Electrical Powerline Networking for a Samrt Home

Electric Powerline Networking For A Smart Home

Seminar Report”04

INTRODUCTION Electric power line networking is a method of home networking which is capable of interconnecting computers in your home. It uses exciting AC wiring and power outlets to transmit data around a home or small offices. It is based on the concept of ‘no new wires’. It would let you share: •

Web access

•

Printers

•

PC hard drives

From any plug in your home or office. Electric power line networking avoids the need for putting PCs near a phone outlet. Instead, computers and other devices are connected through electrical outlet. You are networked by just plugging in. power line networking is based on Homeplug Powerline Alliance’s Homeplug 1.0 standards. With power line networking, a home owner can create an entire home network linking his/her, •

Personal computers

•

Printers

•

Music equipments

•

Internet access

Without running any new wires. Wires and sockets are used simultaneously for electricity and data, without disrupting each other. Thus power line networking provides a cost effective solution for home

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networking. With power line networking, you will be able to put your desktop PCs anywhere you like in your home. It will also easier to buy and network other devices.

FEATURES

A power line network is having the following features,

•

No extra wiring and extra wire maintenance is required since it uses exciting electrical line it self for net working.

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It uses standard outlet/plug. So it is possible to access the network everywhere at home.

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It uses power outlet to let the users more easily relocate the PCs, switches, routers and print servers.

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It is easy to connect with Ethernet switch or router to access internet or exciting home network.

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It provides a 56-bit DES encryption for high security in data transfer.

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It co-exists with current technology to protect previous investment. So customers will not have to discard their exciting network solutions.

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It provides maximum 14Mbps bandwidth over standard home for sharing information, multimedia application and gaming.

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Frequency band 4.3 to 20.9 MHz for low interference from other electrical appliances.

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THE TECHNOLOGY Like home PNA, power-line networking is based on the concept of “no new wires”. The convenience is even more obvious in this case because while not every room has a phone jack, but always have an electrical outlet near a computer. In power line networking, you connect your computers to one another through the same outlet. Because it requires no new wiring, and the network adds no cost to your electric bill, power line networking is the cheapest method of connecting computers in different rooms. There are two competing technologies for power line networking. The older technology called Passport, by company named Intelogis and a new technology called Powerpacket, developed by intellon. Now let’s find out how each of these technologies works.

Intelogis This technology relies on frequency-shift keying (FSK) to send data back and forth over the electrical wires in your home. FSK uses two frequencies, one for 1s and the other for 0s, to send digital information between the computers on the network. The frequencies used are in a narrow band just above the level where most line noise occurs.

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Although this method works, it is somewhat fragile. Anything that impinges on either frequency can disrupt the data flow, causing the transmitting computer to have resent the data. This can affect the performance of the network. When one was using more electricity in the house, such as running the washer and dryer, the network slowed down. Intelogis includes line-conditioning power strips with its network kit and encourages you to insert them between the wall outlet and your computer equipment to help reduce the amount of electrical line noise.

THE DIAGRAM OF INELOGIS PASSPORT TEHNOLOGY

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INTELLON TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION: •

Integrated Physical Layer (PHY) and Media Access Controller (MAC)

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Data rate: up to 14 Mbps

• •

Rated distance between devices Anywhere on same power circuits in home Frequency band 4.3 MHz - 20.9 MHz

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OFDM symbol modulation •

•

•

Automatic channel adaptation

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Forward Error Correction

Carrier modulation methods supported: •

•

84 carriers

DQPSK, DBPSK, ROBO

Access methods supported: •

CSMA/CA

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Meets FCC Part 15 emission standards

•

Secure communications

Intellon’s PowerPacket technology, which serves as basis for the HomePlug Power alliance standards, uses an enhanced from of orthogonal frequency-

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division multiplexing (OFDM) with forward error-correction technology. OFDM is variation of the frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) used in phone-line networking. FDM puts computer data on separate frequencies from the voice signals being carried by the phone line, separating the extra signal space on a typical phone line into distinct data channels by splitting it into uniform chunks of bandwidth. In the case of OFDM, the available range of frequencies on the electrical subsystem (4.3 MHz to 20.9MHz) is split into 84 separate carriers. OFDM sends packet of data simultaneously along several of carrier frequencies, allowing for increased speed and reliability. If noise or surge in power usage disrupts one of the frequencies, the PowerPacket chip will sense it and switch that data to another carrier. This rate adaptive design allows power packet to maintain an Ethernet-class connection throughout the power-line network without losing any data.

The existing PowerPacket technology is rated at 14Mbps, which is faster than existing phone-line and wireless solutions. The latest technology of PowerPacket technology is rated at 200-Mbps, which is provided by the chip INT5500CS. However, as broadband access and internet based content like streaming audio and video and voice-over-IP become more commonplace, speed requirements will continue to increase.

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HOW TO INSTALL A POWER-LINE NETWORK The physical connection between each computer and the intelogis power line networks uses the computer’s parallel port. A wall device is plugged directly into the electrical outlet.

A parallel cable is plugged into the wall device and into the parallel port of the computer. The power-line network must be the last item connected to the parallel port. For this reason, if you have anything else connected to the parallel port, such as a scanner or Zip drive, it must have a pass-through for the parallel port. Unless you have a second parallel port on your computer, your printer must be connected to the network through a wall of its own.

Something to keep in mind is that the intelogis older technology does not support bidirectional printing. “Bidirectional” means that data is sent in both directions, allowing your printer to send information back to your computer, such as how much ink is left and if there is a paper jam. This will not keep your printer from working, but it is worth noting that you will lose the use of such features.

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Initial Power Packet devices connect via a USB or Ethernet cord from the computer to a small wall adapter. Subsequent devices will have the circuitry built in, meaning the only connection needed would be the power cord

Once the physical connections are made, installation of the software is snap. The software automatically detects all nodes (computers and printers) on the network. Whether your internet connection is by cable modem, DSL or normal modem, the included proxy server software allows you to share the internet with your other computers. You can easily add computers by simply plugging a new adapter in and installing the software.

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There are two common types of home networks: peer-to-peer and Client/server. Client/server networks have a centralized administrative system that provides information to all of the other devices. Peer-to-peer means that each devices can talk directly to each other device on other network without consulting a central system first. Intelogis Passport technology uses a client/server network. The first computer that you install the software on becomes the Application Server. In essence, it is the director of the network, controlling the flow of data and telling each devices on the network where to find the other devices. Intellon’s Power packet technology uses a peer-to-peer network.

HOW TO SETUP A POWER-LINE NETWORK Once power line network is selected as the preferred method to create a network within a home, the next thing to consider is what type of setup will work best for your home. There are 8 most preferred ways to setup a power line network.

1. Two computers sharing internet access through a router.

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2. Sharing a printer through a computer.

Sharing a network printer directly using Plug Link

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4. Using a power line network with an Ethernet network.

5. Connecting computers without internet access. Dept of EEE

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6. Using power line network with a wireless network.

7. Connecting a power line network to a corporate LAN.

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8. Connecting a game console to PlugLink.

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THE TYPICAL SMART HOME APPLICATIONS 1. BLOCKDIAGRAM FOR A TYPICAL POWER LINE HOME NETWORK FOR INTERNET ACCESS

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2. THE TYPICAL SMART HOME NETWORK BY POWER LINE NETWORK

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3. POWERPACKET TECHNOLOGY SMART HOME NETWORKING

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INT51x INTELLON IC chipset architecture

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COMPARISON WITH OTHER NETWORKING STANDARDS Establishing networks through power lines has mainly been viewed as a complimentary technology that reaches into areas of home not accessed by telephone outlets for HomePNA connections. Consider the case of Ethernet cables. This is most time consuming, labor intensive and costly method to set up a network. Unless you are technically inclined or know a friend who can pull the cables free, many consumers can spend an average of $2000 to wire their home with Ethernet cables. Another method of networking is using wireless (Wi-Fi) networking. Even though Wi-Fi seems to be more convenient, there are some major disadvantages of using this type of network. The main disadvantages are lack of distance, lack of stability, and lack of security. Wi-Fi can only reach up to 300ft in distance. It is also possible that another environment can disrupt the network. In addition, Wi-Fi does not offer a built-in security co there is any data encryption. HomePNA is another method of networking. It is uses existing phone lines as the medium for data transmission. Unfortunately, there is usually a lack of phone jacks throughout the home to truly offer a viable solution. Home Plug Power Alliance introduced power line networking where it uses the existing AC infrastructure as the network; thus no wires or installation is needed to connect multiple computers together. Since there is an abundance of electrical outlets throughout a household, power line networking can easily used in home or office and offers a convenient, flexible solution to network. Power line networks are plenty fast

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enough for sharing files, internet access, and peripherals such as printers though may not be great for multiplayer gaming. It has rated distance between devices anywhere on same power circuits in home.

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SECURITY METHODS Security risks are common methods used by intruders to gain controller access to host the computer without permission, using any method accessible to them like physical access, network access, internet access or combinations of them. Processor of securing of power-line network: The process securing of the power line networks radically differs from the conventional securing because of the introduction of new elements like power outlets, power switches, plug fuse, the quality of power line installation and similar up to day components nothing linked with computer sciences. There fore the new elements or equipments, or modified old once must be (at least): •

Electric measurer with Firewall or Stand Alone Firewall for Power line Networks.

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Electric frequency filters.

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Plug with outlet and Ethernet/Parallel Port connection with or without encryption.

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New Security Policies.

•

Considering the new elements and Best practices. The new process of securing must involve these new and old

elements. In the case of a house use, at least: •

Perimeter security Firewall for power line network or Electric Measurer with Firewall, for protecting the house network.

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Wall plug connecters with encryption.

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Desktop Firewall, for protection of individual computers.

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•

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Antivirus system, for protection of individual computers In the case of an office, the above mentioned elements, plus:

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NIDS, for protection of office network of the instructions

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HIDS, for protection of host computers

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VPN, for communication with other company networks.

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APPLICATIONS OF POWER LINE NETWORK Following are the major applications of a Power line network

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Shared broadband internet access.

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Audio and video data transfer.

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Expanding LAN coverage.

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Voice over IP calls.

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Printer sharing.

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Smart home applications

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Network and online gaming

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ADVANTAGES (COMMON) Here are the advantages of a power line network: •

It’s less expensive

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It uses existing electrical wiring.

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Every room of a typical house has several electrical outlets.

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It’s easy to install.

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A printer, or any other device that doesn’t need to be directly connected to a computer, doesn’t have to be physically near any of the computers in the network.

DISADVANTAGES (INTELOGIS) There are some disadvantages to connecting through powerline when using the older Intelogis techno: •

The connection is rather slow—50Kbps to 350Kbps

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The performance can be impacted by home power usage.

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It can limit the features of your printer.

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It only works with window-based computers.

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It uses large wall devices to access an electrical outlet.

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It can only use 110V standard lines.

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It requires that all data be encrypted for a secure network.

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Older wiring can affect performance.

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ADVANTAGE (Intellon) According to Intellon, Power Packet technology eliminates many of these concerns, citing the following advantages: •

Compared to other networking standards and the older Passport technology, it is very fast, rated at 14 to 200 Mbps

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It “avoids” disruption in power line, maintaining the network’s connections and speeds.

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It does not limit the features of your printer as in the case of Passport technology where bi-directional printing is not possible

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It may have the necessary circuitry embedded within the device, necessitating only a standard power cord to access an outlet.

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It includes a 56-bit DES encryption for providing high security in data transmission.

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In tests, it showed no signal degradation due to older wiring. So performance is not affected by older wiring]

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COST AND THE FUTURE COST Intelogis provides a kit that connects two computers and one printer for $59. Additional adaptors cost about $40. There is specific version for computers or printers, so make sure you get the correct one. Since the network does not affect power usage or consumption, no additional monthly costs are incurred.

The cost of PowerPacket technology is expected to be comparable to HomePNA solutions and significantly less than 802.11 wireless solutions. FUTURE The PLC networks for communication within the smart home, but the ultimate goal of PLC network could be the ability to connect to the Internet without dialing up to an ISP server, entirely using electrical wiring only. This can be illustrated as in Figure 2 Private home networks are connected to substations, in which a PMTS (Powerline Modem Terminal Service) connects PLC networks within homes to the Internet backbone. The PLC network gateway for a private home network could Be installed in the fuse box of that home and then it could be connected to one or more repeaters. Repeaters are for increasing signal strength when the signals level fall below some value.

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It expect to see higher data rates in power line networks in the future as signal modulation technologies improve; however, issues like network security and the network characteristics with a large number of nodes need further development. Further research on these issues is of critical importance when power line networks are applied to offices and large multi-user buildings.

Intellon’s Power Packet technology is compatible with wireless and HomePNA solutions, making power line an ideal option to serve as the backbone for a multi-technology home network. In this case, consumers will not have to discard their existing network solutions in favor of a new standard.

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The one common thread among all of the networking option is the need for power. There will be demand for products and services that can be connected using power line network and this boom will fuel a manufacturing revolution globally for decades to come. Annual shipment of power line nodes for home PC network are expected to grow five-fold from now to 2006.(Networks in the Home: Analysis and Forecasts). In total, 19 million U.S households are expected to use PC networks by the end of 2006. For home entertainment networks which will comprise more than 100 Million connected nodes by the end of 2006, power line solutions are expected to have significant presence.

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WHAT’S AVAILABLE TODAY Intellon Corporation, the world leader in power line communications, today announced the introduction of its next generation power line networking chipset. The INT5500CS, an 85Mbps power line networking chipset, is fully compliant with the 14 Mbps Home Plug 1.0 specifications and offers the higher bandwidth performance necessary to drive next-generation home entertainment applications such as standard definition video and whole house audio.

The INT5500CS complements Intellon’s highly successful and broadly deployed INT51X1 and INT5200 products, which implement the 14Mbps Home Plug 1.0 specification. The INT5500CS enables additional applications requiring higher bandwidth, including standard definition video distribution, TV over IP (IPTV), digital video recorder (DVR) networking and media center PCs. Other applications include whole house audio, extension and bridging of higher speed wireless technologies such as 802.11x and UWB, and higher data-rate broadband sharing based on technologies such as ADSL2 and fiber to the home.

The new solution is comprised of the INT5500 base band (MAC/PHY) processor and the INT1200 analog front end (AFE). The INT5500 chipset will begin sampling in the first quarter of 2005, with production volumes following in the second quarter.

“The introduction of the INT5500CS is a significant milestone in Intellon’s product roadmap strategy,” said Ron Glibbery, president of Intellon. “Working with our

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customers worldwide, Intellon continues to advance the performance envelope of powerline communications technology. We recognize the aggressive requirements for whole house distribution of data and multimedia content. The INT5500CS enables reliable whole house distribution of a new set of audio and video applications.”

“The INT5500CS is the second step in a three-tier product strategy designed to meet the increasing bandwidth needs of the evolving digital home,” said Andreas Melder, senior vice president of sales, marketing and business development at Intellon. “Continuing our powerline industry leadership, our 14Mbps INT51X1 and INT5200 products and our new 85Mbps INT5500CS will be joined next year by our 200Mbps HomePlugAV-compliant product line, which will enable distribution of multiple high definition video streams over home power lines.”

Home Plug powerline communications is recognized as a key technology in the home networking ecosystem. High reliability, resistance to interference, simplicity of setup and use, and strong Quality of Service (QoS) make powerline ideal for real-time entertainment content delivery, particularly whole-house audio and networked video.

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POWER STRUGGLES Science class painted a rosy picture of electricity in the form of regular sine waves. But these perfect curves of 110V AC seldom grace the wires of real homes. For one thing, the energy coming off. The power grid into your home is rarely clean; it suffers spikes (sudden rise in energy), surges (prolonged over voltage), and brownouts (prolonged under voltage). And once electricity is in your home, “noisy” appliances such as vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, and hair dryers dirty up that perfect wave pattern even more. This means that power line networks run over an unpredictable medium. When our test machines suddenly lost internet access, for instance, the lack of network diagnostic tools for power line networks really hurt. Apart from Windows own IP configuration (winipcfg and ipconfig) and ping commands, there are few tools and fewer techniques to support lines for the major vendors of Home Plug devices became better at troubleshooting such issues. This isn’t to say that Home Plug networking is riddled with troubles. Over several months of evaluation in a 70 year old home in the full heat and humidity of summer, when wall air conditioning in units kick in and brownouts are common, we encountered only one unexplained network dropout. We easily fixed the problem with the old trick of unplugging the adapters and plugging them back in again after a few seconds.

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SUMMARY The two separate powerline standards groups share a similar vision they both want to extend beyond control and data, to also carry audio and video, and to help connect every day devices to the internet. They each plan to test the technologies from power line companies and then pick the best one as the standard. As standards emerge for power line home networking, other companies focus on the electric power grid that brings power to homes. They plan to apply power line technologies to access networks, much like DSL uses existing phone lines and cable modems service uses the coaxial cables. Why power line communications? •

No more wires, just plug in

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Share your Internet connection

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Move your computers and appliances where you want

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Easy to install and use

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High transmission rate, right now 9Mbps(up to 60 times faster than ISDN) in Uploading and downloading with speeds of 200Mbps possible

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Secure data encryption

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Utilizes existing power sources for all your communication needs

Power line products allow higher internet speeds. This means: •

TV quality video

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Streaming audio

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Broadband multimedia

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•

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New internet devices and appliances.

CONCLUSION Power line networking technology promises to open up possibilities for new generations of applications and devices providing unprecedented benefits to the customers. With multiple outlets in almost every room, residential power lines are already the most pervasive network in the world. As the internet explodes, broadband explodes, broadband access expands and customers plug in new generation of electronic devices into the web. As the digital age continues the demand to send audio, video and Internet data to and around the home, office or other building increases continuously. The cost of installing wires to support this is expensive, disruptive and time consuming. Power lines present a cost effective, easy to adopt home networking solution customers around the globe. Many formidable obstacles stand in the way of achieving reliable very high speed data communications over the power line. The physical properties of electrical cabling, unpredictable noise and interference from numerous sources, heavy electrical load and the appliances connected sometime create technical obstacles to the use of power line as medium of networking. The ultimate goal of PLC network could be the ability to connect to the internet without dialing up to an ISP server, entirely using electrical wiring only. With a wide variety of devices connected to the network, system is able to share resources and information and to respond more appropriately Intellon’s Power Packet

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technology lends itself to functioning reliably in the harsh environments of the AC power line. Thus power line networking technology has a tremendous promise for the future.

REFERENCES 1. IEEE Spectrum 2004, PP.6-9, SEPTEMBER 2004. “Amped up and Ready to Go” 2. Power Delivery, IEEE Transaction, pp. 1232-1237, vol.11, issue 3, July 1996. “A power line data communication interface using spectrum technology in home automation” 3. “A power Line Communication Network Infrastructure For The Smart Home” by Yu-Ju Lin , Haniph A. Ltchman and Minkyu Lee IN Electrical and computer Engineering dept University of Florida. 4. “Data Transmission Through Power Lines” BY C.A. Daque (M-IEEE), P.G> Barbosa (M-IEEE), and D.P. Baotista(Student member IEEE) 5. www.intellon.com 6. www.howstuffworks.com 7. www.CNETNEWS.com 8. www.homeplugandplay.com 9. www.extreametech.com 10. www.pcmag.dit.net

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Electrical Powerline Networking for a Samrt Home

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