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Home Area Networks
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Home Area Networks

"To boldy connect what no one has connected before"

Purpose

The Home Area Networking (HAN) Group was set up in September 1995 at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory. We have, since, researched, designed, and built a number of Home Networking and Home Automation Systems. Our research interests include everything from the physical layer to HCI. Our systems are aimed at a multimedia-capable, auto-configuring, self-organizing, highly reliable, scalable, extensible, secure and easy to use HAN.

Main Projects

AutoHAN - An application environment for simple home integration.
HAN Events - An approach to home device control using events.
Hanlan - A multiaccess ATM and Ethernet LAN using home phone wiring.
Media Cubes - Intuitive lego-style tangible interfaces for AutoHan programming.
Older Projects
Warren - A lost cost ATM approach to HAN allowing for proxy control of dumb ATM devices.

Group Members

Dr. David Greaves Lecturer
Dr. Daniel Gordon Research Assistant
Dr. Alan Blackwell Research Associate
Sang-Bum Suh Research Student
Umar Saif Research Student
Andrew McNeil Research Student
Richard Leiser Research Assistant

Other Working Areas

Security and Authentication Environments.
HAN HiFi Consortium.
Design of HDLs and Protocols for direct implementation in hardware.
Implementation of Proxy Signalling Entities for regular ATM service over dumb switches.

Further Information

Please see our documents page.
Views of the future of home networking

Links

The following groups and companies are actively researching related areas:
Virata, developers of ATM25 hardware.
Marconi Communications (`Plessey') Limited
Acorn Group, plc, developers of personal and network computers around the ARM processor.
General Information Systems, purveyors of smart card technology.
Intelligent Environments Links at MSR