Charter inks Affinegy for home networking

Affinegy announced today that Charter Communications is using its software package for self-installation of home networks in broadband subscribers’ homes.

The deal is the third major cable operator for Affinegy, having already signed Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable. In all three cases, the cable operators are using the vendor’s InstaLAN product, which helps users connect multiple devices to either a cable or DSL modem.

“We’ve eliminated all the technical details [from the user’s view],” said Art Lancaster, chief technical officer for Affinegy. “We actually show animations that show people how to hook up their equipment.”

The company has been starting to get interest from telcos who want to reduce help desk calls that increasingly are revolving around home networks and not broadband connections, said Melissa Simpler, CEO of Affinegy. Moreover, as more consumers begin linking various non-PC products to broadband connections, the complexity of installation and management is going up, she said.

“There are definitely a number of new devices,” she said. “It’s anything from a media PC to a home theater to wireless gaming peripherals. Music content tends to be the starting point.”

The company’s other product, AirKit, is similar but focused around connecting devices in a secured WiFi environment—secured being operative word.

“Wireless networks have the potential of being incredibly easy but they have security concerns,” Lancaster said. “Service providers are interesting in solving some of these problems as well as benefiting from the revenue generated.”