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Viewing report
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Smart Grid: Intra - Premises Communications – Utilizing Existing Media
PracTel Inc, Nov 2011
New requirements for in-premises networking (in connection with Smart Grid projects and the rapid demand for efficient distribution of bandwidth-hungry signals) force the industry to revaluate applicability of communications technologies with emphasis on utilization existing intra-house media.
There are at least two groups of such technologies:
- Those that utilize metallic wires – they include power lines, coaxial TV cable and telephone wiring;
- Those that utilize free space/wireless communications; with transmission methods allowing gigabits per second speed for short distance communications. In this report, Visible Light Communications (VLC) and 60 GHz radio transmission are addressed.
Disregarding technologies differences, all of them may:
- Significantly reduce communications expenses
- Support transmission characteristics that satisfy such new requirements.
The report details related issues in:
- Technologies (including MoCA, HomePlug, Visible Light Communications, HomePNA and G.hn and 60 GHz radio)
- Markets
- Standards – national and international
- Industry activities
- Vendors’ portfolios
- Trends.
Pure economical drivers make the industry to develop technologies that utilize the existing in-premises media, including coax, phone, and electrical cabling creating home networking. There are also efforts to develop and commercialize Visible Light Communications – this emerging technology that utilizes properties of free space electromagnetic waves propagation (in optical spectrum) – promises a lot of potentials. The 60 GHz radio technologies are experiencing the rapid development due to the progress in IC fabrication, effective packaging and multiple benefits.
The major trends in the discussed communications methods are:
1. Several competing technologies are developed or still in the development. Each of them has advantages and weaknesses.
2. International standards organizations (ITU, IEEE and other) are developing technologies that allow using any existing in-premises media for communications.
3. Multiple industry Alliances not only compete with each other, but are also trying to coordinate their actions and policies.
4. Addressed technologies can find major applications in the Smart Grid and Home Area Networks; as well as in in-premises distribution of bandwidth-hungry signals (for example, HDTV).
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