I’m currently one of the geekier members of society in that I have a home server. It sits under my bed and get’s used for web design, backing up files and as a home to all my media files, which are then available to be streamed by the Xbox Media Centre.

It’s quite a nice thing to have and I think in the near future they are going to become ubiquitous. However, at the moment there are a few problems holding back mainstream adoption.

1. The first is function. At the moment it’s far too much hassle for too little benefit for the majority of non-geeks.
2. The second problem is the current hardware. At the moment I have an old dell dektop as my server. Made a good use for an old PC but it’s too loud to leave on overnight and I’m pretty sure it’s not very energy efficient.
3. Software poses another problem. I maintain my server using the command line. I enjoyed learning this new skill. Most people won’t.
4. The final problem is cost. People don’t like spending money on an item as dull as a server.

Possible Solution

I propose a merger of two popular existing products: netbooks and routers.

“Netbooks” are everywhere these days. Costing around £200 they work as good as most laptops.

Wireless routers are in virtually every household with broadband.

Here is how I suggest this solution would solve the problems listed above:

1. Function

The following are useful features for the average Joe.

• Central repository for personal and media files – in a house with 5+ computers plus media centre televisions it quickly becomes apparent that having everything you need on every computer is a killer feature.
• Backup device – when computers break, for the majority of people, that means the end of their files not backed up recently. With an automated device this could become a thing of the past
• Firewall – An extra layer of security never hurt anyone
• Remote access – all the media files could be accessed by devices like the iphone using something like tversity
• On top of the above there are all the geeky add-ons like bittorrent which can be added.

2. Hardware

Taking a netbook, removing the screen, graphics unit, soundcard, keyboard/touchpad, battery and hard disk would leave you with a device very similar to a router. Possibly even smaller. It would be quiet and use low energy hardware. The device would have USB ports to add external drives, thus providing as much or as little storage as the user needs.

3. Software

A sleek web interface, like a souped up version of the standard router admin page, would be the point of access for the end user. Each feature would be designed by experts to remove anything technical.

4. Cost

I suspect what I described above would be about £100’s worth of equipment. That device could do the job of your existing home router, saving £40 you’d normally spend. So you’re talking an extra cost of £60. It’s not exorbitant for the benefits gained. It could be marketed as a “router plus”.