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First Canadian High Speed Internet over Power Grid

oO0(MjB)0Oo writes "Sault Ste. Marie, a northern Ontario town, is going to be the first installation of BPL (Broadband Power Line technology) in Canada. As reported in the Toronto Star, wireless access points will be set up along medium-voltage power lines, providing roaming capability throughout the city to all users."

253 comments

  1. hmmmm by Machine9 · · Score: 5, Funny
    I sure hope no assembly on the part of the customers is required, and certainly nothing that involves putting the plugs on any cables.

    There's sure to be at least one moron that'll fry himself.

    1. Re:hmmmm by WeblionX · · Score: 3, Funny

      Isn't that called natural selection?

      --
      (\(\
      (=_=) Bani!
      (")")
    2. Re:hmmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      From the article:

      "Wyant is quick to point out PUC won't be using power lines to deliver Internet access directly into the home. Instead, the company is installing wireless access points along its medium-voltage lines in densely populated residential areas."

      So, no, you won't fry yourself..
      but you will have lots of wireless internet to hack into :)

  2. Wireless by 1SmartOne · · Score: 0

    Does anyone know what kind of wireless APs they're going to be using? It will probably be a MAC address related fixed/mobile wireless service. -Scott

  3. Not quite... by DJPenguin · · Score: 2, Informative

    It's not "over the power grid" in the way you might think, but just WAPs placed along the grid, connected via a fiber backbone. No IP is going along the power lines...

    Still great though :)

    1. Re:Not quite... by lukewarmfusion · · Score: 0

      There's been a lot of confusion over this. For whatever reason, I'm not able to get to the article (not ./ already, I wouldn't think..) but I've read about efforts to send data over power lines. If this is simply using the existing power lines and infrastructure to place WAPs (instead of planning an independent network and placement) then the headline's a bit misleading. Just think of all the poor Canadians that haven't gotten electric power yet - they won't have wireless Internet access either!

    2. Re:Not quite... by mindstrm · · Score: 4, Informative

      "These wireless "boxes" convert data so they can be sent through the grid and on to PUC's fibre-optic backbone, which connects to the Internet. Home computers equipped with 802.11b or "Wi-Fi" wireless access cards and within 150 metres of these access points will be able to use the service."

      In what way is the headline inaccurate? This is the first semi-large test of using the power grid as a network distribution medium.

    3. Re:Not quite... by pyser · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually the article does say the data is put on the medium-voltage distribution grid, which is the transmission medium between their fibre backbone (presumably at the substations) and the WAPs mounted on hydro poles in neighbourhoods. They're just not running it on the 240v drop to the customer as in some implementations.

    4. Re:Not quite... by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 1, Funny

      Awww man and I was already trying to figure out how to adapt a CAT-5 to fit my power outlets so I could turn my living room floor lamp into a stock ticker.

    5. Re:Not quite... by jimwatters · · Score: 1

      Being that the parent poster was compleatly wrong.

      And it is over the power line.

      IMHO Being able to go anywhere in the city and have access to the internet weighs very high. Interference to ham radio weighs very low.
      This just might catch on.

    6. Re:Not quite... by ifreakshow · · Score: 1

      I think you are wrong

    7. Re:Not quite... by pridkett · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, it's not a stick ticker, but it is CAT-5 in a power outlet. Have fun kiddies.

      --
      My Slashdot account is old enough to drink...
    8. Re:Not quite... by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 1

      Interference to ham radio weighs very low.

      Ham radio itself is, IMO, just the tip of the iceberg. Anything widely rolled outthat leaks radiation outside of its allotted bandwidth will interfere with more than just Ham.

      Also, Ham is something the last line of defense in being able to communicate. IIRC, individuals can communicate for several hours on battery. One can forget cellular, land line, broadband power if a major disaster to strike. IIRC,even two-way radios can be problematic.

    9. Re:Not quite... by pyser · · Score: 1

      We've talked about this before. Broadband over power lines is not only a threat to Amateur Radio but to other communication services including government and homeland security. Plus, it's highly susceptible to ingress interference from licensed radio stations as well.

    10. Re:Not quite... by tzanger · · Score: 2, Informative

      To be exact: It's using the medium voltage grid to transport data to the NOC. You access the internet via 802.11b access points on the poles.

      From the article:
      These wireless "boxes" convert data so they can be sent through the grid and on to PUC's fibre-optic backbone, which connects to the Internet. Home computers equipped with 802.11b or "Wi-Fi" wireless access cards and within 150 metres of these access points will be able to use the service.

      So basically what they're doing is something I did over 10 years ago -- power grid data transmission -- this isn't new, and it isn't cool; it's just over medium voltage. They're not passing data through the pole pigs into your outlets; they're avoiding that because they are not designed to transmit data. Once you're on the neighbourhood grid there are no transformers until the substation; They are essentially modulating high speed data over copper lines. Nothing new, except for the voltages involved. And isolation takes care of all of that. :-)

    11. Re:Not quite... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't make us have to come down there and jersey the whole lot of you.

  4. We'll know who to blame... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...next time the lights go out in NYC. Some evil Canadian hacker will uncap their powerline modem and lights will dim all along the US east coast.

    1. Re:We'll know who to blame... by DOCStoobie · · Score: 0

      Yeah, its probably an american company's technology, we will just let the "canadians" try it to see if it causes cancer..... that is a win-win... if it works good, we can implement it.. if it causes cancer... less canadians ..... win-win.....

    2. Re:We'll know who to blame... by iantri · · Score: 1

      I'd just like to point out that the last blackout was NOT caused by problems here, and it was in fact a problem on your site.

  5. What about do it yourself? by emptybody · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Couldn't a private individual use their own gear to run their own ISP over PowerLines?

    What prevents this?

    --
    comment directly in my journal
    1. Re:What about do it yourself? by aonaran · · Score: 1, Interesting

      How about the fact that it's not actually over the powerlines, as the misleading /. headline says, maybe you should read the article first?
      It's really a WiFi solution put out by the power company utilizing their existing infrastructure.

      These wireless "boxes" convert data so they can be sent through the grid and on to PUC's fibre-optic backbone, which connects to the Internet. Home computers equipped with 802.11b or "Wi-Fi" wireless access cards and within 150 metres of these access points will be able to use the service.

    2. Re:What about do it yourself? by sabrex15 · · Score: 1

      Well im sure that there are laws prohibiting you from installing items all along the power-poles/lines/whatever theyre gonna do. Just like here in the US you can go run your own cable along the poles.

    3. Re:What about do it yourself? by thedillybar · · Score: 2, Informative
      They are using the medium voltage lines for transmitting the data. I'd guess that both the WiFi boxes and the Internet->Power Grid box are both on medium voltage lines.

      Sending the data to the transformers (and onto the low-voltage line that enters your house) is probably very difficult and problematic because of the effect of the transformer on the signal. If the data could easily pass through the transformer, you'd think the modem would just plug into a wall socket rather than using WiFi.

      Thus, if you had the technology, you could send data through the medium voltage lines if you climbed the pole and hooked it up, but it's very unlikely that the current technology is able to send data through the transformer.

    4. Re:What about do it yourself? by babyrat · · Score: 1

      Actually it is over the powerlines - 'convert data so they can be sent through the grid'.

      The data just doesn't actually come out of the outlets in your house - you need a wifi card to make the jump from your house to the medium voltage power lines.

    5. Re:What about do it yourself? by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      That is correct. You can't just send data through the transformer and expect it to work well..... The transformer acts like a low pass filter (a good thing), and it weakens the higher frequency signals. This is good because you generally don't want a bunch of HF/VHF noise on your power lines, you want a nice clean 60 Hz.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    6. Re:What about do it yourself? by general_re · · Score: 1
      You can't just send data through the transformer and expect it to work well..... The transformer acts like a low pass filter (a good thing), and it weakens the higher frequency signals.

      And to expand further, this is why Amperion is going the route they're going, because to get the signal past the transformer, you usually wind up resorting to things like optical bridges, which gets expensive fast, especially in locales where there's one transformer for every four or five houses....

      --
      ABSURDITY, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.
    7. Re:What about do it yourself? by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      And further, often capacitors are added to the lines to do power factor correction (you might see white boxes on poles). Those capacitors will likely gum things up with data transmission too, though I'm not sure how much.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
  6. Re:Uh oh! by Neppy · · Score: 3, Funny

    I believe you mean Canadian Bacon radio.

  7. Awesome! by Xoder · · Score: 3, Insightful

    But I have to wonder whether this will increase the noise on the powerlines. The frequency used on the lines is not given, but don't we have enough 2.4 GHz noise in the air? Do we need some bleeding into the powerlines as well?

    Of course, that could be my "the Commons is being raped"-foil hat again.

    --
    The previous sig has been removed due to /. protecting your best interests
    1. Re:Awesome! by Puls4r · · Score: 1

      I suspect (Any EE backup here?) that the 2.4 Ghz range at low wattage will do NOTHING to 10's of thousands of volts operating in the 60hz range. Otherwise (I realize, different band, etc) cell phone towers would already be screwing up power lines.

    2. Re:Awesome! by sabrex15 · · Score: 1

      Just wondering, whats stopping anyone from using another band? 2.5GHz?.. 2.3 2.2?... Why does it all have to be 2.4?

    3. Re:Awesome! by ProfMoriarty · · Score: 4, Informative
      Actually, they are using between 5 - 70 Mhz .... since nothing important(*) resides down there ...

      (*) nothing important does NOT include:

      • shortwave radio (7-14 Mhz)
      • older cordless phones (~49 Mhz)
      • CB Radio (~29Mhz)
      • Several Amateur Radio bands (1.8, 3.5, 7.0, 10.0, 14.0, 18.068, 21.0, 24.9, 28.0, 50.0 Mhz)
      • Military communications (several)
      --
      Karma? Karma? I don't need no stinkin' karma.
    4. Re:Awesome! by bonnyman · · Score: 2, Informative

      The frequencies on used all of the commercially deployed powerline broadband systems are in the 2 to 80 MHz range. The Amperion system uses these lower frequencies (often confusingly referred to as HF or high frequency) to distribute the signals across the last mile --except for the last 100 feet or so. It then uses Wi-Fi to make the last connection. The Amperion unit hangs on the medium voltage power line, getting its' power from the same line. This unit converts the HF, last mile power line signal to a Wi Fi signal for transmission to the house nearby.

      The only signal deliberately injected on to the power line is the HF signal which is much, much lower than a 2.4 GHz. Wi-Fi signal.

      Even using so-called HF (high frequency) signals (3 to 30 MHz.) on power lines is tricky -- that's one reason we didn't see this technology 10 or 20 years ago. The signals attenuate rapidly and need regeneration every several hundred or thousand meters. To the extent that the power line picks up some of the Wi-Fi signal, attenuation is much higher at 2.4 GHz.

      Most radio frequency concerns associated with these systems focus on possible interference to military and amateur radio operations in the HF range, not other 2.4 GHz. devices.

    5. Re:Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2.4GHz is an "unlicensed band".

    6. Re:Awesome! by Xoder · · Score: 1

      And you, sir have given the correct answer. I forgot some basic Fields stuff when I posted that, and I beg your forgiveness.

      --
      The previous sig has been removed due to /. protecting your best interests
    7. Re:Awesome! by michael_cain · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Actually, they are using between 5 - 70 Mhz .... since nothing important(*) resides down there ...

      The powerline stuff operates at quite low total output power levels. In the US (can't speak to Canada, although the rules are probably similar in nature), the regulations call for you to be below particular radiated power levels at distances of 1m and 3m from the conductors -- several companies claim that their powerline stuff meets these rules. Recent versions of the powerline gear uses OFDM as the modulation scheme, which does allow for avoiding particular spectrum regions where there are interference problems -- it's still not perfect, of course, but they can dodge the amateur radio bands in areas where people are sensative to even low levels of interference.

      I find the claims that they're going to get reliable 150m coverage out of unlicensed 802.11b to be more dubious. For most people, there's a minimum of one outside wall between the PC and the WAP, and possibly more depending on the location of the medium-voltage power lines. If they only get 50m coverage, they're going to need a LOT more devices, greatly increasing their costs.

    8. Re:Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      nothing important does NOT include:

      radio controlled airplanes and cars. A radio controlled airplane at 100 MPH can very easily kill someone...

    9. Re:Awesome! by ProfMoriarty · · Score: 1
      I messed up the range ... it's actually from 2 Mhz to 80 Mhz ...

      (and yes, it would include RC Models ... airplanes and cars ... as somebody else pointed out)

      --
      Karma? Karma? I don't need no stinkin' karma.
  8. Had to be said by Rower · · Score: 0

    whats the story on high speed internet over the power grid, is this good or is it whack

    --
    Hooo Son! This'uns a Hawg!
  9. Security First by RLW · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I hope they have considered security problems. With out thought this could turn a lot of laptops and PCs in to a distributed SPAM network.

    1. Re:Security First by Dav3K · · Score: 1

      You haven't been to Soult Ste Marie, have you?

    2. Re:Security First by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This town is too small to worry about being a SPAM haven, well if you spammers wanna move here good luck it snows half the year. But there is zero computer security in this town, I know I am a resident.

    3. Re:Security First by thedillybar · · Score: 1
      Installing Windows on a machine could also turn it into a SPAM network.

      I still see many large corporations doing this today... Are they considering the same security problems?

    4. Re:Security First by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      I don't think anybody has been to Soult Ste Marie

      It's Sault Ste. Marie

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    5. Re:Security First by jdew · · Score: 1

      weeeeee well, it's not snowing now, at least down at the buglab.. :P

    6. Re:Security First by Caeda · · Score: 0

      Been there. Done that. Took a train ride out of the place for fun. Its a huge town. And its on the US border, with a 6 lane crossing bridge and all. The streets are almost all one way.. nice peaceful place.

      --
      ~~ Please keep your arms, legs, and outright stupidity inside the ride at all times. Thank You ~~
    7. Re:Security First by RLW · · Score: 1

      True, while MS Windows is inherently a security risk an unsecured Wi Fi network makes it a point of entry for anybody regarless of OS.

    8. Re:Security First by RLW · · Score: 1

      No I haven't. Has anyone not from there been there?

  10. radio comunications by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    this can really disrupt wireless communications notably ham commmunications, power lines make for big antenas

    1. Re:radio comunications by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Honestly, is it too much to read the summary instead of just the misleading and/or sensational headlines?

      Of course, I must be new here.

    2. Re:radio comunications by mwilliamson · · Score: 1
      ...and we hams will respond by increasing our power to overcome this interference...up to 1.5kw out. Feed 1.5kw into a directional antenna with, say 12db gain, and you've got an ERP of 24,000 watts. In the end, we're gonna probably end up interfering with BPL too, possibly even damaging nearby nodes.

      I'm in South Texas and one might ask, why would I care? HF propogation is such that I regularly receive signals from Canada. I suspect I'll notice a higher noise floor at times due to this one BPL installation.

    3. Re:radio comunications by Dashing+Leech · · Score: 1
      Is it too much to actually understand the story and that the headlines are indeed correct, not misleading or sensational, and that it could indeed interfere with Ham radio (and other communication systems).

      Yes, you must be new here. And new to reading too.

    4. Re:radio comunications by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the headlines are NOT misleading or sensational. BPL presents will cause interference to radio communications for Amateur radio operators as well as the cause interference to VHF TV, FM radio and military and public safety communications in the HF and lower VHF spectrum.

      It's bad news to HAM radio and to public safety. Really bad news...

      BPL is being opposed not only by Amateur operators in the US but also now by FEMA, the organization responsible for providing assistance during emergencies. I don't know what the related organizations and services are in Canada however you guys had better bet our act together and get this stuff shut down.

    5. Re:radio comunications by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      This subject as been discused by a recent story published on the ARRL web site (search for "lintz" "austria" "red cross"...) the emergency network working on HF bands have been impared by the BPL. And "pushing the power knob" has never been a solution.
      BPL is probably the worst thing after 802.11 (or more exactly the attitude of 802.11 vendors vs the respect of ham radio bands on 23 cm)
      Marc, f6itu

  11. Next step. by Omni+Magnus · · Score: 3, Funny

    The next step is for them to figure out how to send broadband throught the sewer system.*

    Dilbert reference

    1. Re:Next step. by tomalpha · · Score: 4, Informative

      Not just Dilbert - http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/22/35334.html

      IP over sewage.

    2. Re:Next step. by lildogie · · Score: 1

      If you put internet into sewage, you get sewage.

      If you put sewage into the internet, you get sewage.

    3. Re:Next step. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Look how much easier HTML makes our lives.

      http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/22/35334.html

    4. Re:Next step. by Deliveranc3 · · Score: 1

      Upstream downstream conflicts?

  12. Interference by nate1138 · · Score: 2, Funny

    In remote areas like this, shortwave radio is still in pretty heavy usage. I'll be this pilot program will be grounded in short order ;-)

    --
    Where's my lobbyist? Right here.
    1. Re:Interference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is it too much to ask to read the story? This is NOT BPL. This is putting WAPs on an existing fiber optic line which is already on the poles.

      It has no more to do with ham or shortwave or BPL than you putting an 802.11b WAP in your house.

    2. Re:Interference by nate1138 · · Score: 1

      Alright, I usually don't answer anonymous cowards, but you are a fucking asshat. A cock-gobbling gutterwhore. Dare I say, maybe even an idiot. The article CLEARLY states that this is BPL transmission TO a fiber network.

      Maybe you should try reading the fucking article. Can you do that, or is the concept of translating those funny little symbols on the screen into words you can understand too hard for you?

      --
      Where's my lobbyist? Right here.
  13. Take a trip by addie · · Score: 1

    To good old Sault St. Marie. And don't forget your laptop.

    1. Re:Take a trip by ackthpt · · Score: 0
      To good old Sault St. Marie. And don't forget your laptop.

      Things to do in Da Soo in the winter:

      Play hockey

      Watch hockey

      Go skiing at Searchmont (Looks like they renamed the runs, used to be named Harddrive, Megabyte, etc.)

      Wait for the spring thaw and the return of shipping through the Soo Locks

      Drink beer

      Eat donuts

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    2. Re:Take a trip by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Things to do in Da Soo in the winter:

      Play hockey check

      Watch hockey check

      Go skiing at Searchmont check (it's pretty good)

      Wait for the spring thaw and the return of shipping through the Soo Locks check (great as a little kid, so-so as an adult)

      Drink beer check (be sure to check out Northern Breweries)

      Eat donuts check

      Don't forget the Bon Soo Winter Carnival (on now)

    3. Re:Take a trip by ackthpt · · Score: 1
      I have fond memories of the Soo. My car being searched, coming and going. Easy to forget that it's a border point, as the upper peninsula is practically a part of Canada, culturally closer than it is to the rest of the US.

      A pity about Tim Horton's, as I used to love their apple fritters. Canadian beer was good, all I get locally though is in cans.

      The geek appeal (as much as there can be in bright daylight and some physical activity beyond opening a bag of Cheetos) of Searchmont was the names of the runs, that and the best skiing in driving distance from where I lived. Any idea why they changed the names?

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    4. Re:Take a trip by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't really know why they changed the names - but I'm guessing it's the new ownership.

      I still remember when the runs at that end of the hill were "Competition" and "Brian's Brooks". They got changed to tech stuff when they put the new lift in.

    5. Re:Take a trip by kidlinux · · Score: 1

      What a surprise to find a /. reader who not only knows about the Sault but knows about the Competition and Brian's Brook at Searchmont!

      Afaik, the names of the runs havn't changed (except for the two aformentioned runs, as well as the Moose Trail which is now known as the "User Friendly".) The names of the runs were changed under the previous ownership (J.J. Hilsinger) when the new lift went in, not by the new owner (a guy from Chicago who's name escapes me.)

      Anyhow, the Competition was the original mogul run at Searchmont, accessible from the double chairlift, it is now known as the Hard Drive. Brian's Brook was named after my old ski coach Brian Mealy (I used to race for the Sault Ski Runners, now known as the Searchmont Ski Runners due to the new ownership.) Brian's Brook is actually still named Brian's Brook but it's much shorter, as the top portion was changed and turned into the "Megabyte". The Moose Trail was named by Brian - he actually created the run, and is very fond of Moose and hunting Moose.

      The other run on that side of the mountain is the Random Access. And of course the chair lift (which holds 4 people per chair) was named the "Quad Processor".

      Now, being as into computers as I am, I thought the naming scheme was pretty lame. None of my teammates were happy about them renaming the run which our coach made, either.

      Anyhow, it's cool to see some people on /. who know about the Sault (or are even from there!)

      And really, do take a trip to the Sault! If you're driving across Canada, you have to pass through, so stay a few days. Absolutely gorgeous in the summer - winter too if you can put up with -35C and heaps of snow ;)

      Having just done a 3 week trip across New Zealand, I found myself wondering why we don't get that kind of tourism in the Sault. It's just as gorgeous, and our landscape has just as much to offer. We don't have all the extreme tourism stuff (bungy, rafting, etc.) but I suppose that comes with the tourists. I guess it's difficult to find places like the Sault in such a big country. Really, all of Northern and Western Ontario is gorgeous (this does NOT include you, Barrie! You're not Northern by any stretch of the word!) So anywho, check out the Sault if you ever get the chance!

      That's my plug! (what can I say, it's my home town, which is rarely mentioned in the news. Or any media for that matter.)

      --
      -kidlinux.
  14. Uh oh by tarius8105 · · Score: 1, Funny

    So if there is a blackout, its because someone in Canada is using Kazaa?

    1. Re:Uh oh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah... The the U.S. has people running their power distribution plants that can not spell their own names.

      Do not blame the blackout on Canadians. It was the U.S. fault. Read the joint task force report.

      I'm sure there is currently a huge cover-up with all the people which were crimminaly charged.

      Nice.....

    2. Re:Uh oh by tarius8105 · · Score: 1

      Do not blame the blackout on Canadians. It was the U.S. fault. Read the joint task force report.

      yes....this time...it wasnt canada's fault. There were the blackouts in the 50s and 60s.

  15. Read it again. by mindstrm · · Score: 3, Informative

    IT is completly "over the power grid".

    The "fiber optic backbone" means their network center.

    The line says "From wireless, converted to be transmitted OVER THE GRID to the company's (PUC) fiber backbone to the internet."

    It is *precisely* a test of data over power lines.

    1. Re:Read it again. by lukewarmfusion · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Wyant is quick to point out PUC won't be using power lines to deliver Internet access directly into the home. Instead, the company is installing wireless access points along its medium-voltage lines in densely populated residential areas.

      These wireless "boxes" convert data so they can be sent through the grid and on to PUC's fibre-optic backbone, which connects to the Internet. Home computers equipped with 802.11b or "Wi-Fi" wireless access cards and within 150 metres of these access points will be able to use the service."

      This quote doesn't sound like they're sending network data over a power line - it sounds like they are using their existing power line locations to add external WAPs that tap into a fiber network. If they were using the existing power lines, I would expect them to be able to sell/rent boxes that convert the signal from your electrical outlet to an ethernet jack. That's why it sounds misleading - if they're not really sending data over their powerlines, and instead are sending it via another method. But maybe I'm just misreading the article (which I finally got to).

    2. Re:Read it again. by mindstrm · · Score: 5, Informative

      The fiber network is not everywhere.... do you think they have fiber on every pole? (fiber is usually buried, btw)

      Backbone == NOC. They are using medium voltage power lines as a large network between their backbone and the access points... the article headline, despite being on slashdot, is acccurate.

    3. Re:Read it again. by DJPenguin · · Score: 1

      OK, I admit I was probably wrong... :) seems to have got you into quite a state though, mindstrm!

    4. Re:Read it again. by chef_raekwon · · Score: 0

      please read it again -

      won't be using power lines to deliver Internet access directly into the home.
      this means that they need to put something on the poles, so that computers/people can 'communicate' with the network.

      These wireless "boxes" convert data so they can be sent through the grid
      and this means that the data gets sent through the grid - to their fibre backbone, back at the office.

      its just like sending data through a tv cable.

      --
      We're like rats, in some experiment! -- George Costanza
    5. Re:Read it again. by scampiandchips · · Score: 2, Informative

      When they install power lines the sometimes include an optical fibre cable inside the cores sheathing, so your have say 3 huge copper conducting cores and a skinny little optical cable as well, all wrapped up by a protective PVC sheath etc.. It doesn't cost a lot extra as its installed and manufactured at the same time as the power cable. Its this otical ring theyre tapping into with their wireless network.

      --
      There are things we know we don't know and things we don't know we don't know. - Donald Rumsfeld
    6. Re:Read it again. by mindstrm · · Score: 1

      Yarr! I got set off by the first +5 that said this was not over the grid.....

      sorry :)

      It's COOL... dammit...

    7. Re:Read it again. by bonnyman · · Score: 4, Informative

      "When they install power lines the sometimes include an optical fibre cable inside the cores sheathing, so your have say 3 huge copper conducting cores and a skinny little optical cable as well, all wrapped up by a protective PVC sheath etc.. It doesn't cost a lot extra as its installed and manufactured at the same time as the power cable. Its this otical ring theyre tapping into with their wireless network."

      The above is incorrect. We specialize in fiber cable systems for power utilities. (See the Fiber Planners web site for more info on what we do)

      Power utilities build fiber into their conductors in 3 situations:

      1. They use optical groundwire (OPGW) on high voltage transmission lines between cities. This is an aluminum conductor with fibers in it that is placed above the power conductors and used as combination lightning guard and communications cable. This is widely deployed.

      2. On the latest high voltage underground cables, they may use one fiber as a temperature sensor. These cables are not widely deployed. There are real issues associated with adding anymore fibers to that kind of cable for communications -- it's cheaper to just bury a separate fiber-only cable nearby, unless you're deploying an undesea cable, which leads to #3.

      3. A few undersea power cables (such as might feed an offshore island) may include fibers for communications.

      Most fiber cable deployed by power utilities is all-dielectric (contains nothing conductive) and hung or buried near the conductors on medium voltage power distribution systems.

      The Amperion system in Sault Ste. Marie uses HF radio signals propagated down PUC's standard metallic power conductors to Wi-Fi units outside subscribers' homes. The Wi-Fi unit then takes that HF signal and retransmits a Wi-Fi signal through the air the last 100 feet or so to the subscriber.

    8. Re:Read it again. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "(fiber is usually buried, btw)"

      Actually, fiber exists in some overhead shield wires above the transmission lines, not always buried.

      http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/products/category .a sp?country_id=999&market_id=35&market_cat_id=444&c at_id=101

    9. Re:Read it again. by mindstrm · · Score: 1

      I said "usually" buried, not "always" buried.

  16. This technology would not work here. by Srividya · · Score: 0

    Everyone here gets electricity usually by making illegal connections to the power lines of neighbors or the street. This would make them able to take Internet the same way. Probably wireless will remain to be the best here.

    1. Re:This technology would not work here. by gooberguy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Wrong. If you had read the article, you would know that the power company has put 802.11b access points on their power line towers. The access points are connected to the internet over the power grid, but the customers use 802.11b to get data from their computer to the power lines. There is still the possibility of people stealing bandwidth, but if the network is set up properly, stealing would be a lot more complicated than just running a wire.

      --


      Karma: Meh (Mostly from meh.)
    2. Re:This technology would not work here. by thedillybar · · Score: 1
      There is still the possibility of people stealing bandwidth, but if the network is set up properly, stealing would be a lot more complicated than just running a wire.

      I can steal Cable Internet or DSL by simply running a wire right now. Who cares?

    3. Re:This technology would not work here. by Eccles · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Everyone here gets electricity usually by making illegal connections to the power lines of neighbors or the street.

      So that's how you can do C++ work for $4.50/hour!

      --
      Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a real useful invention.
    4. Re:This technology would not work here. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uhm... who cares?

  17. Best news yet? by mr.+methane · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... for a $1 fee, you can inflict a painful electrical shock to anyone else on the network!

  18. RF interference? by iantri · · Score: 5, Insightful
    How are they going to deal with RF interference issues? Canadian ham radio operators have very similar rights to those in the US.. the CRTC keeps its regulations pretty similar to the FCC.

    Also, will this cause any other sort of interference? My TV reception (over antenna) is already crap because of Ontario Hydro -- I live within 0.5km of the high-voltage pylons and my TV reception is terrible on VHF because of it.. (during the huge power outage last summer, I was able to very clearly receive stations all through New York state)

    1. Re:RF interference? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      .....

      Lets see here, you somehow managed to receive very clear signals and view them on your television.. when.. you didn't have any electricity to power your television, and the TV stations had no power to broadcast?

      How did you manage that?

    2. Re:RF interference? by Brian+Ristuccia · · Score: 1
      Lets see here, you somehow managed to receive very clear signals and view them on your television.. when.. you didn't have any electricity to power your television, and the TV stations had no power to broadcast?

      I'd suspect this person was using a battery operated TV, or running a conventional TV from UPS or generator power.

      As for the TV and radio stations, they typically have substantial backup power infrastructure to allow them to continue operating during commercial power outages. Some TV station transmitters even operate continuously without grid power. For example. WMTW-TV and WHOM-FM used to operate year round from kerosine powered generators because there is no commercial power on Mt. Washington.

    3. Re:RF interference? by iantri · · Score: 1
      That's correct.. we had a generator at the time.

      The smaller, local stations did not have backup power, and some of the large Toronto stations were constantly on and off (CFTO, Toronto CBC), but there were plenty of stations still operating..

    4. Re:RF interference? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      simple... they started by READING THE ARTICLE

      and noticing that it's fiber and 802.11 access points..

      then they simply make a note that you speak before you know and simply ignore anything you have to say from now on.

      really simple.

    5. Re:RF interference? by thedillybar · · Score: 1
      The large electrical current flowing in the medium voltage lines cause so much RF interference that the interference due to the data transmission will be negligible.

      The WiFi transmitters could cause a problem. I'm sure they've analyzed this. Let's hope they publicly release a report on it before we implement this in the US.

    6. Re:RF interference? by dciman · · Score: 1

      I agree. This seems totally stupid, esp in a country like Canada. People live in very remote places and hikers venture into some even further remote locations. People's lives often depend on HAM radio communications. As a HAM here in the US, that lives in a urban setting, I know how much trouble I have on the HF bands because there are large transmission lines near my house.... let along trying to run broadband on them as well. I wish there were something we could do to help out Canadian friends out on this one. Hopefully they can get organized.

    7. Re:RF interference? by Cecil · · Score: 1

      Nevermind the TV station's backup power (You know, they do have a need to transmit during emergencies. They do plan for this stuff, albeit poorly)

      The poster clearly stated that he was watching stations throughout New York. New York had their power back within a day or two. Ontario, meanwhile, was on (at best) rolling blackouts for a week and then some.

      I know this because I was travelling through Ontario at the time and ended up stranded, hooray. My kingdom for a non-electric gas pump! *glowers*

    8. Re:RF interference? by eriksarcade · · Score: 1

      Ontario Hydro: the nightmare of most Ontarians. My neightbourhood has been running off of a temporary transformer for about 3 years now. Its been there since the original 1950's one exploded from overheating one summer.

    9. Re:RF interference? by KjetilK · · Score: 1
      Hm, actually when I hear about broadband-over-powergrid stories, we have been hearing about tests and "we're soon online" stories for years now, my first reaction is "yep, sure, wake me up if this stuff actually works without RFI problems". Those things are designed to do AC in the a few tens of Hz range, not in the MHz range.

      But if I understand this stuff correctly, it seems like they are actually relying on the radiation as a carrier... Huh? Rather than looking upon RFI as a problem, they seem to be exploiting it... Well, that's a way of looking at it I haven't thought about before... Can that really work?

      --
      Employee of Inrupt, Project Release Manager and Community Manager for Solid
    10. Re:RF interference? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "my TV reception is terrible on VHF because of it.. "

      oh heavens no! not VHF!!! im always pissed that i cant send clear telegraph signals anymore. I mean wtf do these ppl think not supporting horribly outdated technology?

  19. no IP over power line by NoGuffCheck · · Score: 1

    I understand due to the geographical and demographical situation, they will be running advertising campaigns warning potential customers to call before they plug their modems into the toaster!

    --
    serenity now!
  20. See the great innovation of privatization by Fr05t · · Score: 1

    Look at how great this privatiazation of the hydro companies have worked in Ontario - a town in the middle of nowhere has internet! Now if it didn't cost and arm and a leg and rolling blackouts weren't going to become a daily occurance I just might think selling the hyrdo co's was a good idea :P

    1. Re:See the great innovation of privatization by elbarsal · · Score: 1

      For years (long before the Ontario power privatization fiasco) Sault Ste. Marie has been serviced by it's Public Utilities commission, which used to get the majority of its power from the privately run Great Lakes Power.

      Since Ontario privatized, rates in the Sault have gone up along with the rest of the province. They had been really low - it's nice having a company with at least 7 hydroelectric dams headquartered right in town. I've toured the Clergue station in downtown - neat facility. Completely run remotely.

      Now the Sault pays the same rates as the rest of the province. Make whatever argument you want for or against privatization - you can't argue that it wasn't botched in Ontario.

    2. Re:See the great innovation of privatization by Fr05t · · Score: 1

      The SNAFU of Ontario Hyro is why every time New Brunswick pols start talking about privatizing it gets shut down pretty quick. Personally I wouldn't care if it made the service 1000 times better, and cheaper. Services required for people to live should never be controlled by private corporations.

  21. rural by BitchAss · · Score: 0

    Does anyone know if this'll get broadband access out to the rural areas? I'm in a place where DSL and cable are a wet dream.

    --
    Like sex? Read and write about it! Indecent Blogging
  22. Parent is totally wrong. by mindstrm · · Score: 1

    This does indeed use the power lines. Read more carefully.

    +5 my ass.

  23. Interesting... by Grym · · Score: 2, Funny

    What I find most interesting is how the last 150 meters to the customer is done via 802.11b wireless. While the guy is right in saying that it will provide roaming capabilities, this represents a huge security (or lack thereof) issue.

    Soon Canada will become the true safe haven for all pot-smokers and hackers, it seems. Better plan a roadtrip, boys.

    -Grym
    1. Re:Interesting... by notbob · · Score: 0

      I see a flood of blackhats heading north to ol' canada... till winter... then a flood of them headng for Miami to take chances with the cops over the frozen Moose attacks

  24. Re:Uh oh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    (Just noting that I DID see that they were using wireless access points. My point was that IF hams get stomped on, so do a bunch of other people.)

  25. Roam if you want to by ackthpt · · Score: 0, Funny
    The Soo, as we call it, eh!

    I can just picture the lively uses for this in this remote city known for it's locks.

    "Watched hockey game last night on the computer, eh!"

    "Yeah, good thing, because the TV was broken, eh!"

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:Roam if you want to by TeknoHog · · Score: 4, Funny

      Canadian broadband: also known as eh-thernet.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  26. Read what you posted. by mindstrm · · Score: 4, Informative

    These wireless "boxes" convert data so they can be sent THROUGH THE GRID...... and onto the company's backbone.

    GRID == power grid.

    The backbone is not everywhere.. the "backbone" is just somefiber link they have at a NOC to some other isps.

    They are indeed using power line data transmission for this... that's what the entire project is about, and the only reason it is significant.

    1. Re:Read what you posted. by aonaran · · Score: 1

      My point was the home user DOESN'T connect via the GRID, they connect via Wireless.

    2. Re:Read what you posted. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My point was the home user DOESN'T connect via the GRID, they connect via Wireless.

      You fucking liar. This is what you wrote:"

      How about the fact that it's not actually over the powerlines, as the misleading /. headline says, maybe you should read the article first?
      It's really a WiFi solution put out by the power company utilizing their existing infrastructure.

      Nice attempt at trying to save face, but you obviously should have read the article more closely before posting a stupid comment. You didn't write anything about the home user in your original post. You said "it's not actually over the powerlines", when, of course, the middle part of the transmission is.

      Now, eat crow, Slashbot!

    3. Re:Read what you posted. by aonaran · · Score: 1

      Maybe I sould have been more clear. The post I replied to asked why the home user can't put their own internet service over the powerlines, to do that the assumption is that the data flows over the powerlines into your home, which it does not, it is only on the medium voltage grid, then wireless to the home. You can't tap into the powergrid and set up your own ISP because you'd need access to that part of the grid that only the power company has access to. Seems a bit long winded now doesn't it, you could have just read the article, or even just the snippet that I posted to /. and got all that out of it though.

      I don't know why I'm bothering to explain myself to someone who's afraid to post under their own name though.

  27. driving... by sabrex15 · · Score: 1

    while under the influence of slashdot??? No this is really cool, so a subscriber could stop on the side of the road with the ol' laptop and grab the latest info, check email, or whatever he/she might be doing. But having wireless access coverage all across the place is just awesome, I'm happy to see things like this taking place and I hope it works well for them.

    1. Re:driving... by Grayskies · · Score: 1

      yeah well i hate to hear about the accidents of people who are surfing for porn while driving... this could be a serious safety hazard for those canadians who arent getting any...

  28. Amperion.com by Linus+Sixpack · · Score: 3, Informative

    The company supplying the technology is called Amperion. Their website has a description of the kit probably used in the article.

    http://www.amperion.com

  29. Candle lit by savagedome · · Score: 2, Funny

    So, instead of watching TV in candle light, I can surf in candle light. Awesome!

    Oh... wait a sec

    1. Re:Candle lit by addaon · · Score: 1

      I spent some time online during the blackout in new york, just for kicks. Sat out on the street, let people check their e-mail.

      --

      I've had this sig for three days.
  30. What the...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am FROM Sault Ste. Marie! Why are hicks getting this but nobody in Toronto is? I should move back... grumble grumble.

  31. I am an EE.... by Xoder · · Score: 0

    Oh, so these aren't on the home line poles? The article was unclear which of the several voltage steps down to 120VAC was "medium voltage".

    Cells do produce some noise on the lines, but most cell towers are not less than a foot away from the power lines. There is also the upstream to be slightly concerned with. I mean, the step-down transformers can step-up just as easily.

    Of course, none of these concerns are really major, and I'm sure have been taken into account already.

    --
    The previous sig has been removed due to /. protecting your best interests
    1. Re:I am an EE.... by wampus · · Score: 1

      Shrug... around here they build cell fone masts inside the big ugly metal lattice power poles... i guess it compresses the two eyesores into one.

  32. No shielding by arrianus · · Score: 5, Informative

    For those not following the broadband-over-power-lines debate, the basic problem is lack of shielding. Cable modems use coax cable, where the outside of the coax acts as a shield, and so very little RF gets out. The wires carry broadband internet, but don't interfere with anything. In the case of DSL/telephone, you have twisted pair (or at the very least, two wires running very close to each other). They effectively shield each other (meaning that each generates a field in the opposite direction, and the fields cancel out if you're not too close to the wire). More RF gets out than coax, but it's still negligable compared to desirable transmissions. In the case of power lines, they are, depending on power line configuration and frequency, either a significant fraction of a wavelength apart, or several wavelengths apart. In some directions, you get destructive interference, but in others, you get constructive interfence. In the directions of constructive interference, you have a lot of signal being broadcast. As a result, they act as a directional antenna, which interferes with anything on the same wavelengths as power-over-power-lines.

    Signal strength goes a square of distance. That means that if I have an antenna running 10 meters from my house, and I'm trying to tune into a station 10 kilometers aways, that station needs to be putting out a million times more power than the segment of powerline running next to me. Ouch.

    This probably won't interfere with typical consumer applications (television, FM radio), because if it did, there would be significant political reprecussions, and it would be banned (in other words, it's probably engineered to operate outside of those frequencies). On the other hand, according to the ARRL, it very likely will interfere with amateur radio and therefore emergency communications services.

    My view is that it may be a good idea in some third world countries, with no telephone service, where there are no alternatives for Internet. However, in modernized countries, we're better off spending the few extra dollars to put in DSL on top of all phone lines or sticking with modems for a while longer, than in the short term, sacrificing emergency communications infrastructure, and in the long term, entrenching a system of broadband that takes away a significant chunk of the spectrum, and prevents all sorts of innovative uses of that spectrum we haven't thought of yet. Spectrum is a scarce resource, and it's gonna get scarcer. The population growing, but amount of spectrum stays constant, sans a few one-time improvements from better utilization (there are fundamental limits on signal strength vs. noise vs. bandwidth vs. bitrate -- with antenna arrays/directional transmissions, there are limits on directionality vs. frequency vs. transmitter size -- we cannot improve utilization forever). In contrast, all the benefits of power-over-power-lines are short-term -- we only gain the one-time cost of not having to modernize our infrastructure (maintanance costs of the two possible infrastructures aren't significantly different).

    I don't know how this initiative works, but my impression is that it sends broadband over powerlines, and then the last gap is sent via wireless. If this is the case, it has all of the standard problems associated above. If not, I need more information than is in the article to evalute it :)

    1. Re:No shielding by rrkbogie · · Score: 1

      This is exactly the issue with BPL. In order to get the bandwidth required by high speed networking while using the power lines as open wire transmission lines, the signals are spread over frequencies ranging from about 2 MHz thru 80 MHz and higher. As the power lines weren't designed to carry frequencies in this range efficiently, a lot of this energy will be radiated. Widespread usage of this technology could severly disrupt all high frequency communications, including amateur, military, emergency, and broadcast.

      The US Federal Emergency Management Adminstration (FEMA) has issued a statement saying that its emergency communications networks are incompatible with BPL in its current configurations.

      The 802.11 nodes are an attempt at a cheap solution to the problem that the high frequency BPL signals will not pass through the voltage step down transformers that convert the several kV line voltage on the power lines to the typical 230 V (center tapped) voltage that is provided to buildings. The poor security of these access points makes this configuration of BPL a double loser, susceptible to hacking and detrimental to existing communications networks.

      The ultimate solution to this problem is to run fiber networks to the home. BPL is an attempt at a low cost quick solution to this problem, but it will potentially creat more problems than it solves.

    2. Re:No shielding by jtn · · Score: 1

      Hi. Please stop spreading misinformation. Amateur radio operators are licensed users of bands within the wide swath of spectrum the power companies insist on using for this kind of setup. Do know what else exists in this range? Lots of HF and low end VHF services like police, fire, ambulance and rescue systems that likely will not be able to tolerate the amount of hash that BPL systems put out. Think about that next time an ambulance dispatch cannot reach any ambulances to rescue you from an accident when you are bleeding to death.

    3. Re:No shielding by Goody · · Score: 1

      If some Ham radio users lose out on this because they use spectrum that isn't licensed for their use, then too bad.

      You're totally clueless. Read CFR Title 47 Part 97. BPL on the other hand is unlicensed but is regulated by Part 15.

      --
      Tired of being "punished" by the Slashdot $rtbl since 2002. I'm now over at http://soylentnews.org/ .
  33. Wow, I'm moving to the Soo! by presearch · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Not only the home of the Bandettes, but now internet for everyone!
    My kind of town.

    1. Re:Wow, I'm moving to the Soo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You insensitive clod! I'm from the Soo!

      Seriously, I am. Great town - too bad the economy is terrible there (nothing like unemployment in the 17% range).

      If you like the outdoors, and winter sports (you'd better like winter sports - they get tons of snow there) it's a great place, if you can find work.

      I had to move away for school, and now work.

  34. Similar to ESB in Ireland then... by zoney_ie · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Here in Ireland, the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) - our State electricity company, is setting up something similar. They have a fibre ring following the trunk electricity routes - it's just fibre piggy-backed on their existing infrastructure.

    I'm just amazed they haven't done this ages ago - it puts them at a huge advantage to those who have to dig up stuff and lay fibre from scratch.

    Not sure what ESBs plan is to connect this main telecomms artery to anything useful...

    --
    -- *~()____) This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds...
    1. Re:Similar to ESB in Ireland then... by PaschalNee · · Score: 1

      >I'm just amazed they haven't done this ages ago

      I think you'll find that the recent announcement is the completion of something they have been building it for the last two and a half years.

      >Not sure what ESBs plan is to connect this main telecomms artery to anything useful...

      The network provides broadband infrastructure across the country. There are plans to make broadband available to an additional 90 towns in a short time frame and at a very competitive price.

      Details here

    2. Re:Similar to ESB in Ireland then... by naoiseo · · Score: 1

      You mean, I might actually be able to move to rural Ireland and have high speed internet access for less than 200 dollars a month?

      lmk when it reaches the Beara peninsula. /ready to pack bags

  35. Northern? by barzok · · Score: 1

    I thought it was on the US border.

    1. Re:Northern? by rm007 · · Score: 1

      Yes Northern ... for the Toronto Star. The Sault is a good 7 hrs drive north of TO and most Torontonians would consider that *north* despite the fact that it is south of all of western Canada.

      --


      I've finally got around to changing my sig
    2. Re:Northern? by Nauger · · Score: 1

      According to TO, they are the center of Canada. So ALL directions are with respect to TO. Of course the rest of us up here realise that since TO is only a few hours north of the most southern point in the country, that's a pretty dumbass attitude. For that matter, most Torontonians also think the Maple Leafs are a good hockey team, and the Blue Jays have a decent shot at the World Series! They're in their own little world.

    3. Re:Northern? by techathead · · Score: 0

      It is, it borders Sault Ste. Marie Michigan.

    4. Re:Northern? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you noticed that it's called the Toronto Star, asswipe?

  36. Sunspots and solar flares by stewwy · · Score: 1

    Obviously, these are going to be the next 'terrorist' threat to the net, (solar flares affect the power cables and can and have cause outages)

    1. Re:Sunspots and solar flares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to mention Thunderstorms, Bugzappers, CRT TV's, Halogen Lights, Light Dimmer Switches and of course Wired LANS.....

  37. Canada? by NixLuver · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Ok, what's the tech market like in Canada for hard-core engineer level *Nix geeks? :) How do Canadians feel about American Immigrants? LOL

    1. Re:Canada? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      come on over, but pick up your hockey stick and beer at the border

    2. Re:Canada? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      "How do Canadians feel about American Immigrants?"

      Well, I have a little joke on the subject...

      An American, an Australian, and a Canadian are drinkng beer.

      The American grabs his beer, knocks it back in one gulp, and then throws the glass into the air and shoots it with his handgun. As he sets the handgun on the bar, he tells the Canadian and the Australian that in the great U.S. of A, they have so much money they never drink out of the same glass twice.

      Next the Australian drinks his beer, throws the glass into the air and shoots the glass with the American's gun. As he sets the gun back on the bar he, proclaims that in Australia they have so much sand that glass is cheap, and he too never drinks out of the same glass twice.

      Next the Canadian drinks his beer, grabs the gun off the bar, and shoots the American. As he sets the gun back on the bar, he tells the Australian, "In Canada, we have so many Americans you never have to drink with the same one twice".

    3. Re:Canada? by elbarsal · · Score: 1

      hat's the tech market like in Canada for hard-core engineer level *Nix geeks?

      In Sault Ste. Marie, about zero. All 4 of those jobs are taken. The Sault is a steel town, and it's economy has been in the dumps for some time - unemployment is in 17% range, last I saw.

      It's a shame, isn't it? Maybe it could be the next hot tech area - but how do you draw people to a town that gets 400cm of snow a season?

    4. Re:Canada? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By offering them a free snow mobile.

    5. Re:Canada? by NixLuver · · Score: 1

      "But every time I go to a Leafs game, some guy gets me pissed and tries to blow me!"

    6. Re:Canada? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, none!
      Since you're probably not a licensed engineer, you wouldn't be able to refer to yourself as an engineer in Canada!

      You could. But it would cost you several tens of thousands of dollars everytime you did. : /

  38. this is bad... by teh*fink · · Score: 1

    this is bad because now the power company will be able to eavesdrop on all transmissions destroying our privacy!!

    --
    "I DARE you to make less sense!"
  39. Re:Uh oh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    BPL is licensed in the US under FCC rules that say in no uncertain terms that the equipment may not interfere with any other equipment, and must accept inference from any other equipment. All the testing I've read inicates that the first ham radio operator keying up his radio at any substantial fraction of the legal limit (1500 watts ERP) will supress all the BPL nearby. Tough luck- the ham is licensed under part 95, the bpl under part 15, end of story. In Canada, the story is similar. And you can bet yer bottom dollar that the bpl customers will blame the hams for the problem.

  40. Re:Uh oh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I sure hope someone meta moderates that wrong mderation, You are as On-Topic as it gets

  41. FYI from a Canuck ... by rlowe69 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Just so people not familiar with the place know, the Toronto Star is kind of stretching the word "town" here. Sault Ste. Marie has a population of over 75,000 people.

    Also, "hydros" in the article refer to the power utilities like Ontario Hydro. "Hydro" (water) comes from the fact that they get some of the power from hydroelectric damns.

    --
    ----- rL
    1. Re:FYI from a Canuck ... by Soul-Burn666 · · Score: 1

      "hydroelectric damns"

      damn dams!

      --
      ^_^
    2. Re:FYI from a Canuck ... by rlowe69 · · Score: 1

      heh, ya ooops ... finger must have slipped *rolls eyes*

      --
      ----- rL
    3. Re:FYI from a Canuck ... by Jardine · · Score: 1

      Just so people not familiar with the place know, the Toronto Star is kind of stretching the word "town" here. Sault Ste. Marie has a population of over 75,000 people.

      To people who live in Toronto, any place smaller than Toronto isn't a city. Therefore Sault Ste. Marie must be something less, a town.

    4. Re:FYI from a Canuck ... by rlowe69 · · Score: 1

      To people who live in Toronto, any place smaller than Toronto isn't a city. Therefore Sault Ste. Marie must be something less, a town.

      That is a typical center-of-the-universe ignorant Torontonian attitude. By that logic Ottawa must be a town too. And Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg. All smaller than Toronto yet they are all cities. Fairly big cities I might add.

      In fact, if you read the wikipedia article I linked to it will tell you that Sault Ste. Marie was incorporated as a city in 1912.

      To Americans (and others worldwide) who might be unfamiliar, Torontonians are often mocked by the rest of the country for reasons exactly like this. Ah well ... it gives Newfoundlanders someone to make fun of.

      --
      ----- rL
  42. Northern Ontario? by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ah yes, a Northern Ontario town, on the southern border of Ontario. South of Seattle. Yep.

    1. Re:Northern Ontario? by markh100 · · Score: 1

      I'm originally from Sault Ste Marie, and it is indeed "Northern Ontario". Toronto gets about a foot of snow per year. Sault Ste. Marie is about 350 miles north of Toronto. We would routinely get temperatures around -30 Celcius (-22 F). We once had six feet of snowfall in 48 hours.

    2. Re:Northern Ontario? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it is the toronto star writing this...

    3. Re:Northern Ontario? by loftwyr · · Score: 1

      Ah, another American geography student...

      Ontario stretches from touching Detroit to the arctic circle. Sault Ste. Marie is ini the northern half of the province.

      Get a map.

    4. Re:Northern Ontario? by Carrierwave · · Score: 1

      To the arctic circle? Hrm... not quite. Actually, not even freaking close. Check it out.

      http://atlas.gc.ca/rasterimages/english/maps/refer ence/national/canada_eng.jpg

    5. Re:Northern Ontario? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      but it FEELS like the North Pole...

      did you also notice that by visiting the far north in Canada, you can claim to have been North of the North Pole (magnetic)?

    6. Re:Northern Ontario? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      If this is what Canadian geography students are capable of stating then they need a cup of STFU. The only area of Canadian soil that is north of the Arctic Circle is the three Canadian territories. Take a look before I end up knocking you off your national pride perch!


      Sincerely,
      The American Geography Student who paid attention in class

    7. Re:Northern Ontario? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To apply your framework to the United States, Alaska is in the Northern US, the other 49 states are in the Southern US.

      Makes sense? No? Doesn't make sense in Ontario either.

    8. Re:Northern Ontario? by LPetrazickis · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually, it's on the Northern Southern border of Ontario, not the Southern Southern border of Ontario. As such, it is obviously Northern to any versed in Torontonian geophysicography as well as I am.:)

      --
      Is this a sigs-optional kind of place? 'Cause I am totally down with that if you know what I mean.
  43. RTFA - it IS over the powerline. by emptybody · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wyant is quick to point out PUC won't be using power lines to deliver Internet access directly into the home. Instead, the company is installing wireless access points along its medium-voltage lines in densely populated residential areas.

    These wireless "boxes" convert data so they can be sent through the grid and on to PUC's fibre-optic backbone, which connects to the Internet. Home computers equipped with 802.11b or "Wi-Fi" wireless access cards and within 150 metres of these access points will be able to use the service.

    The advantage of this approach, said Wyant, is that instead of being tied to home with cable or DSL service, a power-line subscriber with a wireless card can use the service anywhere in Sault Ste. Marie that's within range of an access point.


    INTERNET BACKBONE
    - connects to -
    medium-voltage power lines
    - connects to -
    wireless boxes
    - wirelessly transmits to/from -
    subscribers wifi devices.

    --
    comment directly in my journal
  44. First Canadian High Speed Internet over Snow by A+Guy+From+Ottawa · · Score: 1

    "All of Canada is going to be the first installation of BS (Broadband Snow technology). As reported in the Toronto Star, wireless access points will be set up on top of snow hills, providing roaming capability throughout the country to all users."

    Seriously though, how can they say this is "BPL (Broadband Power Line technology)" when all they're doing is putting WAPs ONTOP of the power lines.

    --

    using System.Awesome;

  45. Sounds like it's going over the power lines to me by blorg · · Score: 1
    "Wyant is quick to point out PUC won't be using power lines to deliver Internet access directly into the home. Instead, the company is installing wireless access points along its medium-voltage lines in densely populated residential areas.

    These wireless "boxes" convert data so they can be sent through the grid and on to PUC's fibre-optic backbone, which connects to the Internet."

    Sounds like it's going over the power lines to me, just not end to end.

  46. rtfa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They are not transmitting shit over powerlines. They are transmitting over a fiber optic network which they installed with the power lines, then using 802.11b for the "last mile" to the consumer homes.

    This is not the same thing as the internet over power line debate, with all of the shielding and signal issues.

    Now, with that said, I will be curious how they will secure the system so people who pay can get on, and people who don't pay cannot. I've yet to dig into any solutions that seemed very viable, but have seen a few advertised. The local wireless isp here just ususes mac address filtering. Doesn't seem that secure, and would be management problem if they didn't keep control of the client premise equipment i.e. soakris card running linux with a pc-card wireless nic shoved in it ( on a stick! ).

    1. Re:rtfa by vhfer · · Score: 1

      Nope. You are wrong here. In last month's issue of QST, representatives of the company that makes this stuff, Amperion, invited some folks from the ARRL on a ridealong as they did a small-scale field test. It goes over power lines dude, to 802.11 access points in the neighborhood for the last hundred meters or so.

  47. Interesting? Mods on crack. by blorg · · Score: 1
    "What prevents this?"

    Um - laws? The government? Private property? Common sense?

    I've a great idea. I'm going to start up my own power distribution company. I plan to use the telephone network.

  48. Three birds with one stone! by Xoder · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Hey, no one likes Hams anyways. And CB is soo 80s! And why wouldn't everyone have the newest 100GHz phone (More GHz means more chicks). Short-wave? Can I get that on my TeeVee?

    BTW, I'm KC2DXE and I bought one of those old 49MHz phones at a Hamfest once. Worked really well until one of my younger brothers broke it.

    --
    The previous sig has been removed due to /. protecting your best interests
  49. Canada... by twoslice · · Score: 1
    My view is that it may be a good idea in some third world countries

    Canada is a third world country...

    I should know I am from Canada and am suffering from high taxes, corrupt politicians, a dollar that is slightly higher than the peso and a navy that consists of a single rowboat with 2 straw pea shooters....

    --

    From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
    1. Re:Canada... by onkelonkel · · Score: 1
      "You must be joking. We couldn't stop the Delaware National Guard"

      A retired Canadian General, after an interviewer asked him if the Canadian Forces could stop the US Army from invading Canada.

      --
      None of them can see the clouds; The polished wings don't care.
  50. "northern Ontario town" by The+Fun+Guy · · Score: 1

    Is there any Ontario town that *isn't* northern?

    --
    The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. - Mark Twain
    1. Re:"northern Ontario town" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure there is. Some parts of Southern Ontario are further South than U.S. land in several states not including Alaska.

    2. Re:"northern Ontario town" by iantri · · Score: 1

      Yes. Most of the Canadian population is right along the Southern border.

  51. Killers from Space by stuffduff · · Score: 0
    So then, as in the sci-fi classic Killers from space; the aliens can not only steal power by parallel induction, but they can also tap communications and send spam!

    "What do you think of our menagerie?"

    --
    "Can there be a Klein bottle that is an efficient and effective beer pitcher?"
  52. BPL is a PART 15 licensee by vhfer · · Score: 3, Informative
    BPL poses a threat to amateur radio, civil and law enforcement communications, and federal emergency management communications. And potentially any Part 15 electronics you got laying around the house.

    See that cool remote weather station widget you got, with the remote outdoor sensor? Probably uses 450 MHz to report the outside temp back to the main unit. Baby monitors. Cordless phones, except maybe digital spread spectrum ones. Wireless burglar alarms. Etc etc etc.

    All exist by the grace of FCC rules, part 15, which says, "This device must not cause any interference to any other device, and must accept any interference from any other device." That means that if you pay money for it, get it home, and the RF hash from the BPL outside your window blankets the range used by it, and it's useless, you got nobody to cry to. Refer to part 15, FCC rules.

    Ok, now, Ham Radio, licensed under part 95 (or part 97? Can never keep that straight) is DIFFERENT. There are specific portions of spectrum carved out and devoted to amateur radio as PRIMARY use bands. If you are not licensed by the FCC under part 95, and you interfere in one of those bands, YOU are required to shut it down.

    Lo and behold! BPL in the US is a Part 15 licensee. Guess what? A ham files a notice with the FCC and East Podunk Power Light & Internet needs to punch the buttons that shift the BPL carrier to another set of bands. Then the country sheriff's non-trunked 435 MHz (or whatever) radios become useless in certain areas. A few more notices, a few more shifts, and if they can't stay out of bands they don't belong in without radiating all over the place, and the FCC shows up and says, "Turn it off."

    And how tight and non-radiating do you think those rusty bolts and cable clamps are, out in the weather, some of which were last inspected in 1952? Not very, I'll wager. Ever stand near (not UNDER!) a high-voltage distribution tower in wet weather and hear the continuous sizzle? And you think THATS RFI tight??

    Call me dubious.

    1. Re:BPL is a PART 15 licensee by Little+Brother · · Score: 2, Insightful
      What does the FCC have to do with a Canadian outfit, like the one mentioned? Yes, the Canadian government has their own equivilant to the FCC, but the rules arn't identical, so your siting is pretty much irrelavant.

      Beleive it or not, US law is not applicable outside of the US.

      --

      Little Brother, watching the watchers

    2. Re:BPL is a PART 15 licensee by vhfer · · Score: 1
      Because BPL is coming to the US, if certain corporate entities have their way, and this apparently imminent implementation over our Northern border just points out how inexorable that process seems to be.

      Did you see our alleged regulatory agency, the FCC, acting the role of cheerleader, praising this technology, when it should be asking some hard questions about how they are going to make it work cleanly?

      I hear about other countries all the time, just today, about how the pacific rim is going to be the first big market for the new X-Box online gaming machine. Why????? Because those countries are miles ahead the the good old USA in broadband accessability. And they are NOT using BPL.

    3. Re:BPL is a PART 15 licensee by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because BPL RF hash in the HF spectrum won't just suddenly dissapear when it hits the border with the US...

      There's a reason why a treaty prohibits amateur radio in the US from transmitting between 420 and 430 MHz near the Canadian border. It's to prevent interference to Canadian stations along the border.

    4. Re:BPL is a PART 15 licensee by satan666 · · Score: 1

      This is not irrelevant. vhfer is trying to say that the interference, posed by BPL, will by felt by everyone. And it will, since this technology is faulty. It doesn't matter if you live in Canada, USA of the moon.

      If you shut up for a minute and listen, you might get it.

    5. Re:BPL is a PART 15 licensee by Baron+of+Greymatter · · Score: 1

      Canada's equivalent of the FCC has a section of their rules covering unlicensed transmitters that is almost identical to our Part 15.

      --
      Microsoft's VP of Customer Service is Helen Waite. If you are having problems with their products go to Helen Waite.
    6. Re:BPL is a PART 15 licensee by zx75 · · Score: 1

      That "sizzle" is called St. Elmo's Fire and it is present in anything that has high voltage running through it. In wet weather the effect becomes amplified, and thats why its easier to hear that sizzle sound. Regardless, it is present whether or not you hear it, and a shielded and insulated line will make the same noise as a bare wire as electric insulation does not mean noise insulation.

      On top of that, standing under high-voltage lines during dry weather is not significantly less dangerous than standing under it in wet weather. Unless the conditions are severe enough to risk a line breaking, a wet 'sizzling' power line is really no different than a dry quiet one.

      That is not to say you should stand under power lines nor work or play near them unless necessary, but your emphasis is quite unecessary.

      http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/wonderquest/2 001-02-07-wquest-power-line.htm
      -- a brief article on St. Elmo's Fire.

      --
      This is not a sig.
    7. Re:BPL is a PART 15 licensee by Little+Brother · · Score: 1
      Yes, I agree that BPL will be felt by everybody. Never said otherwise. What I said is that Canada isn't regulated by the FCC. I pointed out that citing US law to a Canadian enterprise is pretty pointless. (As another poster pointed out, Canada has similar laws, if the origional poster had discussed these laws, instead of the FCC's it would have been a great post, or if they had said "Canada has similar laws" or somesuch.)

      Try reading a little more carefully before posting, you might come accross a little better.

      --

      Little Brother, watching the watchers

    8. Re:BPL is a PART 15 licensee by leighklotz · · Score: 1

      What does the FCC have to do with a Canadian outfit, like the one mentioned? Yes, the Canadian government has their own equivilant to the FCC, but the rules arn't identical, so your siting is pretty much irrelavant.
      In this case, as the technology was developed by Amperion of Andover, MA and Columbus, OH, and is being pushed quite hard by them in the US, what the huge market of the US does and thus what the FCC says could make or break them. The Canadian test is just a small market probe.

      Personally I think BPL is a bad solution to a problem, and one that has the potential to wipe out radio spectrum of tremendous value.

  53. Let me claifiy some points about ham radio. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hams are NOT the same as CB'ers or "Free Banders". The latter are criminals as are some CD'er who use unauthorized frequencies and power levels.

    Actual ham radio operators are licensed by the FCC and operate on clearly defined frequency bands established by international treaties many years ago.

    As a ham radio operator (since 1958) I am entitled to transmit on some of the same frequencies that BPL is sending down their antennae, AKA power lines. I suspect that hams transmitting legally will have an effect on the reliability their scheme. Just run the coax or fiber for Pete's sake! It's bad enough that leakage from defective cable systems can wreck VHF reception for lots of services besides hams, now they want the power lines to spew RF white noise, too.

    It's not just hams that are bothered by this, BTW. Government services are very concerned, too, since they often have to use communications that are not dependent on infrastructure wiring.

    Thanks for thinking so highly of us hundreds of thousands of licensed hams who have had these freqencies assigned to us since the 1920's. Many of the advances in communications that millions of people use every day, including cell phones and 802.11 wireless have been developed by the very people you are dissing. Where do you think they developed their interests and skills? Ham radio is still great training and a wonderful hobby.

  54. um... by Run4yourlives · · Score: 1

    He pointed out that SSM is south of seatlle which it is.

  55. Feel free to leave. by Run4yourlives · · Score: 1

    You know, you can always move south, just don't forget to leave your Heath Care, Education, peaceful cities when you go you trecherous bastard.

  56. All the consumer needs is a Wi-Fi unit by bonnyman · · Score: 3, Informative

    The Amperion unit on the pole uses Wi-Fi through the air for the connection from the pole to the house. All the subscriber needs is a Wi-Fi unit of his own.

    There are other power line broadband systems from other vendors that use a special proprietary modem that plugs into the 120v outlet in the customer home and has an Ethernet output.

  57. Read the scale on your map! by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you check one of those common Ontario Road maps, with one side "Northern Ontario" and the other side "Southern Ontario", you'll notice that the scale on Northern Ontario is smaller than that of Southern Ontario. Yet the Sault sometimes just barely appears on the edge of the Southern Ontario map, but also appears on a Northern Ontario map... but the scale is different!

    The Sault is indeed at a more southern latitude than Seattle, and it is indeed geographically well in the southern half of the province.

    Detroit is at 42 degrees,
    Fort Severn is at 56 degrees,
    The Sault is at 46 degrees,
    Seattle is at 47 degrees.

    Granted, most of the time when people are speaking about Southern Ontario, and Northern Ontario, they're drawing the border somewhere along the population rather than the geography. It strikes me as silly though when Ontario-U.S. border towns are considered in Northern Ontario.

    The Northern half of Ontario is absurdly large.

  58. That's nothing: try doing this instead by Koyaanisqatsi · · Score: 1

    RFC3251 - Electricity over IP

    http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3251.txt

    Now THAT'S a beast I would like to see implemented!

    1. Re:That's nothing: try doing this instead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They do have it. Check linksys's website. You plug an adaptor in, which feeds power and the ether signal over the CAT cable, and use another adaptor at the other end, which splits the ether signal from the DC power supply. You use the DC power connector from the adaptor to power the DC input on the router/switch/whatever you're using on the far end, and it also has the CAT uplink out of this adaptor to feed the CAT signal to the router. The advantage is you can install the router in the middle of a ceiling and only have to run the CAT cable, eliminating the need to have an outlet near by or extend the DC power line by cutting the splicing. Not to mention it makes the install much cleaner.

    2. Re:That's nothing: try doing this instead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow! is the DC feed in the payload part of the IP datagram, and correctly checksumed? It takes some DSPing to discretize a sinusoid, you know ... (lol!)

  59. Read /., learn geography by pestilence4hr · · Score: 0
    "Sault Ste. Marie, a northern Ontario town"

    Huh?
    1. Re:Read /., learn geography by t1deman · · Score: 1

      I can't believe it took that much scrolling to find someone that knows where Sault Ste. Marie is. Aren't all these /. boys from Michigan. The Sault is Northern Michigan, but by no means northern anything for Canada, eh?
      I wonder how many people are scratching their heads trying to pronounce Sault Ste. Marie. (sue-saint-marie)
      -------
      t1deman

  60. Power line broadband in rural areas by bonnyman · · Score: 1

    Broadband over power line (BPL) systems are economical for rural towns where there may be 40 or 50 homes per mile of power line.

    Once you really get into the cuntryside, where line densities are typically 10 homes per mile (or less), these systems are not very economical because of all the repeaters needed. BPL signals attenuate pretty rapidly as you increase distances.

  61. First Canadian High? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Geez. It took them long enough.

  62. We already have it in Manassas VA! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yup,

    Small rural town outside of Washington DC.

  63. Re:Blackout 2004! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I believe the OP was talking about the two months of summer where we don't get any sunshine.

    Yea, I know he wasn't, but ;) anyway.

  64. Amperion BPL System by Goody · · Score: 1

    The Amperion system uses 3.5 Mhz channels for the downstream channel, and 2.5 Mhz channels for the upstream, both of which are in the 1 to 50 Mhz band. The "last one hundred feet" from the powerline to the customer is WiFi 802.11.

    Amperion is a clever system, but in the end it has the smae problems as it counterparts. Because of the need to use different frequencies between repeater segments, it's likely that in any given neighborhood, they'll need to use every chunk of the 1-50Mhz spectrum and will interfere with someone. While frequencies can be reused eventually down the line, the frequency reuse just isn't tight enough, and it makes the interference avoidance plan by BPL providers unviable.

    There's no bandwidth growth plan for BPL and the business model for deployment in rural areas is tenuous at best.

    BPL is just a roadkill / speedbump on the highway to fiber.

    --
    Tired of being "punished" by the Slashdot $rtbl since 2002. I'm now over at http://soylentnews.org/ .
  65. You are making the assumption... by Vaystrem · · Score: 1

    "My view is that it may be a good idea in some third world countries, with no telephone service, where there are no alternatives for Internet. "

    You are making the assumption that developing nations posses a quality of infrastructure sufficient to allow for broadband access over powerlines. This technology has been difficult enough to introduce within the developed world with our level of infrastructure, this is not a viable option for developing nations.

  66. You can't do it yourself because ... by bonnyman · · Score: 1

    1. You need the power company's permission to attach your injectors and repeaters to their medium voltage (typically between 7,000 and 35,000 volt) distribution lines.

    2. You need special skills, people and equipment to install this gear without getting electrocuted. (The power companies already have the skills, gear and people -- installing this stuff is easy.)

    3. in the U.S. here are a number of OSHA regulations to comply with to work anywhere near a power conductor.

    There are cases where non-power utilities are offering BPL (broadband over power line) service, but it's only with the cooperation of the local utility:

    Penn Yan Municipal Utilities Board/DVI

    City of Manassas Utilities/Prospect Street Broadband

  67. uh-oh... by lumpenprole · · Score: 1

    Hope it isn't this guy doing the installing.

    --
    Disclaimer: MINAA (Mummy! I'm Not An Animal!)
  68. It's called 'fiber to the throne' by bonnyman · · Score: 1

    There have actually been a number of these fiber in sewer system deployments, usually in urban areas where digging up streets is very expensive (>$500,000 in Manhattan). Scottish Water has a project underway now.

    New Orleans is considering a variation on the idea using an innovative "burst pipe" system.

  69. Article Quote by Goody · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "Our service can reach into areas that others don't, because the power network is the most pervasive on the planet. It's where the phones aren't and the cable isn't."

    This is wrong. BPL is not a long haul technology. It needs to go through repeaters every 200m, depending on the vendor. The economics for deploying this where cable service doesn't exist isn't there, and is infintessimal where phone service doesn't exist. In fact, it's likely they'll have to use telco facilities or fiber to backhaul the data from BPL segments.

    Everyone seems to be under the impression that you plug this in to the grid and voila, fifty miles away you have Internet on every wall plug. This is just not so.

    --
    Tired of being "punished" by the Slashdot $rtbl since 2002. I'm now over at http://soylentnews.org/ .
  70. Where safe GWB whont come to canada for a while by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where safe GWB whont come to canada for a while ...

  71. Yes ,whe know The US "always" Blame somebody else by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes whe know The US "always" blame somebody else , Nothing new there ...

    BTW it whas proven that the last NYC black Out whas due to something blowing up in the US , but dont let reality and fact interfere with your stupdity

  72. Re:Uh oh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you retarded?

  73. Flashback by Vandil+X · · Score: 0

    I don't know about anyone else, but I couldn't help but to think of last year's power line-related blackout when I read this article.

    (Talk about your netsplits...)

    I would wonder whether the data traffic on power lines could contribute (or cause) a blackout, or, worse, during a thunderstorm, NICs could seriously be fried.

    --
    Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, START
  74. I'm from the Soo!!! by 2ManyClowns · · Score: 1

    Yay, I already live here... good news for me!!!

    Nice touch on the IP over sewage... I think I'll call it IPOS.

    1. Re:I'm from the Soo!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      or msn

  75. RF on power conductors last mile, Wi-Fi last 100' by bonnyman · · Score: 2, Informative

    "They are not transmitting shit over powerlines. They are transmitting over a fiber optic network which they installed with the power lines, then using 802.11b for the "last mile" to the consumer homes.This is not the same thing as the internet over power line debate, with all of the shielding and signal issues."

    Wrong!!

    The Amperion system uses RF signals injected on the power conductors for the 'last mile' to the Amperion unit on the conductor that then transmits it through the air as Wi-Fi the last 100 feet or so to the subscriber.

    Some broadband over power line (BPL) systems use fiber for 'backhaul' from the injection point (often at a substation) to the utilities routers. For instance, City of Manassas Utilities is doing something like that using AFL equipment. The last mile on that system is BPL, however.

    ("Last mile" refers to the run from the narest aggregation point to the subscriber -- it can actually be more or less than a mile)

  76. In other news... by vrmlguy · · Score: 3, Funny
    Hmmm, the Internet seems a bit slow today. Let me check my connection.... ZZZAAAPPP!!!!

    Uh, the... internet... has... been... very... good... to... me...

    --
    Nothing for 6-digit uids?
  77. where phone lines aren't? by GodLived · · Score: 2, Funny
    "Our service can reach into areas that others don't, because the power network is the most pervasive on the planet. It's where the phones aren't and the cable isn't."
    Not to mention, we'll save a FORTUNE avoiding tech support calls from the people without phones... :-)
  78. Re:Ahh.. Northern town? by 2ManyClowns · · Score: 1

    Sigh... please see a map of the world at your earliest convenience. Ontario has a northern part and a southern part. One hour east of the I-75 highway is Port Huron (which is close to Windsor... which borders with Detroit). So we go about as far south as Detroit. And we don't say "aboot"... lol. But we do say "eh".

  79. Re:Yes ,whe know The US "always" Blame somebody el by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    " BTW it whas proven that the last NYC black Out whas due to something blowing up in the US , but dont let reality and fact interfere with your stupdity"

    Indeed but the one before that WAS a problem that orriginated in Canada.

  80. Purrdy phones, disaster, deer in headlights by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    >Hey, no one likes Hams anyways.

    m will you be saying that the next time a massive
    disaster strikes, and all of those purrdy crime
    plated phones with the color screens and video
    games become useless for communication, due to
    lack of available network? at least an old Ham
    or CB rig will keep working (provided the box
    itself isn't destroyed in said disaster :)

    1. Re:Purrdy phones, disaster, deer in headlights by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you're a dumbass. he's being sarcastic... he's a ham. that's why he wrote his frigging call letters (KC2DXE) and talked about attending a Hamfest.

  81. Transformers would block data by wsanders · · Score: 1

    The step-down transformers located on the pole outside your house would severely attenuate and thus effectively block anything above 50/60 Hz you would put into your home power wiring.

    This is why X-10 type devices will work on your immediate neighbors houses, if they are connected to the same transformer as you.

    --
    Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
  82. Re:Mod parent up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The poster knows what he is talking about

  83. Not a "Last Mile" solution in rural areas... by Yeroc · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Unfortunately, this isn't going to be a solution for "Last Mile" broadband in rural areas. As the article notes this is only being deployed in high population density areas in the city using wireless access points to get from the medium voltage lines to the homes. Of course out in rural areas you would end up with one wireless access point serving one household which is unlikely to be economical...

  84. Geography? by Bad+Axe+Exile · · Score: 3, Informative

    Sault Ste. Marie... Northern Michigan, SOUTHERN Ontario. and Int'l border.

    1. Re:Geography? by papa248 · · Score: 1

      Indeed...the Soo is a much Michigan nee USA as it is Ontario/Canada, if not more. An annoyance to me. (I live in the Metro area.)

      --


      The higher, the fewer.
  85. reminds me of the home by ratfynk · · Score: 1
    Of Phil and Tony Esposito, Prince Township and Groscap. Good that it is happening to my old home town. North of SSM Michigan there are more than just Moose, miss treated Natives, and dumb American tourists! Now if we have the insight to ban Xbox, spam, and email with virus attachments traffic on it it might just work! If you are going to create an alternative to the mess on the net today, getting alittle hostile might be the only answer.

    --
    OH THE SHAME I fell off the wagon and use sigs again!
    1. Re:reminds me of the home by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There seem to be a lot of folks from the Sault commenting on this article. Strange how whereever you go, it becomes a mini-Sault Ste. Marie. I guess it's 'cause a lot of us have left.

      I do miss it - but I'm not going to go work at Algoma Steel.

  86. Re:Ahh.. Northern town? by alikat · · Score: 1

    Ohhh.. I don't think you can totally disown "aboot" -- I am originally from Sault, Michigan, and after being home for only a weekend, I even catch myself saying it (though I think it might better be spelled "aboat"!)

  87. This will work for rural towns by bonnyman · · Score: 1

    BPL (broadband over power lines) is not economical in truly rural areas where the power utility's "line density" is typically 10 customers per mile or less. The system's attenuation requires to many repeaters for the number of customers.

    Unlike Canada, where many small towns are getting DSL, in the U.S., many small rural towns have been written off by the big Bells and there is no broadband available. Even in a really small town, line densities are typically 50 homes per mile, which is ideal, economically for BPL.

    The majority of folks in the U.S. that live in what are considered rural areas actually do live in a small community, not on a farm.

    Even in big towns, one Amperion wireless unit does not serve that many homes.

  88. Re:oO0(MjB)0Oo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know I shouldn't reply to a troll, but I have a feeling the name reflects 2 hands on either side of a moon.

  89. misleading topic by strider_starslayer · · Score: 1

    WOW; maby the submitter got it wrong, maby he had trouble understanding the article, maby he just wanted to make the topic sound more 'cool', but he's very wrong.

    Were not talking about data over the power lines, were talking about a WAP every 3 or 4 poles, all connected with fiber, so that anyone in the city can get wireless access. Which is damned cool, and I hope my home town (hamilton) has plans to do likewise soon.

    So once again, this has nothing to do with sending data over the powerlines, just using existing infrastructure to set up wireless for a city.

    --
    -Millions of Monkeys, Millions of typewriters, 6 hours of sorting through faeces encrusted pages to find: This post
  90. SSM Resident - by LordPyro-CA · · Score: 1

    Being a frequent reader of slashdot and a resident of Sault Ste. Marie, ON - It was interesting to see the broadband solution the PUC is implementing to be on slashdot. My question is - do you think it will be expanded to rural areas where DSL and CABLE solutions haven't made it? Or is there a great expense involved in expanding this solution as with the Cable Internet? How has it faired in US cities as for deployment to the outskirts? --

  91. Re:Ahh.. Northern town? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From Desbarats here, it's kind of pronounced Deborah or Dead-Rats... I am happy to say it's 45 kilometers East of Sault Ste. Marie Ontario LOL. More happy in knowing that perhaps this Broadband of Powerlines may save us all out here! Finally. I demand Broadband, I'd gladly give up my Satellite Internet, tv radio etc for Broadband. To make matters worse I don't actually live in the town of Desbarats but I am about 5 miles North and West and the town making be totally rural and that's the part that scares me. If this service doesn't make it to me then nothing will....

  92. hmm... by Ompaloskeptic · · Score: 1

    I think I need to move.

    --
    Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.