Back to the Seminar  - HomePage 

FIM - Homepage 

Team members: 

Wolfgang Höfler 

Mario Pichler 

Christoph Panwinkler 

Interesting Links 

Teleworking - Links 

Bibliography 

There has been a lot of interest and discussion about this but not much action - yet. This will probably change as the software and hardware for true desktop videoconferencing becomes more widely available, and at lower costs, and as the quality improves. However, there are two potential obstacles for most videoconferencing for telecommuting: first, it generally requires access to an ISDN phone service, which isn't available everywhere yet. 
Second, some of the interest in videoconferencing is misguided, in the sense that managers want to use it to do the same kind of micro- management they practice in the office. The best use of video for telecommuting is for applications where there's a graphic or visual aspect that can't be conveyed with just voice or text, or for interactions where you really need to look someone in the eye.  
 

Quite possibly - but these are still relatively rare yet. A "cable modem" is a device that lets you connect your PC to your cable television line instead of to your telephone line. Many cable operators are upgrading their systems to take advantage of the inherently higher bandwidth (capacity) of cable vs. twisted-pair telephone lines. The cable companies claim that Internet access via a cable modem is many times faster than with standard dial-up phone lines, and even with ISDN lines. This speed advantage is very appealing to people who have the need for frequent Internet access or other purposes.  

But there are four potential drawbacks to keep in mind: first, cable telephony is still in the development stages in Europe, so this probably isn't "plug and play" quite yet. Second, the speed advantage with cable modems is generally in one direction only; speeds into your home via cable will be much faster than speeds back out of home. Third, the initial and ongoing monthly usage charges are likely to be higher than for service from your phone company. Fourth, your actual speed of downloading a Web site, for example, depends partly on the speed of the "pipe" (cable vs. telephone line) but also on the 
fastest speed at which your Internet provider or other source can send out the data.