News

HomePlug Powerline Alliance Board of Directors Ratifies HomePlug Command and Control 1.0 Specification (18/10/2007)

Latest Developments in Command and Control to be Discussed at This Week's HomePlug Powerline Technology Conference

The HomePlug(R) Powerline Alliance today announced that the Alliance Board of Directors has ratified the HomePlug Command and Control (C&C) 1.0 specification, and that it is now available to HomePlug members. Additionally, the Command and Control 1.0 Protocol specification is being developed by the C&C specification working group. The Alliance is in the planning stages of a comprehensive compliance and interoperability (C&I) product certification program for Command and Control applications, which includes a product certification "Plugfest," where products are tested for seamless compatibility with other HomePlug technologies and ultimately granted the HomePlug certification mark.

The latest developments on the Command and Control 1.0 specification will be discussed during a session at the Annual HomePlug Powerline Technology Conference. Taking place October 10 - 11 at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara in Santa Clara, California, HomePlug representatives will share how this low-speed, robust and very reliable low-cost technology will complement the Alliance's higher-speed powerline communications technologies, and why it is important to standardize on a single powerline technology for control of the home.

"The new HomePlug Command and Control technology platform will usher in a new era of home automation and create a wide variety of innovative solutions that improve the quality of peoples' lives," said Pete Griffin, Director of Corporate Technology for RadioShack Corporation, who serves as Chairman of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance. "Through an open process, we tested a wide variety of existing Command and Control solutions and selected the best baseline technology available. Now that there's been significant study and input from our international team and the specification has been completed, consumers can expect to see a breadth of solutions, including advanced energy management and whole-house control of lighting, appliances, climate control, security and other devices."

It should be noted that HomePlug Command and Control has four key areas of impact: remote monitoring and control that delivers convenience through remote accessibility; safety and security products that protect from fire, theft and natural hazards; power management solutions that save money and conserve energy; and healthcare monitoring solutions that save lives and bring peace of mind.

In March of 2005, the HomePlug Powerline Alliance announced a strategic plan to develop a specification for an advanced command and control technology that would serve as the foundation to enable a new era of convenience, safety and security in the home. Following the same development rigors as the specifications for HomePlug 1.0, HomePlug AV and HomePlug BPL, the new HomePlug Command and Control specification will enable highly reliable, very low-cost command and control technology platforms using powerline communications. HomePlug C&C technology was built with contributions from companies worldwide that worked as part of the Alliance's specification working group (SWG). The SWG further developed a baseline technology that was based on contributions submitted by Ariane Controls, Corporate Systems Engineering, GE, Huawei, LG Electronics, RadioShack, Simply Automated and Yitran.

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