Background article 3: uPnP; the future in your connected life
Showing videos you made on holiday to friends. Sharing pictures of your latest hot item to others. Creating photos and videos has never been easier before with the current generation devices, but sharing them is apparently another story.
Showing videos you made on holiday to friends. Sharing pictures of your latest hot item to others. Creating photos and videos has never been easier before with the current generation devices, but sharing them is apparently another story. The new standard uPnP (Universal Plug and Play) will make sharing and showing of multimedia content via a (home) network a lot easier. Fitting in Nokia’s new ‘digital home’ strategy, the N80 is the first new device with uPnP on board. Together with the N80 there are several models of the upcoming N-series with this functionality. In this article, NewMobile will explain about the theory of uPnP and its functionalities with the N80 in real life.
Introduction
The most popular and existing wireless techniques for data transfers are Bluetooth and Infrared. The advantages of these standards are enormous, but both only work on a short distance and the bandwidth is low. Reality shows that the implementation of the protocol could have been better. Also, the data cable connection from device to PC has limited possibilities, and depends of difficult to use software and hard to implement device drivers.
uPnP brings an end to that so-called mess and is a clear alternative for the last generation of Smartphones, implemented for the first time in the Nokia N80. Originally Universal Plug and Play (uPnP) is an set of protocols (rules) that should take care of so-called plug-and-play functionality between a wide range of devices, cooperating on basis of the TCP/IP-protocol. With the help of uPnP, installing drivers and incomprehensible pairing will belong to the past, sharing media with uPnP is done in a second.
The initiative for uPnP was taken by three major names in the IT and computing business, Microsoft, Intel and Compaq (HP) and had been implemented many times in digital home network strategies by these companies, and now Nokia also uses the ‘digital home’ strategy made possible by uPnP. The terms ‘domotica’ and ‘digital home’ were used by the Dutch inventor Chriet Titulaer for his projects, like the ‘house of the future’, early 1990s and not very reachable for the average consumer those days. In 2006, digital home networking is possible for everyone.
uPnP in practice
The protocol is fairly young, but there are already a lot of devices on the market supporting uPnP. Mainly high-end audio sets and mediacenters are using the uPnP protocol. Also uPnP can be used in combination with a laptop- or desktop computer, making it an interesting option for data transfers between a mobile device and a desktop PC. Not only the N80 but also the N91, N92 and N93 have built-in Wireless LAN functionality, which makes it possible to exchange media and data over the network on an easy way.
To get uPnP working on your PC a piece of 3rd party software is needed. For Windows 2000 and XP there is a program available called Home Media Server. HMS has uPnP functionality on board and makes it possible to exchange media between mobile phone and PC. If both devices are in the same network range - allowing them to transfer data- uPnP should work without trouble. It doesn’t make difference if the N80 works via wireless and the PC via an Etherrnet (UTP) cable.
To use uPnP in the first place, it’s important that an Wireless LAN access point has been set-up in the phone. When uPnP will be used for the first time, the device will ask for an default Access point. Access points like these are no more than just a setting which makes it possible to set up a wireless data connection. Define a custom setting via Instruments > Settings > Connection > Access points on your phone.
Like has been told in this article, full uPnP functionality requires additional software. For the most recent Windows versions (Windows 2000 and XP) Home Media Server is available for download on the following website: http://www.simplecenter.com/downloads/NokiaHMS34.exe. This program is supplied standard on the CD of the Nokia N-series devices supporting uPnP. Additionally, you can also use Windows Media Connect, available here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/devices/wmconnect/. For Linux users, there are many open source alternatives available. Please note that there may occur communication problems if you use a firewall, but you can make an exception for the uPnP progam to run correctly. Further in this article we will describe the standard supplied package, Home Media Server. Exploring the alternatives is a possible, it’s up to you which program will suit you best!
After the installation of the Home Media Server package (see the first link above) you have to share the media of your choice with other uPnP devices, like the Nokia N80 we used. One of the other possibilities is to show the media from the mobile device to your PC or Media Center with a TV attached to it, like a photo you’ve made with your device.
Sharing media with others is easy and the options may vary, like displaying images but also audio and video. It’s even possible to browse between music files, present on the hard drive of your PC, the mobile phone will be used as a remote control. It’s very handy to control a slideshow, media or music directly from your seat: if there is a (WLAN) network, you can use uPnP.
When the Wireless setting has been made (see Access Points) it is possible to show the image remote from the Gallery Application. No other settings have to be made.
The built-in media player of Symbian Series S60 version 3 supports the ability to approach and play the shared content directly. Copying media over the network is also supported, you can store the downloaded content in the internal phone memory or memory card.
Conclusion
uPnP offers many new wireless entertainment possibilities, also for exchanging and sharing media between devices. Wireless Networks are the key to this feature, and Wireless LAN is already a common used feature by consumers at home or in the office. Many of them have a WLAN-connected notebook or desktop PC.
The rate of functionality and connectivity between devices has enormously increased and uPnP plays a major role in this story. For example, its easily possible to control a compatible audio set with your Smartphone, viewing slideshows and of course sharing and exchanging media. Not only the N80 but also other models of the Nokia N-series are equipped with uPnP. Until now, only the premium-end devices (N91, N92, N93) feature uPnP but the feature is already used in one medium/high-end model, the N73.
Therefore, this device has uPnP functionality but lacks the Wireless LAN feature, which makes the uPnP function rather limited, but will fit great in an Bluetooth-network with Bluetooth equipped devices. But you will experience the full uPnP experience if you use it in combination with Wireless LAN, which makes it a modern alternative to Bluetooth and Infrared, with a far increased bandwidth and range. When one will notice that uPnP will be used more common in audo sets and LCD televisions, it will be a great breaktrough in connectivity and media.
