Domestic network

Swindon-based SiConnect claims to have made a breakthrough in communication technology by overcoming the technical challenges presented by the use of existing domestic electrical wiring for the transport of audio, video, voice and data in the home.

The company claims competing approaches such as Ethernet-like technologies that rely on an asynchronous Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol cannot provide the consistent quality of service that's essential for a good consumer experience.

But, it said, that’s not the case with its new POEM technology.

That’s because the POEM technology uses a Synchronous Multiple Access / Contention Resolution (SMA/CR) network protocol and an inbuilt Quality of Service (QoS) management structure that delivers 16 different service levels for prioritising traffic, including audio, video, VoIP and IP data streams.

This combination guarantees that a fair and prioritised distribution of bandwidth between services is always achieved, and crucially, latency and jitter are controlled — a significant concern in applications dependent upon continuous real time delivery of MPEG video and uncompressed audio, such as IPTV and surround sound home theatre systems.