HomePlug's powerline technology incorporated into IEEE P1901 standard

Powerline technology has been hanging around for years, but due to a combination of subpar real-world performance and a general lack of structure around the tech, it never really managed to take off. Now, it appears that we've stumbled upon yet another format war, this one over the power cabling within your walls. Within the very same month, we've seen the ITU ratify G.hn as the global standard for HDTV home networking and the IEEE bake HomePlug technology into its P1901 draft standard. Rob Ranck, president of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, said about the development: "The formation of a ubiquitous IEEE standard will help to unite the industry, create even faster market growth and provide strong benefits to the consumer." Right, except now we're in the midst of yet another war of the protocols (or so it seems).