A home gateway apparatus that can control the power in each current carrying unit, and lower the power consumption is provided; by dividing the apparatus into a first system that has a minimum function to connect with the Internet, and a second system that has necessary functions to execute applications on the Ethernet.RTM.. Both the first and second systems are controlled individually, so that the power is turned on/off separately. Also, when the second system without the power is turned on, an Ethernet.RTM. connection controller is provided as an interface to avoid the interface connectivity problem, and an IP address is automatically obtained after turning on the power.