HomePNA
Encyclopedia
The HomePNA Alliance is an incorporated non-profit industry association of companies that develops and standardizes technology for home network
ing over the existing coaxial cable
s and telephone wiring within homes.
HomePNA promoter companies are AT&T
, Pace plc (formerly 2Wire
), Sigma Designs
(formerly CopperGate) Motorola
, Cisco Systems
(formerly Scientific-Atlanta
), Sunrise Telecom and K-Micro. HomePNA creates industry specifications which it then standardizes under the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) standards body. HomePNA also promotes the technology, tests, and certifies member products as HomePNA compliant. Devices that use HPNA technology as part of whole-home multi-media content products include Advanced Digital Broadcast
, Inneoquest and NetSys.
The basic technology that was adopted by HomePNA was developed by several companies. The original HomePNA 1.0 technology was developed by Tut Systems in the 1990s; HomePNA 2.0 was developed by Epigram; HomePNA 3.0 was developed by Broadcom
(which had purchased Epigram) and Coppergate Communications; and HomePNA 3.1 was developed by Coppergate Communications.
HomePNA 2.0 was approved by the TU]-T] as Recommendations G.9951, G.9952 and G.9953.
HomePNA 3.0 was approved by the ITU as Recommendation G.9954 in February 2005.
HomePNA 3.1 was approved by the ITU as Recommendation G.9954 in January 2007.
HomePNA 3.1 was developed for entertainment applications such as IPTV
which require consistent high performance. This technology, which provides features such as guaranteed quality of service
(QoS), is used by service providers for commercial "triple play
" (video, voice and data) service offerings. HomePNA 3.1 uses frequencies above those used for Digital Subscriber Line
and analog voice calls over phone wires and below those used for broadcast and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) TV over coax so it can coexist with those services on the same wires.
The original protocols used balanced pair telephone wire.
HomePNA 3.1 added Ethernet over coax
operation to overcome limitations of phone jack location.
Some advantages of HomePNA 3.1 are:
Some disadvantages of HomePNA 3.1:
systems which do not require new wiring include:
Home network
A home network or home area network is a residential local area network . It is used for communication between digital devices typically deployed in the home, usually a small number of personal computers and accessories, such as printers and mobile computing devices...
ing over the existing coaxial cable
Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...
s and telephone wiring within homes.
Overview
HomePNA does not manufacture products, although its members do. It develops technology and tests it in periodic "plugfests". Products that pass certification testing are listed on the alliance's member products page as HomePNA certified.HomePNA promoter companies are AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, Pace plc (formerly 2Wire
2Wire
2Wire, Inc., is a home networking Customer Premises Equipment manufacturer that provides telecommunications companies with hardware, software, service platforms, and remote CPE management systems. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California, in the Silicon Valley...
), Sigma Designs
Sigma Designs
Sigma Designs is an American public corporation that designs and builds high-performance system-on-a-chip semiconductor technologies for Internet-based set-top boxes, DVD players/recorders, high-definition televisions, media processors, digital media adapters, portable media players and home...
(formerly CopperGate) Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
(formerly Scientific-Atlanta
Scientific-Atlanta
Scientific Atlanta Inc is a Georgia-based manufacturer of cable television, telecommunications, and broadband equipment.Scientific Atlanta was founded in 1951 by a group of engineers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and was purchased by Cisco Systems in 2005.-Products:Scientific Atlanta is...
), Sunrise Telecom and K-Micro. HomePNA creates industry specifications which it then standardizes under the International Telecommunication Union
International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
(ITU) standards body. HomePNA also promotes the technology, tests, and certifies member products as HomePNA compliant. Devices that use HPNA technology as part of whole-home multi-media content products include Advanced Digital Broadcast
Advanced Digital Broadcast
Advanced Digital Broadcast designs, manufactures and deploys solutions to distribute pay-TV and multimedia services to the connected home, for all types of networks. The company has its global headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and regional headquarters in Denver, USA and Taipei, Taiwan...
, Inneoquest and NetSys.
The basic technology that was adopted by HomePNA was developed by several companies. The original HomePNA 1.0 technology was developed by Tut Systems in the 1990s; HomePNA 2.0 was developed by Epigram; HomePNA 3.0 was developed by Broadcom
Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a fabless semiconductor company in the wireless and broadband communication business. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, USA. Broadcom was founded by a professor-student pair Henry Samueli and Henry T. Nicholas III from the University of California, Los...
(which had purchased Epigram) and Coppergate Communications; and HomePNA 3.1 was developed by Coppergate Communications.
HomePNA 2.0 was approved by the TU]-T] as Recommendations G.9951, G.9952 and G.9953.
HomePNA 3.0 was approved by the ITU as Recommendation G.9954 in February 2005.
HomePNA 3.1 was approved by the ITU as Recommendation G.9954 in January 2007.
HomePNA 3.1 was developed for entertainment applications such as IPTV
IPTV
Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
which require consistent high performance. This technology, which provides features such as guaranteed quality of service
Quality of service
The quality of service refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements...
(QoS), is used by service providers for commercial "triple play
Triple play (telecommunications)
In telecommunications, triple play service is a marketing term for the provisioning of two bandwidth-intensive services, high-speed Internet access and television, and a less bandwidth-demanding service, telephone, over a single broadband connection. Triple play focuses on a combined business...
" (video, voice and data) service offerings. HomePNA 3.1 uses frequencies above those used for Digital Subscriber Line
Digital Subscriber Line
Digital subscriber line is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ,...
and analog voice calls over phone wires and below those used for broadcast and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) TV over coax so it can coexist with those services on the same wires.
The original protocols used balanced pair telephone wire.
HomePNA 3.1 added Ethernet over coax
Ethernet over coax
Ethernet over Coax is a family of technologies that supports the transmission of Ethernet frames over coaxial cable.- History :The first Ethernet standard, known as 10BASE5 in the family of IEEE 802.3, specified baseband operation over coaxial cable...
operation to overcome limitations of phone jack location.
Some advantages of HomePNA 3.1 are:
- No special or new home wiring is required.
- Existing services PhonePhoneWithin phonetics, a phone is:* a speech sound or gesture considered a physical event without regard to its place in the phonology of a language* a speech segment that possesses distinct physical or perceptual properties...
, faxFaxFax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
, DSL, Satellite or off-the-air TV viewing are not disrupted since HomePNA operates at different frequencies on the same coax or phone wires. - Some products offer data rates up to 320 Mbit/s providing enough capacity to carry many High Definition TV (HDTV) and Standard Definition TV (SDTV) video streams.
- Guaranteed QoS eliminates the "collisions" on the network that occur with simpler access methods. It enables "real time" data streams such as IPTVIPTVInternet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
to be delivered without interruption. - A maximum of 64 devices can be connected.
- The devices can be up to a thousand feet (300 m) apart on telephone wires and multiple thousands of feet apart over coax, more than sufficient for homes.
- Uses standard EthernetEthernetEthernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
drivers making it easy to add to any product with an Ethernet port without regard to operating system. - The required hardware is not expensive.
- Straightforward to add other technologies to create a hybrid wired/wireless home network
- Service ProviderService providerA service provider is an entity that provides services to other entities. Usually, this refers to a business that provides subscription or web service to other businesses or individuals. Examples of these services include Internet access, Mobile phone operators, and web application hosting...
s can deliver phone, Internet and video in a single bundled package through HomePNA Certified hardware. - The technology works in Multi-Dwelling Units (MDU) such as apartment buildings for delivering triple play services to apartments or distributing the services within apartments. The hotel industry used it.
Some disadvantages of HomePNA 3.1:
- Does not coexist with DOCSISDOCSISData Over Cable Service Interface Specification is an international telecommunications standard that permits the addition of high-speed data transfer to an existing cable TV system...
- Available integrated circuitIntegrated circuitAn integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s ("chips") are few
Alternatives
Other home networkHome network
A home network or home area network is a residential local area network . It is used for communication between digital devices typically deployed in the home, usually a small number of personal computers and accessories, such as printers and mobile computing devices...
systems which do not require new wiring include:
- Power line communicationPower line communicationPower line communication or power line carrier , also known as power line digital subscriber line , mains communication, power line telecom , power line networking , or broadband over power lines are systems for carrying data on a conductor also used for electric power transmission.A wide range...
, which carries data over power wiring, often including home electrical wiring, using technologies such as HomePlugHomePlugHomePlug is the family name for various power line communications specifications that support networking over existing home electrical wiring. Several specifications exist under the HomePlug moniker, with each offering unique performance capabilities and coexistence or compatibility with other...
or Universal Powerline AssociationUniversal Powerline AssociationThe Universal Powerline Association was a trade association that covered power line communication markets and applications. The UPA promoted and certified power line communication technology from 2004 to 2010.-History:...
standards - In March 2009, HomePNA announced a liaisonCollaborationCollaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
agreement with the HomeGrid Forum to promote the ITU-T G.hnG.hnG.hn is the common name for a home network technology family of standards developed under the International Telecommunication Union's Standardization arm and promoted by the HomeGrid Forum...
wired home networking standard. - VDSL, VDSL2Very high speed digital subscriber line 2Very-high-speed digital subscriber line 2 is an access technology that exploits the existing infrastructure of copper wires that were originally deployed for traditional telephone service. It can be deployed from central offices, from fiber-optic connected cabinets located near the customer...
- Wi-FiWi-FiWi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
Wireless LANWireless LANA wireless local area network links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method , and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network...
s and BluetoothBluetoothBluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
(replacing HomeRFHomeRFHomeRF was a wireless networking specification for home devices to be connected to each other. It was developed in 1998 by the HomeRF Working Group, a consortium of mobile wireless companies that included Proxim Wireless, Siemens, Motorola, Philips and more than 100 other companies...
) - DOCSISDOCSISData Over Cable Service Interface Specification is an international telecommunications standard that permits the addition of high-speed data transfer to an existing cable TV system...
- Multimedia over Coax AllianceMultimedia over Coax AllianceMultimedia over Coax Alliance is a trade group promoting a standard that uses coaxial cables to connect consumer electronics and home networking devices in homes. It allows both data communication and the transfer of audio and video streams....
(MoCA) carries data over coaxial cables, which are frequently installed to support multiple television sets throughout homes - CWave
ITU official documents
- ITU-T Recommendation G.9951 : Phoneline networking transceivers - Foundation (HomePNA 2.0)
- ITU-T Recommendation G.9952 : Phoneline networking transceivers - Payload format and link layer requirements (HomePNA 2.0)
- ITU-T Recommendation G.9953 : Phoneline networking transceivers - Isolation function (HomePNA 2.0)
- ITU-T Recommendation G.9954 : Phoneline networking transceivers - Enhanced physical, media access, and link layer specifications (HomePNA 3.0 and 3.1)
- ITU-T Recommendations: Series G