HomePlug® Powerline Alliance Finalizes Draft Specification

Alliance to Test Home Powerline Networking Technology in 500 Homes

8 Jan 2001

SAN RAMON, Calif., January 8, 2001 - The HomePlug® Powerline Alliance, an industry consortium established to provide a forum for the open specification of home powerline networking products and services, today announced that it has finalized the full draft specification of its home networking technology. Next month, HomePlug will begin extensive field testing of the specification to ensure the technology's reliability, speed, and interoperability.

HomePlug's field trials will verify that the final draft specification is capable of successfully handling coverage, throughput, and supporting delay-sensitive applications such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and streaming media. The field trials will allow HomePlug to complete editorial clean up, clarification, and further the development of additional requirements necessary to support the compliance and certification process of the technology specification. Once its operational abilities are validated, HomePlug will work to release an Ethernet-class home powerline networking 1.0 specification that will allow for a ubiquitous, high-speed, cost-effective home networking solution.

“Finalizing the draft specification marks a significant step in making powerline technology the standard in home networking as it allows HomePlug to build upon the already solid foundation of the final draft specification,” said Alberto Mantovani, HomePlug president and division director, small business and consumer networking, personal computing division Conexant Systems, Inc. “Thanks to the tremendous time commitment, financial resources, and cumulative support from our member companies, we are able to develop this well-designed and cost-efficient home networking solution.”

Founded in March 2000 by 13 major companies spanning technology sectors from silicon to software, HomePlug has grown almost 500 percent to consist of more than 65 member companies. Under the direction of HomePlug's Technical Working Group, 20 member companies have worked to complete the final draft specification and soon will begin participating directly in executing the field trials in approximately 500 homes worldwide. Testing of specification will take place primarily in the United States and Canada with smaller tests being conducted in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and several European countries.

Several of HomePlug's member companies are currently in the process of designing HomePlug compliant products, including semi-conductor devices, firmware, and board-level products. Networking these devices will be as easy as plugging them into a power outlet. With multiple power outlets in almost every room, residential powerlines are the most pervasive network in the world. Unlike other technology advances, users already own the necessary hardware to network their homes. HomePlug's final networking technology specification will provide a strong, simple-to-use, Ethernet-class powerline networking standard that will support a range of products for the gaming, consumer electronics, voice telephony, and PC markets - a specification robust enough to address the needs of today's consumers and flexible enough to adapt to their future demands.

HomePlug Powerline Alliance, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation established to provide a forum for the creation of specifications for home powerline networking products and services; and, to accelerate the demand for these products and services through the sponsorship of market and user education programs. HomePlug founding member companies are: 3Com, AMD, Cisco Systems, Compaq, Conexant, Enikia, Intel, Intellon, Motorola, Panasonic, SONICblue, RadioShack, and Texas Instruments.

Filed: Jan 2001, Pilots, Powerline Networking, Press, VOIP, Co: Conexant, HomePlug, Tech: HomePlug 1.0