As RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) from amateur radio can impact certain frequencies, HomePlug employs spectral density notches around the HAM radio frequency bands, thereby reducing the number of OFDM carriers that can be used in the United States. As noise on the powerline can be highly local to the receiver and as the quality of the channel between any between any two links connecting transmitter and receiver over the common electrical bus will vary, HomePlug 1.0 uses a channel adaptation technique to turn off heavily impaired subcarriers.
Security is always an issue, and particularly so with technologies using a shared bus topology. As multiple premises typically are served from a common electrical transformer, the physical reach of an in-house BPL network can extend well beyond the walls of an individual home or business. HomePlug 1.0 standards include several security options, including 56-bit DES (Data Encryption Standard). In order to secure a given logical network (i.e., in-house), all transmissions between stations are encrypted with a unique, shared network encryption key.
Ethernet rules the LAN domain, and that's a fact. So, it's no surprise that HomePlug 1.0 is based on the Ethernet MAC (Medium Access Control) protocol. That protocol not only is widely deployed and well understood, but also allows HomePlug 1.0 to interface virtually seamlessly with most PCs, with DSL, cable or PON modems (where Access BPL is not used), with Wi-Fi where appropriate and, for that matter, with just about any DTE (Date Terminal Equipment) or data network.
HomePlug employs two frame formats, both of which involve fairly small payloads. This approach facilitates QoS (Quality of Service), which is critical in support of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). HomePlug also uses a variation of the CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance), the channel access protocol used widely in Wi-Fi networks, for example. In conjunction with a distributed priority resolution mechanism that supports up to four priority classes based on VLAN tags (802.11q), this approach further ensures GoS (Grade of Service) consideration (true QoS is a stretch) for delay-sensitive traffic such as VoIP.
HomePlug AV: 1.0 Amped Up
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
