Telephone outlet for implementing a local area network over telephone lines and a local area network using such outlets
View Patent ↗A network for transporting power and multiplexed data and digital telephone signals. The network includes at least three nodes and first and second wiring segments in a building for carrying the multiplexed data and digital telephone signals, and at least one of the segments is configured to additionally carry a power signal. A power consuming component is connected to the at least one wiring segment and is powered by the power signal carried by that segment. Each wiring segment connects a different pair of the nodes together to form, with nodes nodes, a packet based bi-directional communication link. One of the nodes contains communication link composed of a repeater, a bridge, or a router connectable to a data unit. At least one of the nodes is connected to a remote data unit external to the building for coupling the remote data unit to at least one of said communication links.
1. A digital access multiplexer apparatus for use with first, second and third telephone wire pairs, each telephone wire pair comprising two conductors and being connected to carry an analog telephone signal in an analog telephone frequency band and a bi-directional digital data signal in a digital data frequency band distinct from, and higher than, the analog telephone frequency band, said apparatus comprising:
first, second and third wiring connectors for respectively connecting to the first, second, and third telephone wire pairs;
first, second and third low pass filters respectively connected to said first, second, and third wiring connectors, each said low pass filter being operative to substantially pass only signals in the analog telephone frequency band;
a telephone connector connectable to a telephony device and connected to said first low pass filter;
first, second and third high pass filters respectively connected to said first, second, and third wiring connectors, each said high pass filter being operative to substantially pass only signals in the digital data frequency band;
first, second and third telephone line modems respectively connected to said first, second, and third high pass filters, each said telephone line modem being operative to bi-directionally communicate digital data with a single mating modem in the digital data frequency band;
a local area network connector connectable to a data unit;
a transceiver connected to said local area network connector for packet-based full-duplex communication with the data unit;
a router connected to said first, second and third telephone line modems and to said transceiver for sharing data therebetween; and
a single enclosure housing said first, second and third low pass filters, said first, second and third high pass filters, said second connector, said first, second and third telephone line modems, said local area network connector, said transceiver and said router.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is a local area network transceiver operative for point-to-point packet-based full-duplex communication with an identical mating transceiver.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the point-to-point packet-based full-duplex communication conforms to IEEE802.3 standard and the local area network connector is RJ-45.
4. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the point-to-point packet-based full-duplex communication conforms to 10BaseT or 100BaseT.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said telephone line modems is operative to conduct the digital data signal over a pre-existing POTS-service telephone wire pair installed at least in part in a residence.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein all of said telephone line modems are operative to conduct the digital data signal over a pre-existing POTS-service telephone wire pair installed at least in part in the residence.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said telephone line modems is operative for full-duplex communication over a point-to-point pre-existing POTS-service telephone wire pair installed at least in part external to a building.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein all of said telephone line modems are operative for full duplex communication over a point-to-point pre-existing POTS-service telephone wire pair installed at least in part external to the building.
9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said telephone line modems is DSL based.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein all of said telephone line modems are DSL based.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein all of said telephone line modems are ADSL based.
12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the packet-based communication is based on Internet Protocol.
13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising first, second and third terminators each connected between a respective one of said first, second and third high pass filters and a respective one of said first, second and third telephone line modems for substantially terminating a signal received from the respective of said first, second, and third telephone wire pairs in the digital data frequency band.
14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is attachable to a wall of a building.
15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein said apparatus is further mountable on an external wall of the building.
16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is at least partially housed within an outlet.
17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said first, second and third wiring connectors are parts of a single connector assembly.
18. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said telephone connector is a standard telephone connector.
19. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein said telephone connector is a RJ-11 type connector.
20. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further using frequency division multiplexing, wherein: the digital data frequency band contains multiple distinct frequency sub-bands each carrying digital data; at least one of said telephone line modems is operative to conduct the digital data in the frequency sub-bands; and at least part of the data in each frequency sub-band is distinct from the data carried over the other frequency sub-bands.
21. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further using frequency division multiplexing, wherein: the digital data frequency band contains multiple distinct frequency sub-bands each carrying digital data; all of said telephone line modems are operative to conduct the digital data in the frequency sub-bands; and at least part of the data in each frequency sub-band is distinct from the data carried over the other frequency sub-bands.
22. The apparatus according to claim 1 further using time division multiplexing, wherein: at least some digital data carried over of one of said telephone wire pairs contain multiple distinct data streams; and said apparatus is further operative to pass at least one of the data streams between said local area network connector and the respective wiring connector.
23. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further using time division multiplexing, wherein: the digital data carried over all of said telephone wire pairs contain multiple distinct data streams; and said apparatus is further operative to pass at least one of the data streams between said local area network connector and the respective wiring connector.
24. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said first, second and third low pass filters are identical to each other, said first, second and third high pass filters are identical to each other, said first, second and third telephone line modems are identical to each other, and the same protocol is used for data conducted over said first, second and third telephone wire pairs.
25. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further being at least powered by a power signal carried over at least one of said telephone wire pairs.
26. The apparatus according to claim 25 , wherein the power signal is an AC power signal.
27. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further addressable in a digital data network.
28. The apparatus according to claim 27 , further addressable in a local area network.
29. A network for transporting digital data and analog telephone signals over multiple telephone wire pairs, the network comprising:
first, second and third telephone wire pairs, each comprising two conductors connected to conduct analog signals in an analog telephone frequency band and digital data in a respective digital data frequency band distinct from, and higher than, the analog telephone frequency band;
a digital access multiplexer device connected to said first, second and third telephone wire pairs, said digital access multiplexer device being connectable to a fourth digital data unit and to an analog telephone service and being operative for standard-based packet-based full-duplex communication with the fourth digital data unit, said digital access multiplexer device comprising a router operative to couple the digital data in the digital data frequency bands of said first, second and third telephone wire pairs to the fourth digital data unit, and said digital access multiplexer device being operative for coupling said analog signals in at least one of the analog telephone frequency bands to the analog telephone service; and
first, second and third remote devices, each connected to a respective one of said first, second and third telephone wire pairs, each of said remote devices being connectable to a respective one of the first, second and third digital data units and to an analog telephone set, and each being operative for standard-based packet-based full-duplex communication with the respective one of said first, second and third digital data units, and each remote device being operative to place digital data to and from a respective digital data unit in a respective digital data frequency band and to place analog signals to and from a respective analog telephone set in a respective analog telephone frequency band; and
wherein said digital access multiplexer device and each of said first, second and third remote devices is housed in a respective single enclosure.
30. The network according to claim 29 , wherein said digital access multiplexer device and each of said first, second and third remote devices are addressable in a digital data network.
31. The network according to claim 30 , wherein the digital data network is a local area network.
32. The network according to claim 29 , wherein the standard-based packet-based full-duplex communication conforms to IEEE802.3 standard and is based on Internet Protocol, and the connection to each of said digital data units is based on an RJ-45 connector.
33. The network according to claim 32 , wherein the standard-based packet-based full-duplex communication conforms to 10BaseT or 100BaseT standard.
34. The network according to claim 29 , wherein at least part of at least one of said telephone wire pairs comprises a pre-existing POTS-service telephone wire pair installed at least in part in a residence.
35. The network according to claim 29 , wherein at least part of at least one of said telephone wire pairs comprises a pre-existing POTS-service telephone wire pair installed at least in part outside of a building.
36. The network according to claim 29 , wherein the communication over at least one of said telephone wire pairs is DSL based.
37. The network according to claim 29 , wherein the communication over all of said telephone wire pairs is DSL based.
38. The network according to claim 29 , wherein the communication over all of said telephone wire pairs is ADSL based.
39. The network according to claim 29 , wherein the enclosure of at least one of said devices is attachable to a wall of a building.
40. The network according to claim 39 , wherein the enclosure of at least one of said devices is attachable to an external wall of a building.
41. The network according to claim 29 , wherein the enclosure of at least one of said devices is at least partially housed within an outlet.
42. The network according to claim 29 , wherein said first, second and third remote devices are identical to each other.
43. The network according to claim 29 , wherein the same protocol is used for communication over all of said telephone wire pairs.
44. The network according to claim 29 , wherein the digital data frequency band in which data is carried by at least one of said telephone wire pairs contains a plurality of distinct frequency sub-bands, and wherein at least part of the data in one frequency sub-band is distinct from the data carried over the other frequency sub-bands.
45. The network according to claim 29 , wherein the digital data frequency band in which data is carried by each of said telephone wire pairs contains a plurality of distinct frequency sub-bands, and wherein at least part of the data in one frequency sub-band is distinct from the data carried over the other frequency sub-bands.
46. The network according to claim 29 , wherein at least one of said telephone wire pairs is further connected to carry a power signal.
47. The network according to claim 46 , wherein at least one of said devices is connected to be at least in part powered by the power signal carried over said at least one of said telephone wire pairs.
48. The network according to claim 46 , wherein the power signal is an AC power signal.
49. The network according to claim 29 , wherein digital data carried by one of said telephone wire pairs in the digital data frequency band is different from digital data carried by other ones of said telephone wire pairs in the digital data frequency band.
50. The network according to claim 29 , wherein at least one of said telephone wire pairs is at least in part in a wall of a building and is terminated by a telephone outlet, and wherein a respective one of said remote devices is connected to said at least one of said telephone wire pairs via the telephone outlet.
51. The network according to claim 29 , wherein each of said telephone wire pairs connects said digital access multiplexer device and a respective one of said remote devices in a point-to-point connection.
52. The network according to claim 29 , wherein there are at least two of said digital access multiplexer devices, each located in a different building, and at least two of said remote devices are located in different buildings.