Cisco executives believe that routers will become the neural hub of home networks in the future, but the device’s central role in the home internet experience has yet to be fully recognized by the general public.
In a recent interview, Ulrike Tegtmeier, President of Cisco’s Consumer Products division, stated that most home users connect to the internet through a router, and they don’t particularly care whether the connection is wired or wireless. Over time, however, users will increasingly prefer wireless connections that free them from cable clutter.
Tegtmeier noted that beyond connecting home computers to the internet via wireless routers, users are now linking other consumer IT products鈥攕uch as digital cameras, televisions, and digital photo frames鈥攖o their home wireless networks. But most home wireless network users are unaware that these devices can be integrated into the home network environment.
She said: “Most users lack awareness of this and fail to fully leverage the advantages of these interconnected devices, and the router may be one of the devices preventing users from taking full advantage of this connectivity.” For example, if a user buys a smart TV and hopes to stream programs or use other network features, they may not realize that their home router might not support the TV’s connection, ultimately rendering their expensive smart TV no better than a regular television.
Therefore, Cisco has been investing heavily in consumer education and sales consultant training, ensuring that before purchasing or recommending consumer electronics, they verify whether the home router supports the device’s connectivity.
Routers Are the Core of the Home Network
Tegtmeier believes that as more household appliances gain networking capabilities, the router will become the core of the home network.
She also mentioned that many manufacturers have already integrated remote control functions into home appliances, allowing users to manage them even when they are away from home.
For all kinds of connected devices, the next step is enabling users to control power consumption. This is also a crucial factor for future networks.
At the same time, Tegtmeier acknowledged a current challenge in router development: users still find networks difficult to manage. Once a home user sets up a router, they tend to leave it running indefinitely, with few willing to adjust their network settings. She attributes this hands-off attitude toward routers to the overly complex management required by early models, such as needing to know relevant protocols and the subnet mask settings provided by their Internet Service Provider.
She stated that Cisco is using its own software to simplify the router configuration process, allowing 90% of the setup work to be done in the background.
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