HomeGrid picks TRaC for G.hn testing

The G.hn home networking standard has taken another step toward industry adoption, with G.hn trade group the HomeGrid Forum announcing this week that it has chosen U.K.-based TRaC as the testing lab for its product certification program.

A testing house more than 60 years old, TRaC is headquartered in Malvern, U.K., but also has a testing lab in Santa Clara, Calif., and other locations. HomeGrid has indicated that other testing houses could be named to support its G.hn Compliance & Interoperability program, but the designation of the first lab means that chipmakers and vendor of home networking devices now have a party to work with on scheduling testing to earn the HomeGRid certification logo on their products.

TRaC actually has worked on similar programs for telecom industry groups such as the Broadband Forum and the ZigBee Alliance, and HomeGrid Forum President Matt Theall said the testing house was selected with this experience in mind.

Manufacturers have been lining up G.hn solutions since before the standard’s formal approval by the ITU last June, and the standard has garnered some early interest among major carriers such as AT&T. For now, though, the home networking market continues to be fragmented by followers of technologies such as Wi-Fi, HomePNA, MoCA and HomePlug.