by Abdul Khan, HomeGrid Forum C&I Working Group Chair
With the certification of several G.hn devices for a number of vendors over the past few months, I have started to receive a number of inquiries about whether derivatives of certified products could be allowed to carry the G.hn logo in the same way as the original certified product. In order to support our members, the HomeGrid Forum C&I Work Group has defined two classes of derivatives, i.e.
Class 1 Derivative: where the product is functionally exactly the same as the product that was originally certified, i.e. the base product, and that the only differences between the base product and the derivative are cosmetic, i.e. color or connectors, and does not change the shape or size of the enclosure. The derivative could have fewer features or capabilities that it supports, with changes in configuration settings or exclusion of components on the circuit board, i.e. a base product that is certified for COAX and Powerline, may have a derivative that supports only Powerline or only COAX. This class of derivative will not require any additional testing and members can obtain the required forms and support by contacting administration@homegridforum.org.
Class 2 Derivative: to be supported with the upcoming release of Certification v1.4. A Class 2 derivative will have a change of enclosure shape/size, firmware or hardware upgrade, or change in its Bill of Materials, that make up the product. This derivative may not require full testing depending on what changes have been made to the product, but it may still require a re-test of some or all of the G.hn features and capabilities to ensure that the product continues to meet the certification requirements for HomeGrid Forum, a process best accomplished with test automation which comes with LCMP. Members applying for certification for Class 2 derivatives will have to follow the same process as required for submitting a product for baseline certification, including submitting the product to the ATH for certification. In addition the application form will have some questions regarding the base certified product.
For more information on our Accredited Test House, Allion, and details on how to get G.hn products certified, please see: http://www.homegridforum.org/content/pages.php?pg=certification
I am always happy to answer any questions related to Compliance and Interoperability. Please contact me, Abdul Khan, at ci-chair@homegridforum.org or administration@homegridforum.org.