The definition of what a home network has changed quite a bit in the last decade or so. As Michael Greeson, co-founder and director of research at The Diffusion Group puts it: “Whole-home networks were available 15 years ago, but they required professional installation, were cost prohibitive and their capabilities far exceeded mainstream usage models. At that time, internet-connected devices were limited to personal computers, primarily desktops, and LAN traffic consisted of Word documents and Excel files sent over Ethernet. WiFi and LAN video were unproven.”

Broadband households are tremendously different today in terms of how many devices are attached to the “home network,” especially when it comes to the number of video-capable screens. TDG estimates those as now approaching eight per household, including TVs, computers, tablets and smartphones.

“As TDG first predicted nearly 13 years ago, broadband has become a household utility, with home networks integral to its functionality, Greeson says. “Today these technologies define the digital architecture of 21st century home, a reality not lost on Google.”

In that comment, Greeson is referencing Google’s recent news around hardware solutions, including its Google Wifi solution announcement. The idea is to provide scalable, integrated WiFi at the highest quality possible regardless of location in the home, TDG says, and the research firm “views this as the right approach at the right time.” More about Google Wifi is here.