March 7, 2008 -- The HomePlug Powerline Alliance announced it has doubled the number of HomePlug products shipped globally in the last 12 months, from eight million to 16 million. The group's members are showcasing a wide range of HomePlug AV, HomePlug 1.0 and HomePlug Command & Control (HomePlug C&C) compliant products from numerous international HomePlug member companies at this week's CeBIT 2008 in Hannover, Germany.
"Over the last 12 months, global shipments of HomePlug compatible products have more than doubled, from eight millions to more than 16 millions," comments Frederic Onado from SPiDCOM Technologies, who serves as vice president, EMEA of the HomePlug Alliance. "With the extensive range of products available globally, especially in Europe, this growth demonstrates that consumers worldwide are enjoying the benefits of HomePlug compatible products more and more, and that HomePlug technologies are clearly the choice of consumers in Europe."
At CeBIT 2008, a series of announcements are being heralded by HomePlug member companies. Among them are:
Asoka USA is showcasing its PlugLink AV 9667 iSocket (PL9667-ETH), as an addition to the company's powerline networking product portfolio. The PlugLink AV 9667 iSocket turns every power outlet into an Ethernet network connection, while retaining the use of the power outlet and filtering out noise caused by other electrical devices. Additionally, a wide range of Asoka's home networking solutions is now available in EMEA markets.
devolo AG, the Germany-based specialist in HomePlug networking technology, is introducing its dLAN products. With its dLAN TV sat, devolo presents its solution to distribute a DVB-S signal in SDTV/HDTV quality over the household electrical wiring, without having to route coaxial cable. The product portfolio consists of the dLAN 200 AVpro basic, dLAN 200 AVpro2, as well as the dLAN 200 AVpro host and dLAN 200 AVpro WP. The product line forms the basis for networking large buildings, says the company. For the integration market, devolo is presenting different modular integration options with its dLAN Power supply 200-18, dLAN 200 AVminiPCI and dLAN 200 AVmodule. Lastly, devolo is presenting what it claims is the world's first 400 Mbit/sec HomePlug AV compatible demonstration.
GigaFast, a manufacturer of networking products for home-based and small to medium-sized businesses, is demonstrating a surveillance system that consists of several cameras and an adapter that connects the video images from the cameras to a traditional television. The home's power lines supply the only connection between the various components of the system. The solution takes advantage of the global HomePlug standard by using chipsets from multiple vendors.
LEA, the French subsidiary of HF Company group, and a specialist in high-speed xDSL and PLC platforms, is also showcasing its complete range of HomePlug products. A new auto-diagnostic feature in LEA's NetPlug 200+ allows service operators to immediately diagnose Quality of Service in a PLC network, which directly applies to France's FTTH deployments. LEA will also present its NetSocket200+, a HomePlug AV adapter featuring a built-in pass-through power outlet and special circuitry that reduces electrical noise, and its NetPower200+, a hybrid power supply and HomePlug AV adapter that can deliver network connectivity and electrical power to existing devices such as set top boxes and modems.
Also at the tradeshow, ST&T, the Taiwan-based OEM/ODM manufacturer, is showcase its HomePlug AV and 85Mbps products, which offer a convenient, plug-n-play solution for consumers.
Also, Yitran, who recently became a contributor to the HomePlug Alliance, will present its patented IT800 IC technology and a preview of its new IT700 IC, which the company says can lower deployment cost and footprint by 50 percent. Yitran will also feature HomePlug C&C V1.0, an industry standard based on the company's IT800 transceiver technology. The HomePlug Alliance recently ratified the standard's PHY and MAC layer and completed work on the network layer. The work continues with the profiles and session layer, as well as a final submission for the compliance testing and interoperability program.
