Power supplies from 10 makers win compliance seal

Powerline products have been awarded the 'UPA Plugtested' compliance seal which certifies that they can communicate with other compliant power supplies around the world.The Universal Powerline Association (UPA) has announced a range of new interoperable Powerline offerings from ten different manufacturers, all of which have been awarded the 'UPA Plugtested' compliance seal. These products embedded with the leading UPA 200Mbit/s technology, coexist with other 'UPA Plugtested' products and for the first time include applications that enhance the aesthetics of external wall sockets. All 'UPA Plugtested' products communicate with each other and coexist with UPA Access networks deployed on six continents around the world.

The UPA Digital Home Specification is a 200Mbit/s global standard for digital home networking.

Rigorous interoperability tests are run on Powerline products before they are given 'UPA Plugtested' status.

'UPA Plugtested' products provide the only assurance available in the market today for consumers wanting high-speed, high-definition (HD) video networks in homes, all via a standard wall socket.

'UPA Plugtested' networks guarantee that there are no dropped packets or frames, thus ensuring perfect picture quality.

Internet sharing, online gaming, and other data/video sharing are also completely supported with minimal latency in the network.

Realising the increasing demand for UPA's 200Mbit/s technology UPA now has another silicon vendor, Cypress Semiconductor along with DS2 and Toshiba among its members, and it is expected that this will further lead to more 'UPA Plugtested' products being available in the market.

'Extending the range of products available with the 'UPA Plugtested' seal is paramount for the consumer because it guarantees true availability of digital home networking solutions', comments Eric Morel, Chairman of the UPA.

'Once products have been checked and certified for interoperability a large community of product manufacturers can be built, all adhering to the same high standards, so that consumers can create digital home networks for their videos, games, photos, music and data'.

'The underlying technology of true 200Mbit/s performance in the UPA chips enables products to be developed specifically for the seamless streaming of multiple HD media'.

'The movement for digital home networking is gaining momentum, and it's important to offer high quality products to consumers so that they can optimise their home networking experience', adds Morel.

'The ability to stream multiple video streams throughout the house to accommodate the different entertainment needs is the key to providing enhanced consumer experience'.

'UPA is pioneering its Digital Home Specification as a universal standard for interoperability'.

The companies to produce 'UPA Plugtested' products are: AcBel, Comtrend Corporation, Corinex Communications, D-Link, Ilevo, Logitec, Netgear, Pirelli Broadband Solutions and Toyo Network Systems.

These companies produce a range of powerplug and Powerline Ethernet adapters that enable consumers to create powerful home networks.