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Verification testing and certification are essential to successfully launching your new HD-PLC product.
However, between the requirements and the testing procedures, the process can often be confusing.
That’s why we prepared this crash course blog post that will answer the most fundamental questions you might have about HD-PLC certification.
After reading this blog post you will have a clear idea of:
HD-PLC Certification is issued by the HD-PLC Alliance to specific HD-PLC products to indicate that these products follow a set of quality and performance standards, set by the Alliance.
To be successfully recognized as an HD-PLC Certified product, the equipment must pass a comprehensive Connectivity Verification test.
The purpose of this test is to ensure that:
HD-PLC Certification benefits your product in two ways:
The key component of HD-PLC Certification is the Connectivity Verification test, performed at the HD-PLC Alliance Verification Test House in Fukuoka, Japan.
The purpose of the test, as the name suggests, is to verify that the tested product can successfully function as a part of an HD-PLC network.
Additionally, the test seeks to establish whether the tested product meets the technical requirements of the HD-PLC communication standard, such as:
If the product in question successfully passes the test, it will be decorated with the official HD-PLC Certification and will be authorized for use in networks that include other HD-PLC equipment.
Signing the Trademark License Agreement prior to the test, combined with a successful test, will also grant you the rights to the HD-PLC trademark, and you will be able to market your product as such.
The main hardware component of the HD-PLC Connectivity Verification testing process is the HD-PLC ATT System, also known as DisLINE, which evaluates the key performance variable of the product in different transmission path conditions.
Apart from the ATT System, additional equipment is used at different stages of the process to evaluate various aspects related to each stage.
The stages of the test correlate to the three sub-tests that the process includes: the mutual connectivity test, the transmission performance test, and the coexistence verification test.
For the tested product to successfully pass the overall testing, it must successfully pass all three of the sub-tests.
The purpose of the mutual connectivity test is to:
During the mutual connectivity sub-test, the evaluated device is connected to the reference device — the ATT System — as a Master/Terminal switchable device, a Master-only or a Terminal-only device to assess its performance in each role.
Depending on the type of connection interface and cabling used by the tested device (coaxial cable or twisted pair, for instance), the connection with the reference device can be direct or facilitated via a high-pass filter.
The auto-connection functionality of the device can also be evaluated at this step in the same manner.
However, if the tested device offers the long-range HD-PLC Multi-hop functionality, the process and the purpose of the mutual connectivity test needs to be adjusted.
The focus of the Multi-hop mutual connectivity test is to determine whether the tested device can establish a link with the reference device provided by the Alliance, using the specified Hash function that enables the Multi-hop connectivity.
The next step of the verification testing process is the communication performance sub-test.
The main objectives of this sub-test are to:
During the communication performance test, the evaluated device is once again connected to the DisLINE reference device. The communication performance sub-test can include up to two steps.
The third and final sub-test within the verification testing process is the coexistence verification test that seeks to establish whether the evaluated HD-PLC device can transmit and receiving ISP signals to coexist with other PLC devices, as outlined by the IEEE 1901 standard.
Coexistence verification testing is not performed on devices that:
If the evaluated device meets at least one of the criteria above, coexistence verification testing is omitted, as the device simply doesn’t support ISP signal transmission.
The evaluation environment of the coexistence verification testing process consists of:
During the test, the tested device’s transmission rate is measured to establish whether it meets the HD-PLC standards.
The application process for an HD-PLC connectivity verification test can be divided into three stages: Making sure that you meet the legal requirements prior to the application, gathering the required documentation and applying for the actual test.
To be eligible for the verification test, your device must pass the legal requirements in the market that the device is intended for.
Since the verification test itself does not determine the device’s compliance with the legal requirements of a specific jurisdiction or market, you must apply for and obtain the certification in advance to the testing.
To find out more about the compliance testing process, inquire at the appropriate regulatory agency of the jurisdiction where your device will be sold.
To apply for the test, you will need to gather and submit the following materials along with your application:
The actual process of applying for the test includes four items:
Successfully passing the HD-PLC verification testing and obtaining the official HD-PLC Certification is instrumental to successfully launching your HD-PLC product.
The official HD-PLC Certification of your product means that it meets the criteria set by the HD-PLC Alliance in terms of performance, reliability, and connectivity.
The testing process consists of three sub-tests:
To apply for verification testing, you must:
If your device successfully passes the test, it will be certified by the Alliance as an approved HD-PLC product and you will be able to market it as such.