By Livia Rosu, HomeGrid Forum, Marketing Work Group Chair
It is forecast that 65 percent of the world’s population will be living in cities by 2040, according to Smart City Hub. As cities expand in size and population, the drive for innovations to improve the quality of life and make things easier for citizens is growing increasingly more important.
With IT market opportunities for Smart Cities worth an estimated $34 billion annually, the opportunities are mounting, and it is evident that there needs to be a strong backbone capable of delivering high-bandwidth, next-generation applications for the benefit of everyone living there. With its seamless facilitation of two-way data traffic and its ability to provide reliable, high-quality connectivity, G.hn technology could be the key to unlocking the potential of many Smart City applications.
G.hn offers a host of benefits that make it suitable for Smart City innovations particularly for applications that require real-time monitoring and feedback, such as those that utilize sensors or surveillance systems. Such tools demand accurate information that is constantly flowing from the field without disruption due to its integral nature for critical applications such as video surveillance or tracking the amount of traffic on a busy highway.
The scalability and interoperable nature of G.hn enables the complementary operation of a multitude of devices within a Smart City network. It allows for communications between all applications within the network and provides the capability for network operators to incorporate additional devices into the network in the future as networks expand in line with the growing demands.
With vast amounts of data being created within a Smart City network, it is imperative that data can be transferred securely without risk of interception. G.hn is a great enabler of safe communication, using 128 wire speed AES encryption with incorporated point-to-point security within a domain to reduce the risk of data becoming compromised. Through its design, G.hn technology supports relays allowing it to work within complex network topologies and over large distances to ensure a message remains untampered with. This is indispensable for Smart City applications where the impact of a cyber-attack could be hugely detrimental.
HomeGrid Forum continues its work to support the evolution and deployment of G.hn technology across a widening portfolio of markets. Our collaboration with members has showcased the realization of G.hn as a vital backbone for broadband access technology, particularly in the Smart City industry, where our newest member UVAX has integrated G.hn successfully into their Connected Street Lighting (CSL) solution.
Following installation in more than 150 cities worldwide, the G.hn-based solution brings together video surveillance, sensor networks, Wi-Fi access points and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations into a smart lighting network. All communication between these devices is enabled through the light’s G.hn backbone within a remotely managed TCP/IP network. The sensors and IP devices all work together to create an energy-efficient platform which will benefit Smart City citizens both today and in the future.
The future of Smart Cities remains bright with the expansion of our world-renowned certification program to ensure that future deployments of G.hn will remain effective through devices that guarantee industry standard high-performance and compliance. With all the benefits that G.hn harnesses, it is clear the future possibilities for this technology and Smart City innovations are endless.