Home network standards HomePNA HomeRF HomePlug HAVi Reference: www.homepna.com/ www.homepna.org/ electronics.howstuffworks.com/phone-network.htm Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 1 HomePNA Overview Also referred to as HPNA Home networking standard developed by the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance. This technology builds on Ethernet standards Allows all the components of a home network to interact over the home's existing telephone wiring without disturbing the existing voice or fax services. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 2 1 HomePNA Overview In the same way as LAN operates, home networking enables the devices in a home network (e.g. telephones, fax machines, desktops, printers, and Web cameras) to connect and integrate over a home's unpredictable wiring topology. HPNA technology must coexist with telephone service and comply with FCC Part 68. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 3 Examples Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 4 2
Examples Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 5 Examples Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 6 3 Phone-line networking is one of several ways to connect the computers in your home. If your computers are in different rooms, then phone line networking could be a good solution. Phone-line networking is easy to install, inexpensive and fast. It doesn't require any additional wiring. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 7 Rather than replacing wireless, the Phone-line networking technology can extend wireless networks to offices or rooms that wireless can't reach. Every PC in the home can share a dial-up or broadband Internet connection as well as share all your peripherals such as printers and scanners simultaneously. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 8 4
HPNA created a phone-line standard for the networking industry. HPNA 1.0, the original version of the standard, operated at a rather slow 1 megabit per second (Mbps). HPNA 2.0, is based on technology developed by Broadcom and operates at a faster 10 Mbps. Expected HPNA 3.0 offers a top data rate of 128 Mbits/sec. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 9 HomePNA has several advantages: It's easy to install. It's inexpensive. It's standardized. It's reliable. It operates at a constant 10 Mbps, even when the phone is in use. It requires no additional networking equipment (such as hubs or routers). It supports up to 25 devices (or more for latest spec). It is fast enough for bandwidth-intensive applications, such as video. It is compatible with other networking technologies. It works on Macs and Windows systems. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 10 5 Disadvantages of HomePNA : Need a phone jack close to each computer or run phone extension cords or install new wiring. It is still 10 times slower than fast Ethernet (100 Mbps). Therefore, if you are going to be sending huge amounts of data between your computers, you may want more speed. There is a physical limit of 1,000 feet (304.8 m) of wiring between devices. Rarely (in fewer than 1 percent of U.S. homes), HomePNA will not work on the existing wiring. Reports of voices sounding "funny" or of a lot of noise on the phone once HomePNA is installed. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 11 How HomePNA Works HomePNA uses frequency-division multiplexing (FDM). Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 12 6
How HomePNA Works FDM puts computer data on separate frequencies from the voice signals being carried by the phone line. FDM separates the typical phone line into distinct data channels by splitting it into uniform chunks of bandwidth. (Similar to radio stations - each station sends its signal at a different frequency.) Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 13 How HomePNA Works In HomePNA, voice and data travel on the same wires without interfering with each other. In fact, a standard phone line has enough room to support voice, a high-speed DSL modem and a home phone-line network. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 14 7 Broadcom Technology Two custom chips designed using the HPNA specifications were developed by Broadcom and make up the core of the HomePNA card. The 4100 chip acts as a transceiver between the 4200 chip and the signal being received over the phone line from another computer. 4100 chip can send and receive signals over 1,000 ft (305 m) on a typical phone line. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 15 Broadcom Technology Since many phone lines in existing homes vary greatly in length and signal quality, the 4210 controller chip can adapt to a variety of challenges. 4200 chip takes the unfiltered content it receives from 4100 chip and strips away all the noise and passes it on to the computer for processing. Once the computer processes the information, it returns an acknowledgment to the sending computer so it knows that the data was received. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 16 8
HomePNA Now and Future The HomePNA has shown succeeded on the market. It is used successfully both in home and office buildings It can be used for the Internet as well. It is very convenient both for clients and providers. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 17 HomePNA Now and Future HomePNA networks can be built in those buildings which have phone jacks, i.e. you don't need hubs and switches, but only HomePNA cards. Theoretically, the HomePNA standard has every chance to reach 100 Mbit/s speed! Broadcom is now testing the equipment which can work at 32 Mbit/s up to 2.5 km. Automated Network Technology & Applications: Home Network in Automation Page 18 9