Powerline networking uses electrical outlets to connect computers without new cables. Intellon’s PowerPacket is the standard, offering faster speeds, built-in encryption, and resistance to energy consumption and aged wiring. OFDM technology transmits data on unused frequencies, increasing speed. The older Passport technology is slower and requires manual encryption. PowerPacket kits cost around $59 and are a quick and easy way to set up a home network. Other options to consider include phone line, wireless, and Ethernet networking.
The electrical network connects computers using power outlets in the house. Its purpose is to provide a network simply and cheaply without new cables. It’s one of the cheapest technologies for networking and doesn’t add to your electricity bill.
While there is an older technology for powerline networking, the HomePlug Alliance group of industry alliances has made Intellon’s PowerPacket the standard. This new technology has many advantages over the older Passport technology. PowerPacket is much faster, is not interrupted by energy consumption in your home and has built-in encryption. It is also unaffected by aged wiring.
PowerPacket kits provide a powerline network card that plugs into an internal PCI slot inside the computer. The card comes with a power cord that plugs into a wall outlet, connecting your computer to other computers on your network via power lines that run throughout your home.
The power grid is based on a technology called OFDM, or orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. OFDM uses power lines to transmit data on frequencies not used by normal equipment. Divide this unused “real estate” into 84 separate channels or vectors. Data is sent in parallel, on multiple channels at the same time to increase speed. When a channel is interrupted or signal decay is detected, the control chip transfers the data to another carrier line. This “rate-adaptive” error correction is responsible for the Ethernet-like quality of the power line network. As of mid-2005, the speed is 14 megabits per second (mbps) with an expected increase to 100 mbps.
The older Passport technology originally used for power grids has several disadvantages. Encryption must be manually installed and implemented with this system. Passport’s technology is also slower, at around 50-350 kilobits per second, and electrical usage in your home can impact performance. The old wiring can also interfere with the old power line network scheme, as it does not use OFDM, but key frequency shift or FSK. This is a simple “two-channel highway” at a frequency much closer to that of line noise and easily disrupted.
The cost to connect two computers and a printer using OFDM PowerPacket technology is approximately USD 59. Networking is an extremely quick and easy way to set up a home network, and it can suit your needs. However, before making a final choice, you also need to consider your phone line network, wireless, and Ethernet.
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