The recent 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas had a few BPL Products on the menu for conference participants.

While most visitors to the Panasonic booth were probably captivated by their 150 inch plasma television, the company also brought a number of BPL devices for showing. While many were prototypes, the array of products included a photo printer, all sorts of Ethernet bridges, a USB hub, a Wi-Fi router, a WiMax router, an MP4 player, a point-of-sales computer, and Ethernet phone adapters.

Panasonic will likely introduce more broadband-over-powerline products in the United States. “That’s the starting point: to give consumers the ability to link whatever they want in the house,” Sweeten said, adding that home and office automation are likely future applications for the technology’, commented Robin Sweeten, group manager of strategic marketing for Panasonic.

The Homeplug Power Alliance included many members at the show. One of which, ZyXEL demonstrated their new product, a CES Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering
Honoree in the Home Networking Product category, the ZyXEL P660HWP
all-in-one ADSL2+ gateway with built-in HomePlug AV and Wi-Fi. Also demonstrated was the industry’s first and only digital media streamer with built-in HomePlug AV adapter, the DMA1100P.

In a recent breakthrough by Comtrend Corporation, broadband speeds of up to 400Mbps were recorded by their new PowerGrid 904 Ethernet Powerline adapter. With an increase of speed double the previous typical average of 200Mbps, Comtrend’s adapter helps eliminate the cost of new wiring in a consumers’ homes, which Triple-Play-Service and IPTV generally require.

“Reliable distribution of high speed data within a consumer’s home is the key to a successful deployment of triple play services,” said Andrew Morton, Comtrend’s General Manager, in a press release. “With the advancement of high speed technologies over copper or fiber for carrier deployment the home network is the final frontier to deliver such services as High Definition TV to any room in a home. The PowerGrid 904 meets our telco customers’ current and future needs with breakneck speeds up to 400Mbps over power lines, QoS, remote management and repeater function.”

The PowerGrid 904 starts shipping in early 2008. Using a chipset from DS2, this powerline adapter will allow users increased connectivity.