What is Powerline Communications?
Powerline communications (PLC) technology uses the existing electrical wiring and outlets in a home or small business to connect PCs, broadband modems, set top boxes, gaming consoles, audio/video players, flat screen displays, security cameras and other electronics devices. In effect, every electrical outlet becomes an Ethernet jack or network connection point - without adding any new wires! Consumers can instantly install their own home networks just by plugging their Powerline-enabled equipment into the wall. Because it is so easy to set up and use, in-home PLC is generally self-installed by consumers. It may also be set up by service providers such as cable, DSL and satellite companies.
How does PLC bring value to the digital home?
1. As a complement to wireless networks.
Over the past decade, wireless or Wi-Fi® networks have soared in popularity, giving consumers the freedom, convenience and bandwidth to connect in enterprise and mobile environments, as well as the digital home. Powerline technology is an ideal complement to Wi-Fi, expanding the capacity, robustness and flexibility of the home network with unlicensed spectrum that’s hidden in the walls. The powerful combination of PLC and WLAN will transform networking in the digital home with complete coverage of the home with bandwidth capable of supporting numerous networked products with interference free, high-bandwidth transmissions.
In-home PLC can be used to extend the range of wireless networks by adding Wi-Fi access points where physical barriers to coverage exist or by allowing a single access point to be placed in the ideal location in the house to support whole-home Wi-Fi coverage. PLC can serve as a network backbone, allowing WLAN access points to be placed at the best coverage points in the house.
2. As an alternative to new wiring.
Using home power circuits, the most ubiquitous wired medium on the planet, PLC is a great alternative to running new wires. Instead of running new wires to create a home network or even install a cable or DSL modem can be expensive and disruptive. With powerline technology, the existing wires in the house can serve as the network. In-home PLC essentially "lights up" these wires, enabling them to serve as a virtual network that turns every electrical outlet into an Ethernet port or other network connection point.
3. As part of a system of home connectivity
Increasingly, the home networking industry is recognizing that a great way of achieving reliable whole-home connectivity is to use a mix of networking technologies that mesh together to fit the needs of a particular home. Powerline communications can serve as a primary or complementary networking technology. As a complementary technology, PLC offers a simple and cost-effective method of extending the reach or optimizing the placement of Wi-Fi access points. In this application, PLC serves as the network backbone (just as Ethernet does in enterprise settings) and wireless provides mobility. PLC also works well in meshed networks, delivering reliable bandwidth for devices that must be plugged in anyway, and leaving the wireless bandwidth free to serve mobile devices. In addition, PLC complements other wire line networks by providing coverage where cable and telephone outlets are not available.
How Does PLC Technology Work?
From the consumer's standpoint, in-home PLC couldn't be simpler. To connect or "network" two products that have embedded PLC capability such as a desktop PC and streaming audio player, consumers just plug the devices into any two electrical outlets in their home or small business. The power cords provide both electrical power and Internet connectivity. It's instant home networking.
For products that have an Ethernet port but do not have embedded PLC, consumers can use an Ethernet cable to connect the product to a PLC Ethernet adapter, which is plugged into any convenient electrical outlet in the home. Adding additional products to the network is as easy as plugging them in - either directly for PLC-embedded products or by using a PLC adapter.
The simplicity of the user experience, however, doesn't mean that the underlying technology is simple. In fact, it has taken inventors nearly 100 years to figure out how to use powerlines successfully for this kind of network communication. The biggest challenge has been to address noise on the powerline - a problem Atheros’ powerline technology engineered by Intellon, has solved by utilizing complex signal-processing algorithms built on years of experience in analyzing and characterizing powerlines in real world environments. But because this highly sophisticated technology is transparent to users, consumers can easily install their own home networks without costly support calls to service providers and device manufacturers..
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