Broadband over Powerlines

scubacuda writes "Today's Bottom Line links to an article on Internet-over-powerline technology. St. Louis-based Ameren Corp and other utilities are testing are testing the technology, and, according to the article, "many consider it increasingly viable." Proponents claim the powergrid technology will bolster broadband competition, lower consumer prices and bridge the digital divide in rural areas. Skeptics say that few tests prove its financial and technical viability. Kludge, panacea, or hoax? (I'd think it was a total crock had I not personally known someone working in India with a PCL company)"

Comments

Oh yeah?

[CrystalFalcon]

No one seems to have cracked a proper commercial solution

Oh. I guess my 10 megabits a second from the local power company is just a hoax, then. Strange, it seems to work just fine...

In Sollentuna, Sweden, the local energy company is supplying broadband to apartments and even to ordinary houses. Yes, you read me right: these guys are drawing fiber to single-family houses at affordable cost, then lighting them up with 100 Mbits a second.

OTOH, there's nothing said about how they carry the TCP/IP. In my imagination, it's been fiber bundled with power lines. That's probably more economical than trying to piggyback..

Other approaches

[panurge]

I believe that ABB, in Thailand, tried the idea of running a broadband fibre THROUGH the Earth lead of an overhead powerline. 600 000V on the phases does tend to discourage vandals from stealing the fibre.

The problem with any wire-based HF transmission system is reflections, standing waves, radiation and losses, and a power system by its very nature is not designed for HF. But the existence of the infrastructure - distribution stations, ducting, overhead supports - could make it a very good solution for stringing fibre. Overhead cables are inherently less prone to backhoe incidents than buried cables. There is a benefit to the electrical utility in that they can use the fibre to run their own control systems easily.

Any such idea needs to be planned in from the start- it could be a cheap add-on to rural electrification in places like India and China, but much harder to do in the US or Europe where cables have long service lives.

Swedish company delivering internet via powerlines

[duran_dal]

A swedish company called ENKOM is building a net on the island of Gotland. Sadly the page is only in swedish. But they are now connecting customers. 2 Mbit/s, 10 Mbit/s under development.

Here in Ireland ..

[Draoi]

... we've already got broadband over powerlines - sorta! Our national electricity supply company is bundling fibre optic cables with high-voltage lines. They say;

The network consists of 48 fibres (24 pairs, each pair capable of delivering 2.5GB.) wrapped around the ESB's high voltage network.

Just as well, seeing as we're still waiting for ADSL

Done that, chucked in.

[I)_MaLaClYpSe_(I]

Here in Austria (not Australia!) tests were made with "the Internet via the outlet" over a year ago, but the tests were stopped, because there was too much interference (with household appliances) and the voltage swings turned out to be a problem, too.

Sounded promising back than and I was surely disappointed, when it was announced that it was not experimented with it any further. :-(

--Mal

your talking about something different

[diablobynight]

Yes we realise that you can bundle a fiber line with a power line, that's not what this is discussing, although I am glad you are getting cheap broadband. But I think you know, because you said piggy back, this is operating a network right over your current power lines, utilizing the unused channels. I personally thought it was a great idea when I read about it 2YEARS AGO, (not exactly new /.) The issue is that, our power operates on 60 cycles per second, and this really isn't appropriate for the technology they want, now I admit they can change this at the power company with relative ease, but if you change it from 60 then you'll suddenly find that some of your house hold appliances no longer work. I hope they work this out, I think it is a neat idea, just have two power cords for your computer, one for power, one for internet. it could eliminate the need for powered switches, for IP phones.