BKRESBBD.RVW 971209 "Residential Broadband", George Abe, 1997, 1-57870-020-5, U$55.00/C$77.95/UK#50.99 %A George Abe %C 201 W. 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290 %D 1997 %G 1-57870-020-5 %I MacMillan Computer Publishing (MCP) %O U$55.00/C$77.95/UK#50.99 800-858-7674 317-581-3743 info@mcp.com %P 500 p. %T "Residential Broadband" The cover blurb says that this book provides a "comprehensive introduction to high-speed residential networks, integrating technical, business, and regulatory challenges." That description is mostly true, but not completely. Business, or, rather, the author's perception of business, predominates. The business that he considers to hold the high ground in the debate is television. Chapter one is entitled "Market Drivers" but is pretty much limited to TV. Even the discussion of the Web seems to see the technology as a sort of piecemeal video-on-demand. The writing style seems to be aimed at non-specialist managers, and this also makes the book suitable background reading for interested laypeople. Continuing on, chapter two reviews technical aspects of residential broadband service. We get back to television in chapter three with cable networks. Chapter four discusses the various forms of digital subscriber line provision over copper wire, while five and six look at fibre optic links to the home (or near it) and wireless networks. Very often discussions of this type of communications technology end with the feed to the home, but in chapter seven Abe does consider the needs and technologies for home network use. Chapter eight deals with issues of integrating existing network resources into the residential broadband scenario. The resources listed at the end of each chapter are separated by type, into books and articles, and even include numerous Internet references. This is all to the good, since even trade article references are of very limited use to those who are not deeply and professionally involved in the field. The level of technical explanation varies, although it is generally quite good, and suitable for any interested and intelligent reader, regardless of background. In a section on resistance in existing wiring, Abe notes the "skin effect," where electrical flow stops working in the centre of conductors. This explains the greater resistance at higher frequencies: the conductive cross-section is effectively reduced. The greater resistance explains why wiring is not used for high frequency broadcasts. The author does not explain how or why the skin effect occurs, keeping to a practical level which is probably what more readers will want, even if some enquiring minds are disappointed. Regulatory, and even some technical, issues are primarily limited to the American situation. Given the business orientation, this is a stronger limit on the audience for the book than would otherwise have been the case. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1997 BKRESBBD.RVW 971209

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