Patent ID: 7263362

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a network interface module to provide data communication over a local network; a first network access point module to provide access to the local network by one or more external data processing devices, the first network access point module including a telephony module to enable audio telephony communication over the local network and supporting PSTN and IP telephony services; an audio decoder module to decode audio received over the local network; an audio output port to provide the decoded audio to an audio amplifier; and an infrared sensor to receive control signals from a remote control device and to transmit the control signals via the network interface module to the source of the audio content, the control signals indicating specific audio content to be provided over the local network, the telephony module comprising a power sensor to detect a drop in power below a threshold value to the IP telephony service, wherein the telephony module is to switch from the IP telephony service to the PSTN service prior to initiating an audio telephony communication upon detecting the drop in power below the threshold value.