HiSilicon PLC-IoT: A Bus for All-in-One Smart Homes

[ShangHai, China, December 21, 2020] Connectivity is the foundation of all-in-one smart homes. Currently, most smart homes suffer from unreliable networks, which has a considerable impact on user experience. Installing a wired solution requires complex cabling and is expensive, while the Zigbee wireless solution performs poorly in terms of transmission speed, transmission distance, and anti-interference. To achieve the best possible smart home experience, an efficient, stable, and always-on network is needed. PLC-IoT outperforms other connection technologies when it comes to reliability, number of connections, communication distance, and cost. PLC can be applied wherever electricity is available, and can be used to control anything from lighting, to curtains, to central air conditioners.

HiSilicon PLC-IoT Home Bus Integrates Multiple Networks

On December 21, 2020, HUAWEI released the All-in-One Smart Home solution, which combines the narrow-bandwidth PLC-IoT home bus that integrates multiple networks with the high-bandwidth home ultra-broadband backbone network that supports distributed WiFi 6 to provide a smart host solution. This enhances the connectivity and efficiency of smart homes in a number of ways:
1. Network reconstruction: Security, audio, control, and power networks are integrated into the HiSilicon PLC-IoT home network bus. The PLC-IoT chipset then modulates and demodulates communication signals in power lines. This means that all electrical devices can be automatically connected without the users having to configure the network.
2. Improved experience: PLC-IoT + WiFi connections enable brand-new, intelligent experiences powered by AI.
3. Ecosystem re-creation: Currently, the HiLink ecosystem encompasses more than 150 product categories, 4000 stock keeping units (SKUs), 800 partners, and 220 million IoT devices. The PLC-IoT modules and ecosystem solutions, which have been jointly launched by HiSilicon and its partners, including CDN, Y.LIN Electronics, and Fn-Link, have been widely used by real estate companies, such as CR Land.
4. Industry enablement: HiSilicon is working with industry partners to jointly promote the development of PLC-IoT home bus standards. The proliferation of PLC-IoT–based applications is helping consumers to live smarter.

HUAWEI has teamed up with 42 partners, including industry organizations, university research institutes, and equipment vendors, to establish an end-to-end ecosystem which encompasses everything from infrastructure and service providers to channels. This ecosystem will enable the standardization of PLC home interconnection. HiSilicon PLC-IoT chipsets help partners to become global IoT industry leaders.

HUAWEI All-in-One Smart Home solution

PLC-IoT Powers Thousands of Smart Homes

Among the connection technologies of OEM smart home products, such as smart sockets, central air conditioners, and intelligent lighting, PLC-IoT stands out because it does not require secondary cabling and has powerful wall penetration capability and reliability. According to test results from HUAWEI Noah's Ark Laboratory, the performance and stability of PLC-IoT are far superior to those of Zigbee.

Zigbee vs. PLC-IoT

PLC-IoT: simpler and more powerful

PLC-IoT outperforming Zigbee

HiSilicon PLC-IoT for Fast and Reliable Communication

HiSilicon PLC-IoT establishes a PLC channel-based transmission model that determines the optimal signal transmission frequencies. In addition, by analyzing the features of power line channels based on massive amounts of data collected from power grids, HiSilicon has developed unique anti-noise and anti-attenuation technologies that greatly improve PLC performance during long-distance communication.

- High-speed transmissions
During application, the transmission rate of the narrowband power line carrier ranges from 2 kbit/s to 24 kbit/s, while the rate of the broadband power line carrier can reach 0.5 Mbit/s or higher. The HiSilicon broadband PLC-IoT chipset supports 131-channel orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers. With more channels, higher transmission rate, and higher bandwidth, the chipset greatly improves data transmission efficiency.

- Strong anti-interference
HiSilicon has a comprehensive power line noise library and provides different noise suppression algorithms for different types of noises. HiSilicon carrier chipsets collect power grid interference signals, then automatically switch to the most suitable algorithms, improving communication stability. The tested point-to-point communication distance of the HiSilicon PLC-IoT module can reach 2400 m.

- Automatic networking
The chipset uses automatic coordination technology and a real-time dynamic bandwidth coordination mechanism to provide bidirectional, real-time, and high-speed communication based on power lines without manual intervention. This enables automatic networking so networks can run independently. One customer with a 100-node network achieved a control success rate of 99.87% when transmitting and receiving 550,000 times.