 | July 1, 2000 |
Plugging in
Power company supports powerline networking
Recognizing the tremendous market potential for home networking via in-home power lines, Con Edison has become the first electric utility to join the HomePlug Powerline Alliance.
Con Edison will work with other alliance members, including Cisco Systems, Intel, Motorola, Compaq, and Texas Instruments, to promote the acceptance of powerline networking in the connected home.
Meanwhile, the HomePlug group has selected technology from Intellon to form the basis of its forthcoming standard. Intellon claims that its PowerPacket technology, which encompasses the physical and media-access layers, supports data rates up to 14 Mbits/sec now and will be scalable to higher speeds down the line. The company also says the technology supports VoIP, quality-of-service, and streaming media.
The alliance is planning for field tests in 500 households this summer, with an eye toward finalizing its 10-Mbit/sec spec in the fourth quarter.
—Margot Suydam
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