 | March 1, 2000 |
Alternating currents
OUTLOOK: Power-line LANs get attention—again
About once a year, power-line networking cycles to the forefront of home-networking discussions. Someone generates excitement about using home electrical wiring to carry LAN signals. Then the idea recedes back into the depths of the R&D lab.
The allure is obvious. Homes have electrical outlets on every wall, so a power-line LAN would be nearly as flexible as a wireless network, but could cost less. Now Intellon claims it will deliver 11-Mbit/sec power-line LAN technology by mid year.
Only time will tell if Intellon or a competitor will deliver this year. About a year ago, Intellon, Enikia, Adaptive Networks, and Inari (formerly Intelogis) all claimed breakthroughs in reaching the magical 10-Mbit/sec data rate, but none delivered more than demonstrations. Inari has shipped 350-kbit/sec products at reasonable prices, but changed its name in January and shifted its focus from consumer products to
IC development for OEM customers. Adaptive Networks has long made rugged—and expensive—power-line communication products for transportation applications, but hasn't demonstrated success at consumer price levels. All four companies now target IC sales or technology licensing to OEMs, using four distinct and proprietary technologies.
Intellon's past accomplishments have centered on power-line communications, but at much slower rates. The company leads the market for 5-kbit/sec CEBus (Consumer Electronics Bus) power-line ICs. Now, Intellon says IC vendors serving the PC space will integrate Intellon's PowerPacket technology and ship production units in Q3. Enikia again showed its 10-Mbit/sec technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. Also at CES, Inari announced plans to ship a 2-Mbit/sec power-line chip set in Q2 and a 10-Mbit/sec chip set in Q4.
However, all of these vendors could face a bigger roadblock than the technical potholes they've long sought to overcome. By year's end, 11-Mbit/sec wireless network cards, offering the ultimate in flexibility, will surely sell for less than $100 to end users.
—by Maury Wright
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