Electric Powerline Networking For A Smart Home

INTROUCTION

Electric power line networking is a method of home networking which is capable of interconnecting computers in your home. It uses exciting AC wiring and power outlets to transmit data around a home or small offices. It is based on the concept of 'no new wires'. It would let you share:
" Web access
" Printers
" PC hard drives
From any plug in your home or office.
Electric power line networking avoids the need for putting PCs near a phone outlet. Instead, computers and other devices are connected through electrical outlet. You are networked by just plugging in. power line networking is based on Homeplug Powerline Alliance's Homeplug 1.0 standards. With power line networking, a home owner can create an entire home network linking his/her,
" Personal computers
" Printers
" Music equipments
" Internet access
Without running any new wires.
Wires and sockets are used simultaneously for electricity and data, without disrupting each other. Thus power line networking provides a cost effective solution for home networking. With power line networking, you will be able to put your desktop PCs anywhere you like in your home. It will also easier to buy and network other devices.

FEATURES

A power line network is having the following features,

" No extra wiring and extra wire maintenance is required since it uses exciting electrical line it self for net working.
" It uses standard outlet/plug. So it is possible to access the network everywhere at home.
" It uses power outlet to let the users more easily relocate the PCs, switches, routers and print servers.
" It is easy to connect with Ethernet switch or router to access internet or exciting home network.
" It provides a 56-bit DES encryption for high security in data transfer.
" It co-exists with current technology to protect previous investment. So customers will not have to discard their exciting network solutions.
" It provides maximum 14Mbps bandwidth over standard home for sharing information, multimedia application and gaming.
" Frequency band 4.3 to 20.9 MHz for low interference from other electrical appliances.

THE TECHNOLOGY

Like home PNA, power-line networking is based on the concept of "no new wires". The convenience is even more obvious in this case because while not every room has a phone jack, but always have an electrical outlet near a computer. In power line networking, you connect your computers to one another through the same outlet. Because it requires no new wiring, and the network adds no cost to your electric bill, power line networking is the cheapest method of connecting computers in different rooms.
There are two competing technologies for power line networking. The older technology called Passport, by company named Intelogis and a new technology called Powerpacket, developed by intellon. Now let's find out how each of these technologies works.