HomePlug® Certifies Products Based On Newly Ratified
IEEE 1901 Powerline Networking Standard
HomePlug
Will Test New IEEE 1901-Based Powerline Products to Ensure Multi-Vendor
Interoperability
Portland, Ore. – October 18, 2010
– The HomePlug® Powerline Alliance, the leading
industry group promoting adoption of powerline home networking products, today
announced that it has enhanced the HomePlug AV certification program to include
products based on the recently ratified IEEE 1901 powerline standard.
Finalization of this global standard is a major milestone for powerline
networking and will help unify and stabilize the industry as did previous IEEE
standards for networking (IEEE 802.11 for wireless LAN and IEEE 802.3 for
Ethernet).
The HomePlug Powerline Alliance operates the world’s
premier powerline compliance and interoperability certification program and has
certified over 215 HomePlug products to date. Under the enhanced testing
program, HomePlug member companies can submit products for certification to the
newly finalized standard. HomePlug AV testing is currently conducted at the
facilities of Laboratoire des Applications Numériques (LAN) in France.
IEEE 1901: A Global
Powerline Standard
The IEEE-SA Standards Board approved IEEE 1901 on
September 30, 2010. IEEE 1901 incorporates the HomePlug AV Medium Access
Control (MAC) and Physical (PHY) layers as a baseline. “The 1901 standard is
designed to accommodate a wide range of major applications for powerline
communications (PLC), including in-home broadband networks for data, audio and
video distribution, Smart Energy and Smart Grid, and plug-in electrical
vehicles. IEEE is pleased to see the new standard supported by a HomePlug
certification program for compliance and interoperability,” said Jean-Philippe
Faure, chair of the IEEE 1901 working group.
“The IEEE is well known as the foremost standards body
for networking, and HomePlug has a mature and well-developed testing plan for
HomePlug AV,” said Rob Ranck, president of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance. “We
believe that developing a compliance and interoperability plan to certify our
members’ products to a ratified, global powerline standard from the IEEE not
only maintains continuity with the large base of HomePlug AV products but will
also increase the momentum of HomePlug-based product deployments. Furthermore,
this assures retail and service providers that the baseline technology is
stable and also encourages the development of new products and services
necessary to meet the rapidly growing needs of the connected home. In summary,
IEEE 1901 is yet more validation of the market proven HomePlug AV.”
HomePlug’s Powerline Technology Ecosystem
IEEE 1901 is fully interoperable with the HomePlug AV broadband specification, the
new HomePlug “Green PHY” (GP) specification for Smart Energy/Smart Grid
applications, and the forthcoming HomePlug AV2 broadband specification due for
completion in Q1 2011. HomePlug’s family of interoperable technology
specifications covers the spectrum of home networking demands and offers a
migration path to the future while protecting the installed base of over 60
million HomePlug devices, the vast majority of installed powerline products.
Please visit www.HomePlug.org for more information on the HomePlug Powerline Alliance. Additional
details on the IEEE 1901 standard are available at http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/1901/. Specifications will be available from the IEEE stores for purchase by
mid-January.
About the HomePlug® Powerline
Alliance
Founded in 2000, the HomePlug Powerline
Alliance, Inc. is an industry-led initiative with 70 member companies that
creates specifications and certification logo programs for using the power
lines for reliable home networking and Smart Grid applications. The Alliance
accelerates worldwide adoption for HomePlug technology by collaborating with
international standards organizations such as the IEEE and through market
development and user education programs. Sponsor members include Atheros
Communications (ATHR); Cisco (CSCO); Comcast (CMCSK); Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK);
GE Energy, an affiliate of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE); Gigle Networks;
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723); SPiDCOM Technologies; and
STMicroelectronics (STM). Contributor members include Arkados (OTCBB: AKDS) and
Corporate Systems Engineering.
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