HomeRF
Encyclopedia
HomeRF 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. The group was disbanded in January 2003 after other wireless networks became accessible to home users and Microsoft
began including support for them in its Windows
operating system
s. As a result HomeRF has fallen into obsolescence. The archive of the HomeRF Working Group is maintained by Palo Wireless.
(FHSS) in the 2.4 GHz
frequency band and in theory could achieve a maximum of 10 Mbit/s throughput; its nodes can travel within a 50 meter range of an wireless access point
while remaining connected to the personal area network
(PAN).
HomeRF allowed both voice telephone signals and data signals to be exchanged over the same wireless network. Therefore, in HomeRF, cordless telephones and laptops, for example, could share the same bandwidth
in the same home or office.
Available HomeRF local area network
s (LANs) supported 1.6 Mbit/s, relatively slow compared to technology marketed under the Wi-Fi
brand name. For example,
second generation 802.11b LANs supported 11 Mbit/s. 802.11n reaches a maximum of 600 Mbit/s.
Several standards and working groups focused on wireless networking technology in radio frequency (RF
). Standards include the popular IEEE 802.11
family, 802.16, and Bluetooth
.
Proxim Wireless
Proxim Wireless Corporation , is a San Jose, California-based company that builds scalable broadband wireless networking systems for communities, enterprises, governments, and service providers. It claims to offer WLAN, mesh, point-to-multipoint and point-to-point products through a global channel...
, Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
, 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...
, Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
and more than 100 other companies. The group was disbanded in January 2003 after other wireless networks became accessible to home users and Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
began including support for them in its Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s. As a result HomeRF has fallen into obsolescence. The archive of the HomeRF Working Group is maintained by Palo Wireless.
Description
HomeRF used frequency hopping spread spectrumSpread spectrum
Spread-spectrum techniques are methods by which a signal generated in a particular bandwidth is deliberately spread in the frequency domain, resulting in a signal with a wider bandwidth...
(FHSS) in the 2.4 GHz
GHZ
GHZ or GHz may refer to:# Gigahertz .# Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state — a quantum entanglement of three particles.# Galactic Habitable Zone — the region of a galaxy that is favorable to the formation of life....
frequency band and in theory could achieve a maximum of 10 Mbit/s throughput; its nodes can travel within a 50 meter range of an wireless access point
Wireless access point
In computer networking, a wireless access point is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards...
while remaining connected to the personal area network
Personal area network
A personal area network is a computer network used for communication among computer devices, including telephones and personal digital assistants, in proximity to an individual's body. The devices may or may not belong to the person in question. The reach of a PAN is typically a few meters...
(PAN).
HomeRF allowed both voice telephone signals and data signals to be exchanged over the same wireless network. Therefore, in HomeRF, cordless telephones and laptops, for example, could share the same bandwidth
Bandwidth (computing)
In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bits/second or multiples of it .Note that in textbooks on wireless communications, modem data transmission,...
in the same home or office.
Available HomeRF local area network
Local area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
s (LANs) supported 1.6 Mbit/s, relatively slow compared to technology marketed under the Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-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...
brand name. For example,
second generation 802.11b LANs supported 11 Mbit/s. 802.11n reaches a maximum of 600 Mbit/s.
Several standards and working groups focused on wireless networking technology in radio frequency (RF
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
). Standards include the popular IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for implementing wireless local area network computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. They are created and maintained by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee . The base version of the standard IEEE 802.11-2007 has had subsequent...
family, 802.16, and Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 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...
.
See also
- 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...
- powerline home networking - HomeIR - wireless IR home networking
- HomePNAHomePNAThe HomePNA Alliance is an incorporated non-profit industry association of companies that develops and standardizes technology for home networking over the existing coaxial cables and telephone wiring within homes.-Overview:HomePNA does not manufacture products, although its members do...
- phoneline home networking - ITU-TITU-TThe ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector is one of the three sectors of the International Telecommunication Union ; it coordinates standards for telecommunications....
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...
, a standard that provides a way to create a high-speed (up to 1 Gbit/s) Local area networkLocal area networkA local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
using existing home wiring (power linesPower 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...
, phone lines and coaxial cablesEthernet over coaxEthernet 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...
).