Here is why I wade through the muck and mire on Yahoo, we actually have a number of excellent posters, and this guy is the best.
re: HomePlug
by: AmadaeusM (M/Southeast)
4/10/00 1:54 pm
Msg: 33273 of 33283
buttemt asks (paraphrased) : "Why isn't Echelon involved in HomePlug?"
The reason is very simple. Read the press announcements on HomePlug very carefully and watch the choice of words. The goal of HomePlug is Internet/IP
connectivity over powerlines in the home, linking PCs and network appliances together. What they are talking about is high bandwidth internet and data
connections, not control applications. And since LonWorks now communicates over IP, HomePlug could be complementary to LonWorks. But lets assume for a
minute that HomePlug and LonWorks are competitors. Lets examine a few points:
1) Assuming the consortium is successful in creating this technology & standard - the best case is that you will see introduction of products sometime late next
year. Add another year after that before you see real market impact. Now lets review the list of successful standards developed by committee: ok done!
2) Again, assuming they are successful, based on the last review of Intellon's powerline solution that I saw, their technology is only legal in the North American
market. Asia and Europe have very strict guidelines about what you can put on the powerline and Echelons powerline transceivers conform to those standards.
3) Lets address the assumption of being successful. A few years back Novell attempted to create a home LAN based on powerline and finally gave up. They
did have a demo that worked in the lab to some extent. However, it is one thing to create a high speed link in the lab, it is quite another to make it work in a
completely unregulated, uncontrollable environment such as the home. I never say never. It might be technically possible to create such a transceiver to give you
a high speed connection over existing powerlines, but I am highly skeptical and would want to see the proof before jumping in head first.
4) That brings up the issue of cost. Powerline is difficult at best. To create a high speed reliable connection is likely to be relatively expensive, at least in the
early years until critical mass can be developed. Further more, I have discussed this before but to summarize again, IP carries with it a significant overhead that
causes a design to use more memory and processing speed than does a LonWorks device. Therefore, the IP based products will be more expensive than
LonWorks.
5) Technical Issues: A majority of homes in North America have switches wired in what is called "switched leg". That means the Hot is run to one side of the
switch and the other side is run back to the light. The switch makes or breaks the Hot line to the light. These switches do not have Neutral or Ground run to
them. With only the Hot line available, Intellon's powerline cannot communicate to those devices. Echelon on the otherhand has solved that problem and has
patents in that area.
Live ELONg and Prosper
Posted as a reply to: Msg 33240 by buttemt
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