Some people speculated that the rise of the wireless network would spell the end of HomePlug, the networking system that makes use of the mains powerlines already running through your house. Those who did have been proven wrong, though, as - according to the HomePlug Alliance - the last twelve months have proven very fruitful indeed.

Eight million HomePlug products have been shipped in the last year, a figure that (even appreciating it's ‘shipped' rather than ‘sold') is all the more impressive because that makes 16 million in total.

Part of the reason for the success is the suitability of some HomePlug products for shifting media around a home network, without the stutters you sometimes get if you try to tackle the same task wirelessly.

For more on the HomePlug Alliance and its member companies, head on over to the web site.