Broadcom Offers New Homeplug AV2 Digital Home Chipsets
Broadcom has launched a new line of HomePlug AV2 solutions that offer better speed than HomePlug AV. The new line of Adaptive Home Network solutions includes two new powerline communications systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) that integrate with Wi-Fi, set-top box, gateway and TV platforms for superior in-home Internet coverage and reliability.
Developed on the BCM60500 and BCM60333 chipsets, they can achieve physical layer rates of up to 1.5 Gigabits per second (Gbps) over a home's existing electrical wiring, compare to 200Mbps on HomePlug AV.
They selected by D-Link for their range of 802.11n and 802.11ac 5G Wi-Fi devices including Powerline Ethernet Adapters. The HomePlug AV2 devices offer Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), to allow for better streaming of digital content and demanding applications.
The new family of devices enables simultaneous multi-room HDTV distribution, better supports real-time online 3D gaming and whole-home Internet coverage.
The BCM60500 and BCM60333 feature nVoy Technology, which enables hybrid networks using any combination of Wi-Fi, HomePlug, MoCA and/or Ethernet networking technologies. nVoy also offers advanced diagnostics supported locally or remotely with TR-069, topology discovery, simplified security setup, automatic configuration of Wi-Fi access points.
About HomePlug AV2
HomePlug AV2 brings new features to HomePlug AV that provides significant increases in throughput and coverage performance. New physical layer features include MIMO, a wider frequency band, and more efficient notching for radio signals. HomePlug AV2 MIMO takes advantage of the third wire, or Ground, in a home electrical outlet by using it with either a Line or Neutral wire to support sending a second independent signal to increase capacity.
Having two transmitters and receivers in HomePlug AV2 effectively doubles the performance gain of single pair (SISO) PLC. Beamforming is also utilized to achieve even greater MIMO performance on poor channels. In conditions where Ground is not available, the device defaults to SISO mode. HomePlug AV2 also extends the frequency band from 1.8 to 30 MHz used in HomePlug AV to 1.8 to 86 MHz and introduces new MAC layer features including power save modes that greatly improve its efficiency. By implementing a number of new technologies, HomePlug AV2 delivers a physical layer rate of 1.5 Gbps using MIMO and 750 Mbps using SISO.