
HomePlug Powerline Alliance welcomes IEEE 1905.1 milestone in the development of hybrid networking
The HomePlug Alliance has welcomed that the IEEE 1901 powerline networking standard utilizing HomePlug technology is featured in IEEE 1905.1 and is committed to supporting the certification, interoperability and promotion of hybrid networking products.
IEEE 1905.1 is a software abstraction layer that will be designed into stationary devices such as game consoles, network attached storage devices, Blu-Ray players, televisions, set top boxes and broadband routers, as well as mobile devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones to enable a single hybrid network in the home.
By applying widely adopted standards including the IEEE 802.11 standards for Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.3 for Ethernet, IEEE 1901 for Powerline and MoCA for Coaxial Cables, the 1905.1 standard also enables compliant products to work seamlessly with existing products in the market. 1905.1’s common interface enables applications and upper layer protocols to be ‘agnostic’ to the underlying home networking technologies, and data packets can be communicated according to quality of service (QoS) priorities. IEEE 1905.1 also simplifies network setup by providing common procedures for adding devices, establishing secure links and managing the network.
IEEE 1905.1 has broad industry support across service providers, product manufacturers and silicon manufacturers. The stability of the draft standard enables companies to confidently begin designing IEEE 1905.1 draft-compliant hybrid products now, that will allow consumers to enjoy the best of wired and wireless home networks. Given the technology operates as a software layer, consumers are likely to see these benefits in the near term based on an expectation of a reduced time to market.
Visit the HomePlug Powerline Alliance at www.homeplug.org
