HomePlug AV – A 200 Mps Network From Your Power Sockets

NEWS UPDATE: HomePlug AV Now Official

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance has entered the final stages of the development of their specification for the HomePlug AV standard, and is now inviting companies from home networking, consumer electronics, computing and other related fields to contribute to the final version of the spec.

HomePlug AV is designed to accommodate the home networking needs of future homes – and as such, can move data around the house at up to 200 Mbps. Rather than using WiFi or cat 5 cables, the system goes back to the tried and tested technique of using power sockets – after all, every home has them, usually right by where their TV and computers are installed. HomePlug are aiming for a global standard that can be deployed in markets across the world – regardless of domestic voltage and frequency.

200 Mps is intended to accommodate music, multiple HDTV streams, broadband internet and other data around the house.

The standard is not just aimed solely at domestic users, however: “This is a truly great technology that has broad applications both inside and outside of the home,” commented Oleg Logvinov, president of the alliance and president and CEO of Arkados, Inc. “With HomePlug AV, people will be able to transfer high-definition video and digital audio by simply connecting the device to an electrical outlet. The technology inside is complex, but it is designed to be incredibly easy-to-use.”

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance arrived at the technology by assembling elements from the best technologies submitted to the group, building what they claim is the best platform yet.

The network can operate at near capacity even on noisy power lines – I certainly don’t want to see static on my 2001 DVD whenever the central heating clicks on at 5am.

As households acquire and use more digital technology, efficient networking is more critical than ever – yet current solutions are tricky for non-technical users to install and maintain. A simple, yet powerful solution that is literally plug and play will take the headaches out of home networking for millions of consumers.

HomePlug

UPDATE: HomePlug AV Now Official

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Fraser Lovatt

Fraser Lovatt has spent the last fifteen years working in publishing, TV and the Internet in various capacities, and believes that they will be seperate platforms for at least a while yet. His main interests at the moment are exploring where Linux is taking home entertainment and how technology is conferring technical skills on more and more people. Fraser Lovatt was born in the same year that 2001: A Space Odyssey was delighting and confusing people in the cinemas, and developed a lifelong love of technology as soon as he realised that things could be taken apart, sometimes put back together again, but mostly left in bits or made into something the original designer hadn't quite planned upon. At school he was definitely in the ZX Spectrum/Magpie/BMX camp, rather than the BBC Micro/Blue Peter/well-behaved group. This is all deeply ironic as he later went on to spend nine years working at the BBC. After a few years of working as a bookseller in Scotland, ("Back when it was actually a skilled profession" he'll tell anyone still listening), he moved to England for reasons he can't quite explain adequately to himself. After a couple of publishing jobs punctuated by sporadic bursts of travelling and photography came the aforementioned nine years at the BBC where he specialised in internet technologies and video. These days his primary interests are Java, Linux, videogames and pies - and if they're not candidates for convergence, then what is?