Home-networking

A method for connecting multiple home-networked client devices to a host system, wherein the host system assigns independent Internet addresses to the home-networked client devices, the method comprising:

• using the home gateway device to receive a request from at least one of multiple home-networked client devices to communicate with the host system, wherein the multiple home-networked client devices are connected to the home gateway device via a network;
• using the home gateway device to establish communications with the host system over a single communication tunnel, wherein the home gateway device includes a network address translator module;
• using the home gateway device to receive independent Internet addresses from the host system, located at one end of the single communication tunnel, for each of the multiple home-networked client devices over the single communication tunnel;
• using the home gateway device to establish an individual communication session with the host system over the single communication tunnel, wherein the individual communication session is based on an independent Internet address assigned by the host system to the at least one of the multiple home-networked client devices that requested to communicate with the host system;
• and
• using the network address translator module to process communications between the at least one of the multiple home-networked client devices and the host system by mapping the independent Internet address assigned by the host system for the at least one of the multiple home-networked client devices to a local address used between the home gateway device and the at least one of the multiple home-networked client devices.

A method for connecting multiple home-networked client devices to a host system, wherein the host system assigns independent Internet addresses to the home-networked client devices, the method comprising:

• using a host system, located at one end of a single communication tunnel, to assign independent Internet addresses to each of multiple home-networked client devices over the single communication tunnel;
• using the host system to receive a request for an individual communication session with at least one of the multiple home-networked client devices;
• using the host system to establish communications with the home gateway device that includes a network address translator module over the single communication tunnel;
• using the host system to establish with the home gateway device the individual communication session over the single communication tunnel, wherein establishing the individual communication session includes using the host system to assign an independent Internet address to the at least one of the multiple home-networked client devices that requested to communicate with the host system;
• and
• communicating between the host system and the at least one of the multiple home-networked client devices through the home gateway device over the individual communication session, wherein the independent Internet address is mapped to a local address.