CableLabs® Certifies Two More Firms
for Home Networking Equipment

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CableLabs® has awarded certified status for CableHome™ 1.0 to two more cable home networking products in its recently concluded Certification Wave 26. Netgear and Scientific-Atlanta each received certified status for residential gateways.

CableHome is a CableLabs-managed initiative that, coupled with cable broadband service, allows for the distribution of broadband service throughout a consumer's home. The initiative offers the consumer a secure and managed residential gateway that can be connected to the cable network in a plug-and-play fashion, offloading much of the technical burden inherent in home networking from the consumer to cable operator.

It builds upon the already successful Data over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS®) project that has helped launch the deployment of more than 25 million high-speed, always-connected, interoperable cable modems internationally. Hundreds of cable modems have achieved DOCSIS-certified status. This announcement marks the conclusion of the third CableHome certification wave and there now are seven certified CableHome devices.

Ralph Brown, Broadband Access Vice President and CableLabs Chief Software Architect, said: "CableHome 1.0 provides a number of effective and friendly home network trouble-shooting tools, and helps to ensure customer privacy." Brown noted that CableHome 1.0 does not provide the ability to query or configure consumer devices, such as PCs, within the home. CableHome 1.0 also helps protect the customer from hackers attempting to gain unauthorized access to their wireless home network, he added.

The home network service support tools the operator receives in a CableHome-compliant residential gateway enable improved customer support and relationships, and increase the efficiency of customer care operations. CableHome 1.0 provides standardization of home networking functionality within a residential gateway, allowing for deployment of a single common back office support infrastructure, and provides a multiple supplier environment. CableHome 1.0 also has been internationally standardized within the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as Recommendation J.191.

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