now, working
from home can be a cable free experience thanks to new products, which are
compatible with DMAP and DECT standards.Â
Why
do without all the comforts of telecommunications and data communications that
you have become accustomed to in the office when you are at home? The answer is
often that the necessary connections are not available and expansive
installations in a rented flat would simply be a waste of money. Or you simply
do not like the thought of the jumbled mess of cables in the lounge. Thanks to
some new products, this is a thing of the past!
Take the case of
Ananda. He knows the look only too well, and doesn’t feel very confident of
his chances of being allowed to turn the study into a hobby room and move his
desk and computer into the lounge. “What! That jumbled mess of cables right
next to the sofa? And the telephone cable laid under the carpet? Please, spare
me the chaos,” Gita responds. In some ways she’s right, he thinks. The many
cables for the PC, printer, scanner and video equipment draped around the desk
are not exactly decorative, and the telephone socket is on the wrong side of the
room. Nevertheless it would make an excellent working corner. He mentions the
problem to a good friend who says that’s not a problem. You must simply go
cordless and at the same time you can install a garden camera designed according
to the DMAP Standard (DECT Multimedia Access Profile) for Gita. She will then be
able to look at the activity around the pond or keep an eye on the back gate
from the PC in the lounge. That will convince her!
The friend knows what
he is talking about. A clutter of cables around your desk at home is a thing of
the past. The future lies in wireless transmission technologies—also at home!
At last you can arrange furniture precisely as you would like to without having
to worry about connections and cables. You not only make your calls on a
cordless telephone and surf the Internet on your laptop in the garden, but a
whole range of other applications can be implemented. Why not check the
temperature by reading the outside thermometer cordless from the PC before you
leave the house? Open the garage door? Or connect the video or a house
surveillance camera?
All these applications
will be possible in future using products that are compatible with the DMAP
Standard. Small companies, freelancers and private persons should in future be
able to experience the same comfort with their data communications and
telecommunications as many of us have already become used to at our
professionally equipped workplace in the office. But in a stylish, wireless
world with many additional applications which make working and living in the
home much more pleasant. The maxim is quite simply: Modern technology in the
living room: Yes. Cables and extensive installation work: No.
No Installation Needed
A solution for cordless in-house communications
is available. For instance, Ascom has products that combine ISDN functionality
with the advantages of cordless systems and is extremely easy to install. The
heart of a typical in-house solution is the base station for the transmission of
data (DMAP) and voice (DECT); in addition an ISDN PCMCIA or ISA card as the
interface to a laptop or PC. Cordless access to the Internet is possible with up
to 2 x 64 Kbit/s. The product comes with the Eurit 133 ISDN
handset including charging bay as part of the kit. After all, the Internet
surfer in the home should also be able to make a call via the wireless Internet
access. In addition this product offers answering machine and fax functions and
allows data transmission over the Internet. All the technical features
associated with this product are based entirely on industrial standards such as
Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) for the cordless
communication and ISDN for wired communication. Six mobile DMAP units can be
used for data transmission and up to six Generic Access Profile (GAP) telephones
for voice transmission. All handsets can be used at any time for internal
conversations.
“No cables, no
problems,” says Ananda to Gita, but her skepticism disappears only when she
hears the magic words “Plug and Play”. Of course they both enjoy surfing the
Internet and processing videos on the PC. But technology only brings pleasure if
it is easy to use. This applies much more at home than it does in the office,
and is a prerequisite for the broad acceptance of new applications.
Ananda now sends
e-mail to his friends cordless from his laptop in the lounge. With the cordless
telephone he can contact Gita anywhere in the home. Using the fax software he
sends a fax showing the route to the restaurant where they are to meet friends
on Saturday, etc. Communication can be so simple and natural when it is
cordless. It is only in this way that “human” communications habits can be
transferred to technical communications systems.