The HomePlug Alliance announces the availability of HomePlug AV2 MIMO certification for powerline networking products, as well as the launch of the first HomePlug AV2 certified products, at CES 2015.

Products and CES demos come from HomePlug Alliance members Broadcom, Qualcomm Atheros, D-Link and LEA Networks.

“HomePlug AV2 MIMO products are available now in retail stores worldwide, and many service providers are expected to include HomePlug AV2 MIMO technology in IPTV offerings,” the alliance says. “With MIMO technology, the next generation of HomePlug technology has arrived, delivering much higher data throughput and coverage.”

D-Link launches the ULTRA Performance series at CES 2015-- a trio of "aggressive" Stealth fighter-style 11AC wifi routers promising wireless speeds of up to 5.3Gbps, improved coverage and a revamped UI.

The routers (specifically the AC5300, AC3200 and AC3100) promise a range of advanced features, including Wireless 11AC Beamforming, automatic client assignment via Smart Connect and a QoS engine complete with drag-and-drop UI for simple prioritisation of applications and devices. Connectivity comes through high-power antennas (4 in the AC3100, 6 in the AC3200 and 8 in the AC5300), as well as gigabit ethernet ports.

Security comes through WPA, WPA2 and Wifi Protected setup. For further performance the AC5300 and AC3100 feature multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) technology enabling simultaneous transmission to groups of clients, making wifi networks more efficient and faster.

The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Standards Boards approves the HDBaseT specifications 1.1.0 and 2.0 for adoption as part of the IEEE standard portfolio at CES 2015.

“The adoption by IEEE will help enhance HDBaseT’s impact and influence in today’s connected world," the HDBaseT Alliance, the cross-industry group behind the standard, says. "We will be working together to further develop the HDBaseT technology for the benefit of HDBaseT’s and IEEE’s enormous constituency.”

HDBaseT enables the all-in-one transmission of UHD/4K video over a single 100m Cat6, with uncompressed 4K video, audio, USB, ethernet, control signals and up to 100W of power. As a result it simplifies cabling, enhances ease-of-use and accelerates UHD connectivity solution deployment.

Pakedge Devices & Software launches the RE-2-- an enterprise-grade 4-port router designed for smaller commercial and residential networks demanding high performance at a cost effective price.

Technically an upgrade of the RE-1 router, the RE-2 simultaneously handles high bandwidth, low latency streams (including HD video and uncompressed audio), running VoIP telephone services, streaming camera feeds and home automation signals.

Installers can segment voice, video and data traffic onto distinct sub-networks using six preconfigured Pakedge Zones-- meaning diverse traffic types can co-exist and be processed more efficiently while eliminating system conflicts. Further managing latency-sensitive traffic is Pakedge's TruStream technology.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) announce a collaboration in the data delivery and device charging capabilities of current USB specifications.

The announcement covers USB Power Delivery (Rev. 2.0, v1.0), USB 3.1 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps), and USB Type-C Cable and connector specifications.

Of particular interest is the enhanced Power Delivery specification. It increases power levels to up to 100W, adds bi-directional power capabilities (allows either host or device to either provide or consume power), optimises power management across multiple peripherals and provides "intelligent and flexible" power management, all over a single cable.

Such capabilities are to make part of the USB 3.1 standard within the new USB Type-C connector and cable.

Kramer announces the VS-211HA-- a 2-input HDMI auto-switcher customers can set to select between auto-switching (last-connected or priority) and manual switching modes (manual and manual override).

It detects actual HDMI signals (not simply 5V presence), allowing auto-switching only to sources actually in use. HDMI 5V output turns off when no inputs are connected, enabling cascaded setups and allowing displays to go into sleep mode.