Wired on home networking

Wireless home networks may be all the rage these days, but several organizations are fine-tuning specifications and technologies that enhance home networking using existing wires to connect devices at extremely fast data speeds. Here’s a spotlight on some of these organizations and their recent activities.

HomeGrid Forum www.homegridforum.org

HomeGrid Forum is a global, nonprofit trade group that promotes the International Telecommunication Union’s ITU-T G.hn standardization efforts for next-generation wired home networking. The G.hn standard addresses key issues concerning service providers, electronics manufacturers, and consumers by unifying networking over any wire, including coax cable and phone and power lines.

This standard enables service providers to deploy new offerings such as IPTV more cost-effectively; allows consumer electronics manufacturers to provide powerful devices for connecting entertainment, automation, and security products throughout the house; and simplifies consumer purchasing and installation processes.

In May, the ITU-T introduced a new draft for G.hn and adopted significant portions of the Data Link Layer (DLL) as Baseline Text, demonstrating that the group is on track to meet its goal of achieving consent for the complete G.hn standard during 2009. HomeGrid Forum is working to enable silicon and system vendors to develop future products.

HomePNA Alliance www.homepna.org

HomePNA Alliance is an incorporated, nonprofit association endeavoring to create, promote, and certify multimedia home networking technology that operates over existing wires. HomePNA technology delivers Internet Protocol (IP) services such as IPTV, VoIP, and data, often bundled together as triple-play services.

The only standard that operates over both coax cables and phone wires, HomePNA is one of the fastest-growing home networking technologies. More than 10 million HomePNA chipsets have been shipped with more than 40 service providers installing 30,000-plus new HomePNA-based networks each week worldwide. HomePNA’s quality of service delivers a high-fidelity video experience for viewers while allowing service providers to cut installation costs, utilize remote management and diagnostics to decrease operational expenses, and reduce end-user costs through unified billing. HomePNA Alliance recently signed a liaison agreement with HomeGrid Forum to promote the ITU’s all-wire G.hn home networking standard.

HomePlug Powerline Alliance www.homeplug.org

HomePlug Powerline Alliance is an industry-led initiative that creates specifications detailing how to use power lines for reliable home networking and smart grid applications. Alliance members believe that HomePlug power line technology will play an increasingly important role in achieving a more efficient and reliable standards-based smart grid infrastructure.

The group recently announced a technology path for the smart grid and completed its Market Requirements Document for HomePlug Smart Energy to guide the development of HomePlug specifications. This effort will help create a new class of power line communications products offering reduced cost, low power consumption, and full interoperability with the current HomePlug AV standard and the forthcoming IEEE 1901 standard at data rates tailored to meet the anticipated requirements of smart energy management. By following this document, utilities, electricity meter manufacturers, and product manufacturers will be able to future-proof smart grid networks based on HomePlug/IEEE technology.