Method for assigning random numbers as identifiers to appliances with matching manufacturer's identities in a home network

摘要

A home network has a home server that controls a plurality of client appliances via communication modules which convert and transmit data between the appliances and the network. The home server assigns identifiers to the appliances using the manufacturer's serial number or a random number if the serial number of a new appliance matches an identifying number already in use by the server. The server may comprise a database for storing IDs of the appliances connected to the network and a random number generator. The server may have a microcomputer for accessing the database and assigning an ID to new appliances. The server may have control units for command inputs and outputs. The server communication module may comprise a memory for storing address information of the server and a modem for converting data into a suitable format based on an appropriate protocol for the network. The appliance communication modules may include a memory for storing the ID information assigned to the appliance.