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Are you ready for HomePlug ? What is the HomePlug Powerline Alliance ?
Since HomePlug networking is the only global standard for high-speed powerline networking, the Alliance fields questions every day from all around the world.
With millions of HomePlug-certified products in use, more and more people are finding that HomePlug networks are far easier to install than dedicated network cable, and also help to optimize the use of wireless networks by allowing the best placement of access points.
As the lines between the computing, communications, and entertainment markets continue to blur, HomePlug AV - driven by the Alliance's consumer electronics and service provider members - is now nearing the end of the specification process. HomePlug AV is built from the ground up to support entertainment applications, such as HDTV.
This document addresses the common questions related to the following:
The organization of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance
Powerline Communications Technology
The alliance's specifications: HomePlug 1.0, HomePlug AV, HomePlug Access BPL and HomePlug Command & Control
Future directions for the Alliance
Organizational Overview
What is the HomePlug Powerline Alliance?
Thirteen industry-leading companies formed the HomePlug Powerline Alliance in March of 2000. Since most electronic devices already use power outlets to receive power, the goal of the alliance was create a way that these same power outlets and electrical wires could be used to connect the devices to each other and to the Internet. The alliance achieved this by evaluating technologies and creating a specification. The HomePlug 1.0 specification was released in June of 2001.
Why was the HomePlug alliance formed?
Creating a network through the wires already used by electrical current is "common sense" to many people. Over the years, a great number of companies developed proprietary methods of achieving it, yet there was no recognized industry standard. To develop a common approach which would broaden the market for products using the technology, the alliance created the HomePlug 1.0 specification. Today, HomePlug networking is the only globally recognized standard for high-speed powerline networking with millions of products in use on six continents.
The alliance works to get the message out through marketing programs and end-user education programs. This helps to accelerate the worldwide demand for HomePlug-certified products.
Which companies currently serve on the HomePlug Powerline Alliance Board?
The HomePlug "Implementer's Forum" Board of Directors is comprised of industry leaders from the alliance's Sponsor companies who promote the strategic goals and the mission of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance. The Board of Directors currently consists of representatives from Comcast, EarthLink, GE Security, Intel, Linksys (a division of Cisco Systems, Inc.), Motorola, RadioShack, Sharp and Sony. Contributor members are Arkados, Conexant and Intellon.
What other companies are members of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance?
A complete list of member companies is available at www.homeplug.org.
What is the structure of the Alliance?
To accelerate the global proliferation of products based on HomePlug standards, the Alliance created an Implementers' Forum Board of Directors, consisting of Sponsor-level members of the Alliance.
The Alliance created three Promoters' Groups focused on specific standards initiatives within the Alliance. Initially, the Promoters' Groups will address three key technology areas:
HomePlug 1.0 + AV (in-home connectivity, including digital home and consumer electronics applications)
HomePlug BPL (to-the-home, Broadband-over-Powerline applications)
HomePlug Home Automation (command-and-control applications)
Three former sponsor member companies who are instrumental in contributing technology to the Alliance's standards, continue to play a key role in the development of HomePlug technology as Contributor members in the Promoter's Groups.
Alliance membership allows companies to shape the standards and efforts of the HomePlug alliance. The levels of membership include: Sponsor, Participant (including Contributor members), and Adopter (including Utility members).
What types of companies can join the Alliance?
Companies in the services, content, retail, hardware, software, semiconductor design and technology sectors are invited to join the HomePlug alliance to further establish power outlet connectivity and the realization of the connected home.
HomePlug Powerline Communications Technology Overview
What market opportunity does HomePlug technology address?
By creating a single industry standard and certification program, HomePlug technologies address the problems that have prohibited broad market penetration of powerline networking.
HomePlug-certified products leverage the ubiquity of power outlets and electrical wiring to enable scores of connected home applications. The market is growing quickly and HomePlug 1.0 networking products are shipping throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
What are the benefits of using power outlets to connect devices found in the home?
HomePlug-certified products offer a convenient way to share broadband Internet services. Home networks are far easier to install than the dedicated network cable needed for purely Ethernet-based networks or for the optimum placement of wireless access points. HomePlug AV addresses the need to distribute entertainment content, such as HDTV, throughout a home.
Power outlets are the most pervasive home wiring medium. Power outlet connectivity is available worldwide, affording the use of multiple outlets in every room at a lower cost per connection point. HomePlug technology leverages existing power outlets to provide both power and connectivity. Additionally, the convenience of connecting any device through a power outlet will enable exciting new products covering entertainment, information access and telephony services.
What are the challenges of using power outlets to connect devices in the home?
Past challenges of using power outlets to connect devices in the home included a lack of industry specifications and multiple sources of electric noise. HomePlug technology has overcome these challenges by creating a specification and advanced, optimized algorithms in semiconductor technology.
Is the Alliance's powerline technology compatible with other home networking technologies (including phone line, wireless and structured wiring)?
HomePlug technology will not cause interference and, in fact, can work together with other networking choices. Homes with Category 5 wiring will most likely have rooms or walls without available connectivity. Because of the ubiquity of power outlets, consumers are guaranteed to have a power outlet available for non-mobile devices. As for wireless technologies, HomePlug-certified Wi-Fi access points bridge wireless and powerline technologies, allowing you to connect all your battery-operated devices.
Are there other organizations/Alliances in the home networking space?
Yes, there are alliances that support various technologies, including phone line and wireless technologies. All of these groups share a common vision of helping the consumer realize the benefits of the connected home.
How will the alliance guarantee certification of products that embed HomePlug technology?
The alliance has developed a strict compliance and certification program to ensure interoperability among products from different member companies. Products that have passed this program will be issued the HomePlug certification mark.
How is the HomePlug technology specification made available?
The specification is available to HomePlug-member companies. As an open alliance, any company can become a member and have access to the specification.
HomePlug 1.0
What is HomePlug 1.0?
HomePlug 1.0 is the specification for a technology that connects devices to each other through the power lines in a home. HomePlug-certified products connect PCs and other devices that use Ethernet, USB and 802.11 "Wi-Fi" technologies to the power line via a HomePlug "bridge" or "adapter." Some products - such as connected audio players - even have HomePlug technology built-in. These products provide a simple solution for consumers interested in distributing connectivity around their home without adding any new wires.
What type of testing has the HomePlug alliance conducted on the chosen technology?
The HomePlug alliance validated its HomePlug 1.0 powerline networking technology through an extensive field trial of 500 homes throughout North America. The success of this field trial led to the completion of the HomePlug 1.0 Specification.
Is there a difference in the performance of the technology when applied to newer homes versus older homes?
After conducting field tests in over 500 homes, HomePlug 1.0's performance has proven consistent regardless of a home's age or size. The field tests also confirmed nearly 100 percent coverage in every home tested.
What products are available for consumers to purchase?
HomePlug-certified products such as bridging and routing devices, and combination Wi-Fi access point/HomePlug devices, are available from companies such as Asoka USA Corporation, Belkin Corporation, Corinex Global Corporation, devolo AG, EchoStar, GigaFast Ethernet, IOGEAR, Cisco-Linksys, Micro-Star International Co., Ltd., NETGEAR, Inc., Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd., Siemens, ST&T and Telkonet Communications. A full list of HomePlug-certified products can be found on the HomePlug alliance's website at www.homeplug.org. The alliance occasionally publishes a printed catalog of all HomePlug-certified devices.
What companies are developing silicon to support the HomePlug 1.0 specification?
The following companies have announced chip-level development incorporating HomePlug technology:
Arkados, Inc. - www.arkados.com
Conexant - www.conexant.com
Intellon - www.intellon.com
Maxim - www.maxim-ic.com
What was the process for selecting the baseline technology for the HomePlug 1.0 specification?
The HomePlug alliance evaluated various powerline-networking technologies through an industry-wide, open evaluation process that incorporated theoretical analysis, lab testing and field trials. The criteria included a 10 Mbps data rate, whole-house coverage, robustness and ease of implementation.
HomePlug AV
What is HomePlug AV?
HomePlug AV is the next generation of powerline technology. Key members of the HomePlug alliance, which includes consumer electronics companies and service providers, are driving the HomePlug AV standard. HomePlug AV is built from the ground up to support entertainment applications, such as HDTV and Home Theater. HomePlug AV provides a convenient and cost effective method of distributing HDTV in the home without new wires.
The objectives for the HomePlug AV specification include providing the best solution for high quality video distribution, with secure connectivity and built-in Quality-of-Service (QoS), to ensure a great customer experience at a price that is competitive with other home networking alternatives. HomePlug AV co-exists with HomePlug 1.0.
What companies will provide the technology for the HomePlug AV specification?
The advanced preliminary specification for HomePlug AV technology is the result of a combined effort of several leading proponents of powerline technologies. After laboratory tests and field trials bore out the best-in-class methods from submitted technologies, the Alliance combined contributions from several proponents into a single baseline technology. By melding the best methods, the Alliance established a baseline superior to any of the individual proposals. The HomePlug Board of Directors recognized Arkados, Conexant, Intellon and Sharp as contributors to the HomePlug AV specification.
What is the status of HomePlug AV?
All HomePlug specifications go through a series of stages:
Define Market Requirements Document (MRD)
Distribute Request for Proposal (RFP) to technology proponents
Evaluate proposals
Select technologies
Release internal Draft Specification
Release Final Specification
On August 18, 2005, the Alliance announced that the specification for HomePlug AV had been finalized and approved unanimously by the Board of Directors of the Alliance. In December 2005, the HomePlug board made the finalized specification available to members.
When will the HomePlug AV spec be done? When will HomePlug AV chips be available?
The specification will be delivered to the HomePlug membership during the third quarter of 2005. The timing of chips and products will depend on each chip manufacturer's schedule; generally this can take from 3 to 6 months from the date of specification release.
HomePlug-member semiconductor companies have already started to announce chips based on the HomePlug AV technology.
What are HomePlug AV's speed, features and capabilities?
HomePlug AV was designed to support the high-bandwidth and low-latency demands of several simultaneous streams of HDTV and VoIP, made concurrently available in over 90% of power outlets in a home. The target applications are in-home distribution of audio-video in home-theater and data-networking environments. For this reason, in the given frequency range, HomePlug AV has pushed Shannon's Law to its limit and provides a 200Mbps class service at the PHY layer. After overhead considerations, the MAC layer will support over 100Mbps.
What QoS support does HomePlug AV provide for emerging AV and IP applications?
HomePlug AV provides advanced QoS functions and features geared towards meeting the latency and jitter requirements of all emerging AV and IP applications.
Does HomePlug AV address the "hidden-node" issue?
Yes, the "hidden node" issue is a critical one seen by many LAN technologies, including Wi-Fi. HomePlug AV addresses this by using sophisticated network management capabilities, including a proxy networking function.
Does HomePlug AV address security differently than HomePlug 1.0?
HomePlug 1.0 uses several provisions for security including 56-bit DES, with both network and device keys. HomePlug AV enhances these features by using 128-bit AES.
Is HomePlug AV compatible with HomePlug 1.0?
All HomePlug AV and HomePlug 1.0 devices can exist together on the same power line. The HomePlug AV specification also supports specific product implementations that allow HomePlug 1.0 certified products to interoperate with HomePlug AV products.
Which frequency range is HomePlug AV using? Does HomePlug have any plans to use higher frequencies (e.g. above 30 MHz) and if not, why not?
HomePlug AV will use frequencies in the range of 2 to 28 MHz. The alliance does not currently have any plans to use frequencies above 30 MHz, but there is a possibility for expanding this range to higher frequencies depending on governmental regulations in the future.
What underlying technologies does HomePlug AV employ?
HomePlug AV uses an OFDM PHY with advanced FEC, channel estimation and adaptation. The MAC incorporates both scheduled access (TDMA) with QoS guarantees and contention access (CSMA), with reliable delivery through fast ARQ. HomePlug AV supports TDMA and FDMA for purposes of Broadband Over Powerline (BPL) co-existence. The HomePlug AV protocol stack supports a variety of upper layer protocols native to HomePlug AV, 802.3, IP and UPNP.
Is HomePlug AV a global technology?
Yes. Like HomePlug 1.0, which is already in use in many countries around the world, HomePlug AV is intended to work on power lines regardless of location, subject to local government regulations.
Does HomePlug AV address BPL co-existence?
Yes. The members of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance recognize that simultaneous uses of the same powerline for both in-home and to-the-home BPL create the need for a co-existence mechanism that will optimize the user experience for both In-home and BPL users. The development of the co-existence mechanism, released in July 2005, is an important part of the development effort of HomePlug AV.
In fact, the HomePlug Alliance has taken this a step further by supporting not only co-existence, but also interoperability between AV and BPL. Interoperability will allow devices in both the in-the-home and BPL domains to connect and interact seamlessly.
How does HomePlug AV support both In-home and BPL uses on the same wire?
HomePlug AV has a mechanism to detect the existence of neighbor networks, which includes BPL users. This mechanism is required so that in-home-only HomePlug AV users in homes and apartments that are sharing the same physical wire (off of a common transformer) do not interfere with each other - independent of whether BPL exists on the line or not. In other words, the need for bandwidth sharing exists inherently within HomePlug AV itself, and the bandwidth management solutions needed for In-home HomePlug AV applications can easily be extended to HomePlug BPL.
With that said, the HomePlug alliance recognizes that the market requirements of BPL may differ from those of HomePlug AV. Therefore, policies will need to be established on how best to share available resources between HomePlug AV and BPL. To a large degree, specific deployment scenarios, service architectures and possibly government regulations will drive this policy determination. The goal of HomePlug AV is to create a technology specification that can support those policy determinations, whatever they may be.
Are there any IP licensing limitations on using HomePlug AV for powerline applications beyond In-home uses, as there were on HomePlug v1.0?
The scope of the required necessary claims license for HomePlug AV will not be limited to In-home applications, but the product must be compliant with HomePlug AV specification released by the HomePlug alliance.
HomePlug Access BPL
What is HomePlug Access BPL?
Broadband Power Line (BPL) refers to a to-the-home broadband access technology. The HomePlug alliance formed the HomePlug Access BPL Working Group, whose first charter was to develop the Market Requirements Document (MRD) for a HomePlug Access BPL specification. The Alliance made an open invitation to the BPL industry to participate in the development of or provide input for consideration in the MRD. After several months of collaboration between utilities, ISPs and other BPL industry groups, the MRD was completed in June 2005.
For more information or to actively participate in the development of the HomePlug BPL Access Specification, please follow this link for details on membership in the HomePlug Powerline Alliance.
Hasn't the alliance traditionally focused on in-home powerline technologies? Why is the HomePlug alliance working on a specification for BPL?
The alliance's initial specification focused on In-home use of power line communications. Through this effort and the HomePlug AV specification process, the alliance brought together some of the industries' top technical engineers in the PLC space. With this diverse multi-company pool of technical talent, and the market-leading experience of all HomePlug alliance members in enabling successful powerline products around the world, the HomePlug alliance is a natural fit for near-term standardization efforts in the powerline communications space.
The alliance has strong global experience in bringing powerline specifications and products to market in an organized, timely manner.
Is membership in the HomePlug Powerline Alliance open to utilities and ISPs?
Yes, in fact there are a number of utilities and ISPs both on the HomePlug Board and in the general membership of the alliance. Utilities and ISPs are not only invited but also encouraged to join. A new utility-level membership has been created by the alliance.
What about the IEEE and some of the European standards work (ETSI, PUA, OPERA and the PLC Forum)?
Alliance members are already working with and/or participating in all of these organizations. In the case of the PUA and PLC Forum, formal meetings with these organizations have already taken place.
Regarding IEEE, the HomePlug alliance feels that this effort aligns well and is complementary to our HomePlug specification efforts. HomePlug members are heavily involved in such efforts.
With regard to ETSI, HomePlug AV recognizes the work that ETSI has done with regard to BPL co-existence and is taking this standard into consideration as it continues to determine the best co-existence mechanisms for worldwide deployments of power line technology.
With regard to the PUA, the HomePlug Access BPL Working Group used direct input in the form of an MRD that the PUA had written. The PUA's MRD was important input for the Alliance's own HomePlug Access BPL MRD. Additionally, members of the UPLC also provided input into HomePlug Access BPL MRD.
What is the status of HomePlug Access BPL?
The HomePlug Access BPL Working Group recently completed the HomePlug Access BPL MRD. Based on the requirements outlined in this document, the HomePlug AV technology was chosen as the baseline technology for BPL.
Will HomePlug Access BPL develop a specification for medium-voltage (MV) lines, low-voltage (LV) lines or both? What will the specification cover? Will it address MAC and PHY only, or will it cover things such as coupling and element management?
In general, it is expected that the scope of the BPL specification will cover MAC, PHY, relevant components of coupling and AFE, and element management, but will not cover items such as physical implementations of coupling devices or safety issues associated with installation procedures.
With regard to MV and LV usage of the specification, the HomePlug Access BPL MRD describes the need for the specification to work on both LV and MV lines. For this reason, the HomePlug Access BPL Working Group is now engaged upon a 'gap analysis' between the requirements for Access BPL and the HomePlug AV specification, for both LV and MV environments.
Could the HomePlug AV specification be used as the standard for BPL usage on LV lines?
Some BPL providers are using HomePlug 1.0 for this purpose today. Once the HomePlug AV specification is complete, utilities, ISPs and technology integrators could decide to use HomePlug AV as their BPL technology on LV and MV lines. However, the "gap analysis" mentioned above is expected to elicit some additional enhancements to HomePlug AV for the specific application of BPL on both LV and MV power lines.
When will the HomePlug Access BPL MRD be completed? When will the HomePlug Access BPL specification be completed?
The HomePlug Access BPL Working Group has completed the MRD. The specification is expected to be completed in 2006.
Why is the HomePlug alliance getting utility companies involved in the specification process? How will utility companies benefit?
There are two reasons that the alliance is working with utilities, ISPs, etc.: one is technology driven, and the other is business driven. On the technology side, the HomePlug alliance recognizes that the wire used by In-home users is the same wire that is used by utilities and ISPs for BPL. Additionally, the spectrum that is being used by proprietary BPL solutions is also the same spectrum that HomePlug solutions use for in-home applications. Therefore, to prevent possible interference and create an optimum user experience for both In-home and BPL applications, the Alliance is taking the lead to develop a harmonious solution to the co-existence and interoperability of the two applications on the power line.
On the business side, all stakeholders are interested in seeing our respective applications on the powerline succeed. The alliance believes that a sound co-existence and interoperability solution creates an unprecedented opportunity for In-home usage and BPL usage of power line to build off of each others' success. Interoperability would fuel growth of both in-house and BPL applications help build business relationships, and create a better user experience for customers. A Plasma TV with built-in standardized powerline communication interface and Internet Browsing capabilities could be a great example of such cooperation.
Will information be shared among parties studying the subject?
The HomePlug Access BPL Working Group, through this document, open meetings and the general HomePlug website, is making an effort to answer some of the more common (and perhaps uncommon) questions that have arisen regarding current and future HomePlug Access BPL plans and specifications. Additionally, with HomePlug Participant level membership, low-level detail and hands-on involvement in the development of the BPL MRD is afforded to those companies who desire it.
What will be required for the participation of utility companies if they choose to participate in HomePlug Access BPL? How often will the Working Group meet? What is the cost of membership fees in the Alliance?
For utilities and other companies that want to get involved in helping to develop the HomePlug Access BPL specification, membership is open to all. The bulk of the specification work will take place in the HomePlug Access BPL Working Group calls and meetings.
HomePlug Access BPL Working Groups calls are currently held once a week and require at least Participant-level membership in the HomePlug Powerline Alliance. Participant-level members ($15,000 annually) are provided the benefit of participating in working group activities and being able to contribute intellectual property to future HomePlug specifications, including the BPL specification. Participant members enjoy early access to the specification, and may also serve as chair of Working Group subcommittees. Adopter-level members ($5,000 annually) only have access to the final specification. Both classes of membership can attend Plugfests, annual member meetings and have access to certification programs and marks. Additionally, there is a special membership level for power line utilities. Please visit homeplug.org for more information.
HomePlug Command & Control
What is Command and Control?
The alliance's effort to develop a specification for an advanced command and control technology, known as HPCC (HomePlug Command & Control) is well underway. Command and Control is a low-speed, very low-cost technology intended to complement the alliance's higher-speed powerline communications technologies.
The specification will enable advanced, whole-house control of lighting, appliances, climate control, security and other devices.
Why is it important to standardize on a low-cost powerline technology for control?
Market projections indicate that by 2007 and 2008, millions of command and control nodes will be sold each month. Having already built standards for high-speed powerline communications, the HomePlug alliance can create that key market-unifying standard that will increase the total market for command and control applications.
For the past thirty years, home control over power lines has struggled to reach a significant upward inflection point. With a common technology standard, companies can compete by making great products that work together using a common underlying technology. Product manufacturers and the consumer are the ultimate winners in this expanded marketplace.
How is the standard being created?
The alliance's Technical Evaluation Group (TEG), a working group comprised of representatives of HomePlug alliance member companies, will conduct the RFP process. Companies that elect to propose technology will need to submit and present a proposal that details the technology capabilities, and submit their technology to validation tests.
Future Direction / Additional Information
How will powerline communications solutions be scaled to higher speeds in the future?
The exact methods of scaling the HomePlug technology to higher speeds are proprietary; however, at a high level, the areas of focus will be modulation techniques, protocol enhancements and circuit design optimization.
What are the member benefits?
There are three levels of membership available: adopter, participant, and utility.
Adopter members have access to the released HomePlug specification and can attend annual member meetings.
Participant members receive the same benefits as adopter members in addition to being able to participate in the various working groups that drive the regulatory, technical and marketing direction for the Alliance, its technology, and the resulting products.
Utility members are a special membership class for Power or Utility companies. Please contact Rob Ranck for more information on this level of membership.
Membership information is available at www.homeplug.org
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