Frequently Asked Questions About Certification
- Testing the device and preparing the report
- Submitting the report and the certification mark
license agreement
- Receiving the certification award letter
- HomePlug certification logo
- PlugFest participation
1. Testing the device and preparing the report
- Q: How do I test?
- A: The complete testing procedure is detailed in the official HomePlug
document "Procedure for HomePlug 1.0.1 Certification Testing, November
2001" (or later version). The document is available for download in the
members section of the HomePlug.org web site.
- Q: What test report documents do I fill out?
- A: Figure 15 on Page 18 of the test document contains the test results
table. The test report also needs to include a signed and dated cover
sheet.
- Q: What testing do I need to do?
- A: The decision of what testing is required is up to the product
vendor. The self-certification portion tests include 5 components:
Emissions testing (PSD mask), Connectivity testing, Impairment testing, MAC
layer testing and Interoperability testing. Additionally, product vendors
are required to fill out a completed Protocol Implementation Conformance
Statement (PICS) which is found within the HomePlug Certification Testing
specification appendix A.
- Q: My chip set vendor has already completed and submitted a PICS for
the chip set. Do I need to do anything else?
- A: Yes, product vendors need to work with their respective chip set
vendors to complete the PICS. This means that each product vendor must make
a good-faith effort to ensure that its design meets the PICS requirements.
This typically means that regression testing is contemplated and undertaken
to verify the product's conformance to the spec.
- Q: How do I get the Intellon reference device for Interoperability
testing?
- A: The certification tests require the use of an Interoperability
Reference available from Intellon Corporation. The part number for the
Interoperability Reference is EK5130-PCI-HP (120V applications) or
EK5130-PCI-2-HP (240V applications). Two units are required for completion
of the certification process.
These devices can be purchased directly from Intellon. Please be advised
that there is a 60-90 day lead time to fulfill new orders.
For emergency/backup needs, a small number of units will be available on
loan from Inventures on a first-come-first-served basis (contact
certification@homeplug.org).
- Q: My company is a brand-name, end-product vendor that OEM's products
for resale. The products that we are purchasing for re-branding are already
HomePlug certified. What do we need to do to use the HomePlug logo on our
products?
- A: To use the HomePlug-certified logo, the brand-name, end-product
vendor must be a HomePlug member and must have signed the Certification
Mark License Agreement.
In lieu of filing another certification document, they must also send the
HomePlug executive director (Rob Ranck at rob.ranck@homeplug.org)
correspondence that confirms that their Product/ID is a re-branding of a
previously HomePlug certified product, and indicate the products/Ids that
were previously HomePlug certified.
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2. Submitting the report and the certification mark
license agreement
- Q: How do I submit the test documents?
- A: You may submit the test documents via email as an Acrobat PDF file.
E-mail the documents to certification@homeplug.org. If the documents are
submitted as PDF, hard-copy snail-mailing is not required.
NOTES: The signed cover sheet for the test reports must be FAX'd. The
HomePlug Certification Mark License must also be signed, dated and FAX'd.
Rob Ranck (FAX 925-275-6691)
- Q: Who should sign the documents?
- A: The documents should be signed by your company's HomePlug Alliance
primary contact.
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Receiving the certification award letter
- Q: How long will it take to receive the award letter after
submission.
- A: If the documents are in order, the response will usually be sent
back within 48 hours.
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HomePlug certification logo
- Q: Can I get the artwork for the HomePlug certification logo to design
my packaging before I actually receive the certification?
- A: Yes, in order to facilitate product packaging lead-times, you can
use the design - BUT you are not authorized to ship product with the
certification mark until the certification testing results documents are
received and an award is made.
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PlugFest participation
- Q: Is PlugFest attendance required?
- A: Yes, attendance at a PlugFest is a required part of the HomePlug
certification process. You must attend the first scheduled PlugFest after
completion of the self-certification step and test interoperability using
the same product that you certified. Otherwise you will be considered
de-certified.
- Q: When are PlugFests held?
- A: The first PlugFest will be scheduled 6 weeks after the first 3
product certifications are received.
Subsequent PlugFests are expected on a quarterly basis depending on the
volume of certification submissions received. If your company has
self-certified a product, your HomePlug primary representative will be
notified of upcoming PlugFests.
- Q: Who is allowed to attend PlugFests?
- A: PlugFests can be attended only by authorized representatives of
companies who have previously submitted a certification test report for a
product. PlugFests are not available for beta testing unfinished products.
Due to the confidential nature of the testing, no non-testing observers are
permitted to attend.
- Q: What happens at a PlugFest?
- A: Each PlugFest has 2 sessions. This first session is mandatory and
repeats the testing of each vendor's devices against a reference device,
monitored and reviewed by members of the Compliance Working Group's
Compliance Review Committee. The second session is optional in which the
vendors are encouraged to test interoperability between their respective
devices.
- Q: What happens if my product fails to interoperate at a PlugFest?
- A: The chances of this happening are small. If you have done a good job
on the self-certification part of the process, you should pass the
PlugFest, as the two processes are very similar. However, if your product
is not able to successfully interoperate with other products, the HomePlug
Compliance Working Group will be notified. You will be required to stop
using the HomePlug certification logo until all issues are resolved.
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