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Internet via the Power Grid, Again

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the plug-in-drop-out dept.

Damon Campagna writes "This NYT article, Internet via the Power Grid: New Interest in Obvious Idea says the FCC is looking into power-line networking again. I thought this was pretty much debunked a couple years ago?"

12 of 240 comments (clear)

  1. Power Grid by Zephy · · Score: 5, Informative

    The FCC Might have debunked it, but it seems to work over here. Some companies have started large scale trials. 2000kbps might not be a lot over there but it's still faster than the 512k/1024k that's the norm over here.

  2. It works by GiMP · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is not only in trial in many places, but in full-scale production.

    Poland, for example, has been rolling out power-line internet for at least a year.

    1. Re:It works by Bastian · · Score: 3, Informative

      I don't think whoever wrote the blurb for the story RTFA on it being debunked last time.

      What was debunked is the idea that if you burn lots of money, break a few laws of physics, engineer electronic devices that can modulate information transmissions at rates orders of magnitude faster than the best we've got right now (but will cost under $60 apiece), and break a few more laws of physics, you can transmit data over the power grid in the exobit range. (That's thousands of gigabits.)

      Other companies that aren't scams have had much more modest success. The idea works, the problem is finding a way to make it financially workable, too.

  3. the google news link by Albanach · · Score: 1, Informative

    so you don't need to register

  4. no registration by HeyBob! · · Score: 4, Informative

    trick learned from a previous post:
    replace www with archive to avoid the registration
    link

    1. Re:no registration by mrtroy · · Score: 2, Informative

      Can slashdot posters/modders make sure that the actual article gets posted this way

      instead of modding down a GOOD post and ignoring this time after time with NYT posts

      --
      [I can picture a world without war, without hate. I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it]
  5. Related article today on C|Net by Dave21212 · · Score: 2, Informative

    There is a related article today on C|Net via Reuters:
    The head of the Federal Communications Commission gave his blessing on Wednesday to an emerging technology that would provide high-speed Internet service through power lines.

    FCC Chairman Michael Powell toured a house in suburban Maryland that had been set up to showcase the new service, which transmits e-mail, Web pages, telephone service and other data over the existing power grid and through standard electrical outlets.

    In the living room, Powell listened to an Internet radio broadcast and watched the movie "Ice Age" on a flat-screen 42-inch television streaming from another computer miles away.


    ComputerUser.com has a longer and more detailed article.

    As a Marylander who despises ComCast, I'm hopeful !

    --
    "Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech."--Benjamin Franklin
  6. Re:I don't like this because... by DJPenguin · · Score: 2, Informative

    I hope you're joking :)

    Just because the network connection arrives through the power lines doesn't mean it will enter your PC through the power supply! There's bound to be some sort of decoding/demuxing box at the power entry point in your house, and you'd plug the network connection into that.

  7. Voice over IP over power lines by Johku · · Score: 3, Informative

    Couple of weeks ago I saw a short data-over-power-grid demonstration in Finnish television. They demonstrated how you could connect an IP telephone to power outlet and make a phone call through power grid. I think their idea was that it is easier for them to provide functionality similar to the telephone network than vice versa (when talking about last mile solutions).

    The topic has been quite frequently up in Finnish media because Turku Energia (home page in Finnish) has been selling their new data-ower-power-grid product to consumers since January.

  8. Happening in Pennsylvania! by Maeryk · · Score: 2, Informative

    PP&L (pennsylvania power and light) has been testing this here for a few months. I tried hard to get in on the pilot, but I dont live in the right geographical location.

    Turns out it is my ISP handling the broadband end anyway, and as I already have DSL through them, it probably wouldnt make much difference. The speeds that PP&L quoted me are just about the same as the DSL speeds I am already getting.

    So its not "debunked" its just not controlled by the FCC at the moment.

    Maeryk

    --
    Feminine Protection? What is that? A chartreuse flame thrower?
  9. Scottish Hydro by cruachan · · Score: 4, Informative

    Are running a series of trials, one in Crieff - a small town about 20 miles from where I sit. Given British Telecom's ridiculous criteria for only installing ADSL where there is 'sufficient demand'* there's been a great deal of interest in the Scottish Highlands and Borders for alternative suppliers. Scottish Enterprise have some info at http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/s ervices-to-business/broadband/broadband-news_event s/broadband-projects/broadband-power_line_trial.ht m

    *British Telecom regularly seem to leave something to be desired when it comes to 'public service'. A friend of mine has this story about how he recently installed an ADSL modem for a business in the centre of Glasgow - a city of nearly two million people. Naturally he assumed that ADSL would be available so neglected to explicitly check, and he was consequently scunnered when BT told him that it wasn't available due to 'insufficient demand'. Apparently the local exchange serviced quite a small area, and one where there was a disproportionate number of warehouses and areas under redevelopment, so despite being right in the middle of the city it had not met BT's criteria. Fortunatly given where they were the embaressment factor was sufficiently high that BT upgraded the exchange anyway, but it just demonstrates what we're up against.

  10. Re:and it will never work by Biff+Stu · · Score: 2, Informative

    I suppose this could lead to interference in some analog electronics. How about a $20 filter on the wall socket?

    By they way, anybody who spent 5 grand on high end analog electronics that didn't include a good power line filter got ripped off.