The HomePlug Powerline Alliance, as expected, said this week it supports the IEEE P1905 working group’s efforts “to define the first standard for hybrid home networks.” P1905 adds a software layer to seamlessly blend Wi-Fi, MoCA, HomePlug and Ethernet communications capabilities.
Home networking devices with P1905 capability could use the best available network, looking for Wi-Fi signals in the air, HomePlug signals when it’s plugged into the powerline, MoCA signals if connected to the coax outlet or wireline Ethernet. Pay-TV set top boxes, home gateways, Blu-Ray players and televisions are expected, we hope, to start coming with P1905 embedded.
IEEE P1905 allows applications and upper-layer network protocols to be agnostic to the underlying home networking technologies. Packets can arrive and be transmitted over any technology according to quality of service (QoS) priorities. It will also make it easier for network setup in the home with a one-time login per device for all available networking schemes.
There’s a lot of oomph behind P1905. Helping to develop it are two major chipmakers, Qualcomm Atheros and Broadcom, plus Cisco, France Telecom, Ralink, Sigma Designs, SPiDCOM Technologies and STMicroelectronics. Sigma Designs makes chips for HomePlug and HomePNA and is supporting the development of the rival scheme HomeGrid (G.hn), which includes powerline, coax and phone wires but not Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi adds a powerful attractant to wireline network schemes because most homes have a Wi-Fi network and smart TVs, Blu-ray players and smart-TV adapter boxes like the Apple TV now come with Wi-Fi as standard.
In April, the group approved the technical requirements, architecture and definitions upon which the standard will be based.
“The hybrid home network is clearly the network of the future — offering the best networking technology to meet the consumer’s needs – so IEEE establishing this standard is significant,” said Rob Ranck, president of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance.
Ranck said that with P1905, service providers will be able to reduce their installation and support costs.
HomePlug is the leader in installations of powerline communications.
The P1905.1 effort does not include support for G.hn (HomeGrid) or HomePNA, but there has been talk by G.hn supporters of developing a compatible P1905.
P1905, or whatever marketing name is conjured up for it, will be a powerful and “industry-wide” brand. Boxes with P1905-compliant products will clearly be labeled “P1905 compatible” just as Wi-Fi devices are now. Consumers who have figured out the differences in the various Wi-Fi versions are savvy enough to know they want the “n” version of Wi-Fi in the gear they buy. The same is likely to happen with P1905, putting more pressure on equipment makers and service providers to select P1905 devices.
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