HomePlug specifications, internationally recognized standards for power line communications in the home, are developed, tested and released by the HomePlug Powerline Alliance.
HomePlug AV
The HomePlug Powerline Alliance’s HomePlug AV specification supports distribution of high-bandwidth audio and video content around the home. Intellon is a major contributor to the HomePlug AV specification, which is designed to co-exist with the earlier HomePlug 1.0 standard. Intellon's product is an extension of the same technology foundation that made our HomePlug 1.0-based products a resounding success.
The HomePlug AV specification supports PHY rates of up to 200 Mbps and are significantly faster and more reliable than wireless networks. This means consumers will be able to easily distribute high-definition and standard-definition television and other multi-stream video content around their homes over existing electrical wiring. Connected HomePlug AV-compatible devices include:
- Broadband Gateways
- PCs
- Satellite and cable Set-Top Boxes
- Personal Video Recorders
- Flat Panel Displays / TVs
- Game Consoles
- Blu-ray DVD players
- Networked Attached Storage (NAS) drives
- Over-The-Top video boxes (AppleTV)
- Networked Security Cameras
- Home Audio Systems
- IP Phones
Intellon products based on the HomePlug AV specification include:
HomePlug 1.0
The HomePlug 1.0 specification was introduced in 2001 after the Alliance tested technologies submitted from 23 companies. Intellon's patented IC technology was selected as the baseline for the 1.0 specification, which provides data rates of up to 14 mbps over existing power lines. HomePlug 1.0 encompasses both the physical and media access layers of the networking model, enabling robust solutions such as broadband sharing, networked audio, online gaming and voice over IP (VOIP).
HomePlug 1.0-compliance helps ensure whole-house connectivity because the 1.0 specification solves the problems typically associated with power line communications, including:
- Quality of service (QoS) issues that degrade network performance
- Noise produced by other electronic devices in the home (e.g. vacuum cleaners, hair dryers and drills)
- Security leaks caused by home networks sharing the same power transformer
The HomePlug 1.0 specification has also been adopted by the Telecommunications Industry Alliance under TIA-1113, providing additional standards organization approval.
Intellon products based on the HomePlug 1.0 specification include:
The IEEE 1901 power line standards group has made a tremendous amount of progress and has selected HomePlug AV technology as the basis for one of the PHY/MAC layers in the specifications.
IEEE 1901 is developing a power line standard for high speed (>100 Mbps at the physical layer) communication devices via AC electric power lines. The standard uses transmission frequencies below 100 MHz. It will be usable by all classes of power line devices, including Broadband Power Line (BPL) devices used for the first-mile/last-mile connection (<1500 m to the premise) to broadband services as well as powerline devices used in buildings for LANs and other data & video distribution (<100m between devices). This standard focuses on the balanced and efficient use of the power line communications channel by all classes of power line devices, defining detailed mechanisms for coexistence and interoperability between different power line devices, and ensuring that desired bandwidth and quality of service will be delivered. It addresses the necessary security questions to ensure the privacy of communications between users and allow the use of power lines for security sensitive services. This standard is limited to the physical layer and the medium access sub-layer of the data link layer, as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Basic Reference Model.
The Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) has developed a standard defining a data modem that operates on electrical wiring (AC power lines) on user premises. TIA-1113 Medium-Speed (up to 14 Mbps) Power Line Communications (PLC) Modems using Windowed OFDM could help revolutionize broadband-speed residential and networked Internet and multimedia access, allowing electrical wires to serve as a conduit for both power and data for any device.
The new standard, which was formulated under the cognizance of the TIA TR-30’s Committee on Multi-Media Access, Protocols and Interfaces TR-30.1 Subcommittee on Modems, is the first global multi-megabit – broadband-class – powerline communications standard approved by an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited organization.
TIA-1113 defines the functions, operations and interface characteristics of a system for medium-speed networking based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) using the medium of power line wiring.
Standardization in the powerline communications industry is recognized as important because of the number of devices in the market, more than 18 million to date, and the increasing growth of this industry. The TIA subcommittee used contributions based on Homeplug1.0 powerline technology to develop the standard. The technology, most widely used for in-the-home broadband-speed communications and multimedia distribution, is also being deployed in to-the-home Internet access, hotels and commercial buildings, and on-the-grid energy-saving “green” power and smart-grid implementations.
“The HomePlug Powerline Alliance applauds the publishing of this standard,” said Paul Dixon of TIA member company Huawei Technologies, who serves as vice president of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance. “We believe it augments our efforts toward global standardization for powerline communications, a necessity as our industry grows and more consumers deploy these networking solutions in their homes and offices.”
The Broadband Forum is a worldwide organization committed to rapidly creating specifications for communication service providers and vendors that accelerate the development and deployment of broadband networks, foster successful interoperability and manage and deliver advanced IP services to the customer. The current objectives of the broadband forum are to expand and address physical layer options (ADSL2plus, VDSL2, and fiber) for greater performance. The forum also is taking actions to expedite IPTV rollout by addressing key IPTV functions, facilitating Set Top Box management and auto-configuration and improving performance.
The forum also incorporates energy efficiency considerations into the specifications regarding network and customer premises. It also acts as an industry advocate in energy efficiency and encourages global adoption of effective and responsible broadband deployment techniques. It is committed to assess the environmental impact of all new Broadband Forum specifications, to catalog the expected society and technology effects of implementation, and to develop options wherever possible that improve energy conservation.
ETSI PLT (European Telecommunications Standards Institute Powerline Technology) project is developing the necessary standards and specifications to cover the provision of voice and data services over the mains power transmission and distribution network and/or in-building electricity wiring.
The Home Gateway Initiative is an open forum launched by Telcos in December 2004 with the aim to release specifications of the home gateway. In addition to Telcos, several manufacturers have joined the alliance. HGI was formed to boost the market of home communication services to the millions of broadband customers served by its founding members. The initiative will drive the development of residential gateways supporting the delivery of services. The goals of the initiative are to produce and downstream requirements for a residential gateway enabling end to end delivery of services, to work with manufacturers in order to leverage volumes and to validate with manufacturer against uses cases and requirements, to ensure interoperability.
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