IEEE to Develop New P1905.1 Home Networking Standard

The IEEE has approved the development of a new draft standard, P1905.1TM, for home networking. The aim is to create an abstraction layer for multiple home networking technologies. This would create a common data and control Service Access Point for hybrid home networks that use IEEE 1901 Broadband Over Powerline (BPL), IEEE 802.11 wireless, IEEE 802.3 Ethernet, and the Multimedia over Coax Alliance's MoCA 1.1 technologies. The new abstraction layer would support dynamic interface selection for transmission of packets arriving from any interface (upper protocol layers or underlying network technologies). End-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) is a key goal.


A new IEEE Working Group has been formed and is holding its inaugural meeting in Paris this week.


"As there is not a single networking technology that ideally addresses all of today's applications, platforms, and environments, IEEE P1905.1 represents a fundamental advancement for home networking," said Paul Houzé of France Telecom-Orange, and Chair, IEEE P1905.1 Working Group. "Creating a bridge between the world's most popular wired and wireless technologies will bring much-needed synergy, making home networks easier to use and elevating their overall performance."


IEEE P1905.1 aims to streamline network performance by dynamically managing packets from different wireless or wired interfaces, and maximizing network bandwidth to ensure reliable content delivery across all home networking technologies. The draft standard is being developed with cooperative support from a variety of key stakeholders, including chipmakers, OEMs, and service providers, ensuring broad international, cross-industry adoption. It is expected that this deep level of engagement will aid in reducing market fragmentation and shortening time-to-market product cycles.http://standards.ieee.orghttp://grouper.ieee.org/groups/1905/1/