Internet through power lines?

[Jokersmoker]

The commission also voted to develop rules that would allow the power lines that bring electricity to homes and businesses to also deliver high-speed Internet connections.

Once a utility or a company it contracts with installs the necessary equipment, a computer user would only have to plug the machine into a special modem that plugs into a conventional electric outlet, according to Jay Birnbaum, vice president of Current Technologies, a company now testing such connections in the Washington suburbs.

Shocking!
jokersmoker

 

[Flyermax2k3]

R..............

Oh, and where's the link? 😕

 

[bradruth]

This has been around for awhile. If I recall it's really not that fast.

 

[Wallydraigle]

It's gotta be faster than what I have now. I download at 2 kilobytes per second. If I want anything better than that I have to get satellite 🙁

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: lirion
It's gotta be faster than what I have now. I download at 2 kilobytes per second. If I want anything better than that I have to get satellite 🙁

The problem with connectivity through the power lines is noise. It's a neat idea and would be better than no connectivity but unless they can significantly reduce the noise over the power lines it would be more viable just to stick with the traditional ways.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: bradruth
This has been around for awhile. If I recall it's really not that fast.

Yep. The local power company is trying to roll it out. But mind you, the kind of user who'd take broadband over powerline is probably the kind who just wants a no-hassle way to get on Teh Intarweb and check their email without tying up the phoneline. Look at the subscriber numbers for "DSL Basic" and "Cable Lite" services - there's a market for it.

- M4H

 

[zimu]

sounds like an awesome idea though, imagine being able to move your modem anywhere you have a socket, instead of being restricted to phone lines or cable lines.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: zimu
sounds like an awesome idea though, imagine being able to move your modem anywhere you have a socket, instead of being restricted to phone lines or cable lines.

*cough* Wireless ISP *cough* 😀

- M4H

 

[vegetation]

Sounds good to me. Anything to bring more competition will help lower rates all around. Broadband is just getting ridiculously out of price where I am.

 

[SunnyD]

I was reading somewhere Powerline transmission rates in the 10's of megaBYTES per second for high end services.

Thing is, with analog carrier signals, the powerlines (barring noise) have the best signal propigation attributes. The amount of bandwidth is directly proportional to the size of the line - and those power lines on the poles are a heck of a lot bigger than a single phone line.

 

[kuk]

I have been hearing about this for 7 years now. I will believe when I see a company mass marketing the tecnology.

 

[Soybomb]

I'm quite concerned over privacy, last I heard it wasn't going to be too rough to sniff your neighbors traffic, I wonder if thats changed

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

It'll never happen. I wish it would since I live in a rural area but I doubt we'll ever see it. Us rural residents will continue to get the weasel as we've always been forced to. </bitter>

 

[Wallydraigle]

Originally posted by: flxnimprtmscl
It'll never happen. I wish it would since I live in a rural area but I doubt we'll ever see it. Us rural residents will continue to get the weasel as we've always been forced to. </bitter>

Mmmmm, weasel...