See the press release on page 2 >>

By Jesse Berst

 

Quick Take: Utility professionals who deal with home energy management may want to pay attention to the G.hn standard, which allows very-high-speed networking over home power lines. Plug an adapter into any outlet and immediately get Gigabit speeds.

 

The standard, promoted by the HomeGrid Forum trade association, has just been accepted into the Catalog of Standards maintained by the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP). See the press release on page 2 for more details. And note the claim that "many companies are beginning to introduce G.hn products into their portfolios, including utilities and Service Providers."

 

Who do you think will win the war for the home network of the future? Wi-Fi? G.hn? Or the new home networking standard Google may be working on in secret? Use the Comment form below to share your thoughts.

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Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com, the industry's oldest and largest smart grid site. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the U.S. and abroad, he also serves on advisory committees for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Institute for Electric Efficiency. He often provides strategic consulting to large corporations and venture-backed startups. He is a member of the advisory boards of GridGlo and Calico Energy Services.

See the press release on page 2 >>

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Current Comments (5)

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Wi-Fi Over The Power Lines!

Sounds too good to be true....Can't imagine what the future holds for us in the way of technological advancement...

Donna Fulton - 03/07/2013 - 07:44

Wow. Is there finally a real competitor to Wi-Fi for the home?

Jesse, You are asking the wrong question. Powerline networking is a complimentary technology to WiFi that can co-exist in a hybrid home network. Powerline is now used to extend the reach of WiFi, and to carry HDTV streams that WiFi doesn't handle well. Powerline products currently on the market are pretty much all HomePlug. There is still some debate about whether G'hn will enter the market as a viable competitor to HomePlug, but the only real green field left for the HomeGrid crowd is in Asia where they are focusing a lot of their effort. Regardless, neither powerline standard will replace or seriously threaten WiFi in the foreseeable future.

David Stowe - 03/07/2013 - 07:45

Quote from Dr. Negroponte, MIT

"Items which are portable and temporary should be wireless, items which are fixed and permanent should be wireline connected." A ZigBee connected dishwasher or refrigerator is a misuse of wireless technology, for example. To afford 100% whole home coverage, a hybrid solution of wireless and wireline architecture is necessary.

Gary Sorkin - 03/07/2013 - 09:33

Home Network Technology

It is unlikely that any technology or standard will die. As they have strong promoters, each standard will find its own niche application. Eventually, we can see multiple networks within the same home. As Wifi is used for connecting to internet, zigbee can be used for remote access of appliances.

Chandan Agarwala - 03/12/2013 - 04:40

WIFi competition for the home

Sign me up Now! r

Rhonda Walton - 03/14/2013 - 09:42

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