The continued need for broadband sharing and growing interest in entertainment networks will drive the value of home network  equipment from $8.3 billion today to $17.1 billion in 2008, according to a new report from In-Stat/MDR. "Digital Domicile 2004: Home Networking Hits the Big Time" also predicts Asia will outpace North America in number of home networks by 2008, from 27% of all home networks worldwide today to 36% in 2008. North America will drop from 46% to 34% in the same period.

Netgear recently announced three partnerships to serve larger customers. For mid-market wireless networks, Netgear offers a combination of ProSafe Wireless Access Points and Firetide Hotpoint Wireless Mesh Routers, along with network management software from Perfigo. To provide IP telephony gear, Netgear and ShoreTel announced they have certified as interoperable Netgear's FSM7326P Layer 3 24+2 Managed 10/100 Switch with Power over Ethernet and the ShoreTel5 IP telephone system.

Ipswitch recently announced network-monitoring software. WhatsUp Small Business 2004 checks the device status and availability of up to 10 devices (PCs, servers and printers), to ensure optimal performance. The software also monitors services such as HTTP, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and e-mail. Visual reports help users track network diagnostics. Geared to companies with fewer than 50 employees and limited IT help, it costs $295, which includes support and upgrades for one year.