Spotlight on HomeGrid Forum

The following are some of the most recent announcements about HomeGrid Forum and ITU-T G.hn.

• October 18, 2009, UNIFIED SMART HOME: ITU Approves G.hn as Standard for Wired Home Networking
  by Prince Osuagwu
  IT seems as if the International Telecommunications Union, ITU, is bench marking the growth of world technological improvements with activities in the Nigeria ICT sector. This is as the world telecom body, at the weekend, approved new standard tagged G.hn, for wiring new digital offerings like High Definition TV (HDTV) and digital Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) in homes.  Read More >>

• October 16, 2009, Smart Moves at ITU to Unify Home Net Standards
  by John Walko 
  The HomeGrid Forum, an industry group established to drive industry specifications for home networking, is urging silicon manufacturers to start adopting the G.hn standard following the decision by the ITU to ratify key elements of the specification for networking via power lines. Read More >>

• October 16, 2009, New ITU Standard Smoothes Path for Unified 'Smart Home' Network
  by ipTV News
  The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has approved a new technical standard called 'G.hn' that is expected to usher in a new era of 'smart home' networking systems and applications, and enable service providers to deploy new offerings, including HDTV and IPTV, more cost effectively. Read More >>>

• October 15, 2009, G.hn Smart Home Networking Standard Approved by ITU
  News Report
  The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has approved a technical standard that the group claims will usher in new era in ‘smart home' networking systems and applications. G.hn, the new standard, will lower the cost of deploying High Definition TV (HDTV) and digital Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), according to ITU. It will also allow consumer electronics manufacturers to seamlessly network all types of home entertainment, home automation and home security products, and greatly simplify consumers' purchasing and installation processes. Read More >>>

• October 12, 2009, ITU-T Approves G.hn PHY Spec
  by Dan O'Shea
  The International Telecommunications Union's Telecom World Geneva event was held last week, and one of the pertinent pieces of IPTV-related news to come out of the show was the ITU-T group's approval of the key Physical Layer and architecture components of the G.hn home networking specification. The unified home networking standard is now one step closer to becoming a commercial reality. Read More >>>

• October 12, 2009, G.hn Chip Makers Get the Green Light
  by Brian Santo 
  The proposed G.hn specification is several steps closer to becoming an international standard, close enough now for semiconductor companies to start producing G.hn chips. Those developing the home networking technology intend for G.hn to unify the networking of content to devices over the three most pervasive wired media: coax cable, phone line and powerline. Read More >>>

• October 7, 2009, NIST Approves G.hn Technology for Smart Grid Apps
  by Kelly McGuire
  The good news keeps flowing for companies advancing in the smart grid market. HomeGrid Forum, a non-profit trade group promoting International Telecommunication Union's Standardization Sector, or “ITU-T,” G.hn standardization efforts for next-generation wired home networking received approval for a new smart grid-focused venture. Read More >>>

• September 30, 2009, NIST Approves G.hn for In-Home Use on the Smart Grid
  by Don Tuite
  G.hn, a technology for existing-wire home networking that is intended to complement Wi-Fi, has been approved for use in Smart Grid applications by the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST). This follows on the heels of last summer’s Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) report to NIST that defined the full scope of communications among electric utilities, aggregators, regulators, and home/industrial consumers that will constitute the Smart Grid. G.hn would be one contender for communications between the electric meter and home appliances and electric-vehicle charging stations that will be capable of using electricity rates broadcast to the home in order to schedule operation. Ultimately, the Smart Grid will use a wide spectrum of communications technologies to link all its stakeholders. The goals of the Smart Grid are to achieve efficiency through load leveling and to make the power grid more robust in the face of natural disasters and sabotage. Read More >>>

• September 29, 2009, Finding a Home on the Smart Grid
  by Dan O'Shea
  Home networking was one of the most-talked-about telecom topics of 2008. Since then, home networks have been pulled into the broader discussion of smart grids, and a home network may in fact become just one facet of an overall residential smart grid architecture. Or, maybe they are the same thing? The answer to that question may depend on how far telcos and cable TV companies are willing to extend themselves into the home.
  Read More >>>

• September 28, 2009, G.hn Approved by NIST for SmartGrid
  by Converge! Network Digest
  The National Institute Standards Technologies (NIST) has been approved G.hn technology for use in Smart Grid applications. G.hn is the next-generation wired networking standard developed by the United Nation's ITU-T that supports high-speed communication over power lines, phone lines, and coaxial cable. Most devices that consume or monitor energy and that are connected to AC power can benefit from G.hn technology. Examples include smart electricity meters, heating and air conditioning systems, electrical appliances, lightning systems, TVs, and other devices. G.hn can also be used to establish a secure communication channel between Plug-in Electrical Vehicles (PEV) and Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) found in distributed charging stations.  Read More >>>

• September 28, 2009, NIST Approves G.hn Technologies for Use in Smart Grid Applications
  by Renew Grid
  HomeGrid Forum, a nonprofit trade group, says the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has approved G.hn wired home networking technology for use in smart grid applications. Read More >>>

• September 28, 2009, The Unintended Benefits of Gaining Consent for G.hn
  by Alan Weinkrantz 
  We’re coming up an important milestone in the life of G.hn.  It’s my personal hope that we’ll get the official go-ahead to be “consented” as the official, global standard that will make the vision of the wired home network a reality. Read More >>>

• July 1, 2009, HDMI: Who Needs This Aggravation?
  by John C. Dvorak 
  Every time I think about getting some new hot flat-panel TV, I read about yet another variation in the connectivity game. Now it's HDMI 1.4. I thought HDMI was done already. I must now assume that there will be an HDMI 1.5, HDMI 2.0 and eventually an HDMI 3.0. Who needs this aggravation? It's a TV set!  This new standard will, among other things, allow for the transference of 3D content, which many experts think will be the next big thing in home entertainment. Since I'm old enough to have seen 3D come and go and come again as a fad, I'm not convinced. I do not like the idea of wearing special glasses to view 3D, and the standalone (no glasses required) technology is blurry and kind of creepy. Read More >>>

• June 5, 2009, G.hn Aims to Wire Homes More Efficiently
  by Carl Weinschenk
  Carl Weinschenk spoke with Matt Keowen, the co-chair of The Marketing Group of The HomeGrid Forum. Keowen also is a senior director for Ikanos. Read More >>>

• May 27, 2009, AT&T: G.hn Holds Promise of Self-installed Triple Play
  by Ed Gubbins 
  The versatile in-home networking standard being authored by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and promoted by the HomeGrid Forum – offers carriers the prospect of slashing operating costs by enabling self-installation of triple-play services, according to its proponents. But if it can overcome some of its inherent technological hurdles, it might also give service providers a greater role in home networking as a managed service, according to AT&T, which is helping to shape the standard. Read More >>>

Interested in additional coverage about ITU-T G.hn and HomeGrid? Check out our External Coverage Archive for more announcements and articles covering the development of this important technology.