PowerPacket technology uses the same power line that provides electricity to
your computer to network it to other computers in your home or office.
PowerPacket uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (
OFDM)
to handle high-speed data transmission between computers. Electrical wires in a
home are difficult to use for deploying a network as electrical wires are always
in a state of flux. OFDM can detect changes within the power line and maintain
network communication even during power fluctuations. PowerPacket is designed to
seamlessly coexist with existing home networking technology, including
HomePNA,
802.11b and
HomeRF, and can also work with older home power line
technologies. PowerPacket was developed by Intellon and is used as the baseline
technology for the
HomePlug specification.