Ambient Demonstrates Power Line Networking Technology at Speeds up to 25Mbps Using Existing Electrical Wiring in the Home

Ambient's ultra-fast data throughput makes using existing electrical wiring a viable alternative for home and small office networking and automation.

FREMONT, California, December 1, 1999 - Ambient Technologies, Inc. recently demonstrated 25Mbps network data throughput using its new Power Line Networking Technology. Ambient's goal is to develop a low-cost, user friendly network solution that delivers consistent 10Mbps throughput using electrical wiring found in homes and small offices. At this year's Fall Comdex, Ambient demonstrated that its solution will accomplish this goal.

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Ambient previewed its development efforts to leading OEM manufacturers and partners. Interest in this technology is extremely high due to the ubiquity of power lines and the demonstrated performance, interoperability, and ease of use that this low-cost solution offers.

Power Line Networking communicates over the electrical wiring installed in the home or small office. Using power wiring as a communications medium has obvious advantages. First, no new wiring is required because the existing electrical wiring is already available throughout the house. Not every room has a phone jack, but every room usually has multiple power outlets. Phone jacks are not always wired together in the same way, whereas electrical outlets are wired together in a standard and much more reliable manner. Second, no external wiring is required because all major home networking components are connected to the power line, which means communication and control functions can be built into the equipment (PCs, peripherals, appliances, etc.). Third, power wiring is separate from present day access media (phone lines, cable, and wireless) so there are no bandwidth conflicts.

Ambient's recent demonstrations indicate that its Power Line Networking Technology is capable of supporting data bit rates up to 25Mbps. Once implemented in the home or small office an average speed of 10Mbps should be sustainable under normal operating conditions. This will allow broadband Internet access, multimedia connectivity, and automation of appliances (security systems, water heaters, air conditioning, heating, etc.).

"We demonstrated that we have the IP and the technology to make Power Line Home Networking a reality. Now we are focussing on packaging the technology into chipsets that any manufacturer can design into its products," commented Clement Lam, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "Ambient's goal is to see every PC, internet appliance, home entertainment center, and home appliance come with network-ready capability, because the necessary networking components have been embedded into the power supply of each device."

About Ambient Technologies
Headquartered in Fremont, California, Ambient Technologies is a privately held technology company that develops integrated circuits (ICs) for leading-edge communications products. In 1998 Cirrus Logic decided to spin-off their profitable PC Modem Business Unit. Employees purchased this division in January of 1999 and formed Ambient Technologies Incorporated. Ambient has continued to market its V.90 product line and is expanding into DSL and home networking markets. Ambient's Engineering Design Center is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it has sales and support offices in Taiwan and Germany. More information about Ambient can be found on the Internet at http://www.ambient.com

Contact:
David Todd (Phone: 510-683-6687) Marketing Manager,
Ambient Technologies, Inc.
(dtodd@ambient.com)