You recommended HomePlug as a way of creating a home network over the mains wiring. Could you advise whether to go for the American HomePlug or for the European DS2 200Mbps standard. I gather that BT and Sky have announced some sort of scheme to provide Freeview/Sky over the National Grid using DS2. My interest is in establishing a private computer network in my block of flats rather than in watching television! Peter Davis
HomePlug 1.0 is the de facto standard used by most products, which are based on Intellon chips. These are usually 14Mbps, which is fast enough for home networking, or have been extended to the "turbo" 85Mbps. However, products using the later 200Mbps HomePlug AV standard are now widely available. DS2 Powerline technology, which uses chips from a Spanish company (ds2.es), starts at 200Mbps, and 400Mbps has been demonstrated.
The problem is that the different systems may not live together, as some people who have installed BT Vision using the DS2-based Comtrend mains adaptors have found. HomePlug 1.0 and AV are designed to co-exist. However, the safest approach is not to mix different speeds (14, 85, 200) or different technologies (HomePlug 1.0, HomePlug AV, DS2), if possible.
The IEEE is now voting on a draft standard for powerline communications through the P1901 working group (grouper.ieee.org/groups/1901). In November, a merged proposal from the HomePlug Powerline Alliance and the Japanese Consumer Electronics Powerline Communication Alliance (behind Panasonic's HD Power Line Communications) beat the one from the Universal Powerline Association (behind DS2) by 28 votes to 13. It now needs 75% of the vote taken on December 11. Since HomePlug AV is backed by Cisco, Comcast, General Electric and Intel, it should win through.
Under the circumstances, 200Mbps HomePlug AV products seem the most likely to be closest to standard, but they are overkill for sharing a DSL connection.
