Electric Powerline Networking For A Smart Home

D.ASWITHA(20D41A0221)

Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

SRI INDU COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

ABSTRACT

Home automation is an important part of modern life because it monitors and controls electrical devices in the home as well as other
aspects of the digital home, which is expected to be the standard for the future home. The home appliance control system allows the
homeowner to remotely control devices such as the stove, refrigerator, air conditioner, and lighting while also monitoring the house's
status. A personal digital device, such as a laptop, PDA, telephone, or even a cell phone, can be used for monitoring and control. The
Power-Line Communication (PLC) protocol for data transmission is one of the technologies widely used by homeowners to connect
the home controller with the appliances.

applications (Wang, 2015).

I. INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, the rapid development of information technology
has resulted in significant changes to the structure of
automation systems, causing people to place a higher value on
home security, comfort, and efficiency. Intelligent household
devices have become a research focus in the home automation
industry, with the goal of figuring out how to make television
sets, refrigerators, lighting, alarm sensors, and other home
devices work efficiently and easily. Under such conditions,
home appliances should not only function independently, but
also in collaboration with other devices, i.e. they should be
network-connected for easy management. [1] For controlling
home appliances, there are numerous access methods
available, including hard wired lines, telephone lines, Ethernet
cables, radio frequency, infrared, and powerline. They are
classified technically as two types of networking techniques:
wireless data exchange between transmitter and receiver (e.g.,
Bluetooth, 802.15.4/ZigBee, or Zwave) and fixed wire line
networking (e.g., telephone line, Ethernet cable, and others).
II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
With the rapid development of network technology and
communication technology in recent years, people not
only pay attention to the degree of automation and home
of the increasingly high demand, but also the flexibility
and convenience of home appliances control of external
information obtained higher requirements. (Jeet,
2015[8]; As a result, smart home system research and
development has become a hot topic in the information
industry. Simultaneously, power line communication
technology has been rapidly developed (Sarathi, 2013)
[10]. After several years of research and development,
some technical bottlenecks have been successfully
overcome, allowing lowvoltage power line high-speed
data transmission (Tong and Zhou, 2014) [11]. As a
result, this article presented the overall programme smart
home system based on power line communication
technology in the current understanding of the
development of smart home system, the full use of the
power line to act as a smart home system data signal
transmission media (Vasan and Long, 2014) Electricity
networks have an advantage everywhere; using the
power grid can reduce the large investment in network
construction, which is a key factor limiting broadband
III.FEATURES
A power line network is having the following features,
i." No extra wiring and extra wire maintenance is required
since it uses exciting electrical line it self for net working.
ii." It uses standard outlet/plug. So it is possible to access
the network everywhere at home.
iii." It uses power outlet to let the users more easily relocate
the PCs, switches, routers and print servers.
iv." It is easy to connect with Ethernet switch or router to
access internet or exciting home network.
v." It provides a 56-bit DES encryption for high security in
data transfer.
vi." It co-exists with current technology to protect previous
investment. So customers will not have to discard their
exciting network solutions.
vii." It provides maximum 14Mbps bandwidth over
standard home for sharing information, multimedia
application and gaming.
viii." Frequency band 4.3 to 20.9 MHz for low interference
from other electrical appliances.
IV.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.
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.
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.
Once the physical connections are made, installation of
the software issnap. The software automatically detects all
nodes (computers and printers) on thenetwork. 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.
There are two common types of home networks:
peer-to-peer andClient/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 cantalk directly to each other device on other
network without consulting a central systemfirst. Intelogis
Passport technology uses a client/server network. The first
computer thatyou install the software on becomes the
Application Server.
VI.HOW TO SETUP A POWER LINE
NETWORK

When one was using more electricity in the house, such Once power line network is selected as the preferred
as running the washer and dryer, the network slowed method to create anetwork within a home, the next thing to
down. Intelogis includes line-conditioning power strips consider is what type of setup will work best for your home.
with its network kit and encourages you to insert them There are 8 most preferred ways to setup a power line
between the wall outlet and your computer equipment to network.
help reduce the amount of electrical line noise.
1.Two computers sharing internet access through a router.
V.HOW TO INSTALL
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.

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
2.Sharing a printer through a computer. 3. Connecting a power line network to a corporate
LAN.
VII.
THE TYPICAL SMART HOME APPLICATIONS
BLOCKDIAGRAM FOR A TYPICAL POWER
LINE HOME NETWORK FOR INTERNET
ACCESS
VIII.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER NETWORKING
STANDARDS
Establishing networks through power lines has mainly
been viewed as acomplimentary technology that reaches
into areas of home not accessed by telephoneoutlets for
HomePNA connections. Consider the case of Ethernet
cables. This is mosttime consuming, labor intensive and
costly method to set up a network. Unless you
aretechnically inclined or know a friend who can pull the
cables free, many consumers canspend 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
thatanother environment can disrupt the network. In
addition, Wi-Fi does not offer a built-insecurity co there is
any data encryption.HomePNA is another method of
networking. It is uses existing phonelines 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 ituses the existing AC infrastructure as
the network; thus no wires or installation is neededto
connect multiple computers together. Since there is an
abundance of electrical outletsthroughout a household,
power line networking can easily used in home or office
andoffers a convenient, flexible solution to network. Power
line networks are plenty fast 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 onsame power circuits in home.
IX.
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 fromthe 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 daycomponents 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.
• Electric frequency filters.
• Plug with outlet and Ethernet/Parallel Port connection
with or without encryption.
•New Security Policies.
• Considering the new elements and Best practices.The new
process of securing must involve these new and
oldelements. In the case of a house use, at least:
• Perimeter security Firewall for power line network or
Electric Measurer withFirewall, for protecting the house
network.
• Wall plug connecters with encryption.

X. APPLICATIONS OF POWER LINE NETWORK
Following are the major applications of a Power line
network
• Shared broadband internet access.
• Audio and video data transfer.
• Expanding LAN coverage.
• Voice over IP calls.
• Printer sharing.
• Smart home applications
• Network and online gaming
X1. ADVANTAGES
(COMMON)
Here are the advantages of a power line network:
• It’s less expensive
• It uses existing electrical wiring.
• Every room of a typical house has several electrical
outlets.
• It’s easy to install.
• A printer, or any other device that doesn’t need to be
directly connected to acomputer, doesn’t have to be
physically near any of the computers in the network.
XII. DISADVANTAGES
(INTELOGIS)
There are some disadvantages to connecting through
powerlinewhen using the older Intelogis techno:
• The connection is rather slow—50Kbps to 350Kbps
• The performance can be impacted by home power
usage.
• It can limit the features of your printer.
• It only works with window-based computers.
• It uses large wall devices to access an electrical outlet.
• It can only use 110V standard lines.
• It requires that all data be encrypted for a secure
network.
• Older wiring can affect performance.
XIII. ADVANTAGE(Intellon)
According to Intellon, Power Packet technology
eliminates many of theseconcerns, citing the following
advantages:
• Compared to other networking standards and the older
Passport technology, it isvery fast, rated at 14 to 200
Mbps
• It “avoids” disruption in power line, maintaining the
network’s connections andspeeds.
• It does not limit the features of your printer as in the
case of Passport technologywhere bi-directional printing
is not possible
• It may have the necessary circuitry embedded within the
device, necessitatingonly a standard power cord to access
an outlet.
• It includes a 56-bit DES encryption for providing high
security in datatransmission.
• In tests, it showed no signal degradation due to older
wiring. So performance isnot affected by older wiring].
XIV. 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, somake
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 HomePNAsolutions and
significantly less than 802.11 wireless solutions.
FUTURE
The PLC networks for communication within the smart
home, but theultimate goal of PLC network could be the
ability to connect to the Internet withoutdialing up to an ISP
server, entirely using electrical wiring only. This can be
illustrated asin Figure 2Private home networks are
connected to substations, in which a PMTS(Powerline
Modem Terminal Service) connects PLC networks within
homes to theInternet backbone. The PLC network gateway
for a private home network couldBe installed in the fuse
box of that home and then it could be connected to one or
morerepeaters. Repeaters are for increasing signal strength
when the signals level fall belowsome value.
It expect to see higher data rates in power line networks in
the future as signalmodulation 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 areapplied to offices
and large multi-user buildings.Intellon’s Power Packet
technology is compatible with wireless andHomePNA
solutions, making power line an ideal option to serve as the
backbone for amulti-technology home network. In this case,
consumers will not have to discard their existing network
solutions in favor of a new standard.

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
areexpected to grow five-fold from now to 2006.
(Networks in the Home: Analysis andForecasts). In total,
19 million U.S households are expected to use PC
networks by theend of 2006. For home entertainment
networks which will comprise more than100 Million
connected nodes by the end of 2006, power line
solutions are expected tohave significant presence.
XV. WHAT’S AVAILABLE TODAY
Intellon Corporation, the world leader in power line
communications, today announcedthe introduction of its
next generation power line networking chipset. The
INT5500CS,an 85Mbps power line networking chipset, is
fully compliant with the 14 Mbps HomePlug 1.0
specifications and offers the higher bandwidth performance
necessary to drivenext-generation home entertainment
applications such as standard definition video andwhole
house audio. The INT5500CS complements Intellon’s
highly successful and broadly deployedINT51X1 and
INT5200 products, which implement the 14Mbps Home
Plug 1.0specification. The INT5500CS enables additional
applications requiring higher bandwidth, including
standard definition video distribution, TV over IP (IPTV),
digitalvideo recorder (DVR) networking and media center
PCs. Other applications includewhole house audio,
extension and bridging of higher speed wireless
technologies such as802.11x and UWB, and higher data-
rate broadband sharing based on technologies suchas
ADSL2 and fiber to the home.The new solution is
comprised of the INT5500 base band (MAC/PHY)
processor and theINT1200 analog front end (AFE). The
INT5500 chipset will begin sampling in the firstquarter of
2005, with production volumes following in the second
quarter.“The introduction of the INT5500CS is a significant
milestone in Intellon’s productroadmap strategy,” said Ron
Glibbery, president of Intellon.
XVI. POWER STRUGGLES
Science class painted a rosy picture of electricity in theform
of regular sine waves. But these perfect curves of 110V AC
seldom grace the wiresof real homes. For one thing, the
energy coming off. The power grid into your home israrely
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 perfectwave
pattern even more.This means that power line networks run
over an unpredictablemedium. 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 ownIP configuration (winipcfg
and ipconfig) and ping commands, there are few tools
andfewer 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 withtroubles. Over several months of evaluation in a
70 year old home in the full heat andhumidity of summer,
when wall air conditioning in units kick in and brownouts
arecommon, we encountered only one unexplained network
dropout. We easily fixed the problem with the old trick of
unplugging the adapters and plugging them back.
XVII. SUMMARY electrical wiring only.With a wide variety of devices
connected to the network, system is able to shareresources
and information and to respond more appropriately
The two separate powerline standards groups share a Intellon’s Power Packet.
similar visionthey both want to extend beyond control
and data, to also carry audio and video, and tohelp
connect every day devices to the internet. They each
plan to test the technologiesfrom power line companies XIX. REFERENCES
and then pick the best one as the standard.As standards
emerge for power line home networking, other 1. IEEE Spectrum 2004, PP.6-9, SEPTEMBER 2004.
companies focus on the electric power grid that brings “Amped up and Ready to Go”
power to homes. They plan toapply power line 2. Power Delivery, IEEE Transaction, pp. 1232-1237,
technologies to access networks, much like DSL uses vol.11, issue 3, July 1996.
existing phonelines and cable modems service uses the “A power line data communication interface using spectrum
coaxial cables. technology in homeautomation”
3. “A power Line Communication Network Infrastructure
Why power line communications? For The Smart Home”by Yu-Ju Lin , Haniph A. Ltchman
and Minkyu Lee IN Electrical and computer Engineering
• No more wires, just plug in dept University of Florida.
• Share your Internet connection 4.“Data Transmission Through Power Lines” BY C.A.
• Move your computers and appliances where you want Daque (M-IEEE), P.G>Barbosa (M-IEEE), and D.P.
• Easy to install and use Baotista(Student member IEEE)
• High transmission rate, right now 9Mbps(up to 60 5. www.intellon.com
times faster than ISDN) inUploading and downloading 6. www.howstuffworks.com
with speeds of 200Mbps possible 7. www.CNETNEWS.com
• Secure data encryption 8. www.homeplugandplay.com
• Utilizes existing power sources for all your 9. www.extreametech.com
communication needsPower line products allow higher 10. www.pcmag.dit.net
internet speeds. This means:
• TV quality video
• Streaming audio
• Broadband multimedia.

XVIII. 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 internetexplodes,
broadband explodes, broadband access expands and
customers plug in newgeneration of electronic devices
into the web.As the digital age continues the demand to
send audio, videoand 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 customersaround the globe.Many formidable
obstacles stand in the way of achievingreliable very high
speed data communications over the power line. The
physical properties of electrical cabling, unpredictable
noise and interference from numeroussources, heavy
electrical load and the appliances connected sometime
create technicalobstacles to the use of power line as
medium of networking.The ultimate goal of PLC
network could be the ability to connectto the internet
without dialing up to an ISP server, entirely using