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Broadband Over Power Lines in Canada
Patchw0rk F0g writes "From Europe, we jump to la belle province of Quebec for the latest test of broadband internet over power lines (Real Player stream available.) Seems the utility is already utilizing the system to control traffic lights and such, and is exploring the possibilities of offering a cheaper service to consumers to compete with DSL/cable/satellite. Lower prices? I'm all for it... but I live in TORONTO!"
Good point! One would hope that they have a way to keep your packets from being sniffed on the lines.
My biggest concern with this is the ammount of line noise in my house. Even a slow protocall like the one that X10 uses is full of errors (usually the type that turns my bedroom light on in the middle of the night).
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
Power loss will also mean communication loss. If a business is using broadband instead of T1, they risk losing communication in the event of a power failure. Sure, they probably have a UPS but that's not going to keep their WAN links alive.
It's very scary to think of so many things being handled by one main line.
There most likely will be a modem of some sort that connects to the plug and has an ethernet output. Such a device is just as vulnerable but not any more vulnerable than any other electric device.
Also, I don't know what you talk about: bandwidth? Electric wires probably have monstruous bandwidth. The wires are made to carry much more current than a phone line was ever designed to, and most probably much more than a coax cable as well. Something tells me the bandwidth is going to be several orders of magnitude higher than conventional lines we're used to.
Does this seem scary to anyone else that these traffic lights would be internet accessible? If some script kiddies decided to have some fun, lives could be lost.