SUMMARY

The "plug-and-play" concept is key to establishing a broad consumer-based market for home networks. It is critical that consumers be able to purchase network-ready products at familiar retail outlets, take them home, plug them in or have them professionally installed, and immediately be able to enjoy the benefits of the product. It is also important because it allows the consumer to upgrade or add products to their in-home network as time and budget allow—one product at a time. The HomePnP specification intends to bring these benefits to the mass market by providing manufacturers of home electronics and home controls with the information necessary to build products that will work together without custom installation or programming. Until now, the entertainment, convenience, comfort, safety, and security benefits of home networks have only been available through very expensive, custom designed and installed home control and entertainment systems. The limitations of these systems can be overcome by deploying the HomePnP standard on your network. This chapter explored the architecture and technologies associated with the HomePnP standard.