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Earthlink Invests In Broadband Over Power Lines

Posted by timothy on from the keep-your-jacks-straight-please dept.

prostoalex writes "Earthlink dedicated $500,000 to delivering broadband connections over power lines by launching a test drive of the technology with Progress Energy in North Carolina. 500 homes involved in the projects can sign up for promotional pricing of $20/month, which after 3 months will be changed to $50/month. No word on bandwidth provided, but Ambient Corp., which provides technology for the project and accpeted EarthLink investment, claims data rates exceeding 10 Mpbs."

9 of 308 comments (clear)

  1. Interference problems... by detritus` · · Score: 5, Informative

    Once again the interference point has to be brought up, the company uses 5 - 70 Mhz, which dumps inteference out on the following bands:

    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)
    shortwave radio (7-14 Mhz)
    older cordless devices, such as phones (49 Mhz)
    CB Radio (29Mhz)
    Military communications (several)

    And there's probably more, but i'm too lazy to dig them up...

    --
    drunk chemists
    1. Re:Interference problems... by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 3, Informative

      CB Radio (29Mhz)

      Small correction: CB Radio is on 27Mhz (11m)

      --
      "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    2. Re:Interference problems... by abcxyz · · Score: 4, Informative

      That only implies direct interference, if you were to look at the even/odd harmonics for those frequencies then the "potential" for interference could be greater. I'm a geek and broadband kinda person, and enjoy my DSL. This might turn out to be a wonderful last mile solution, but the concern from a ham radio perspective is that if it does cause wide spread interference then there's the possiblity of impact to the emergency services provided by amateur radio. Just a thought from a "Ham"

      -- w1rww

    3. Re:Interference problems... by Sleeper · · Score: 4, Informative

      For those who think HAM operators have no foundation behind their objections to BPL please visit this site and see results of actual studies on interference.

      There is a lot of additional issues surrounding BPL. Such as the fact that power market is regulated and comunications market is not. Utility companies are going to finance their excursion into broadband internet access out of your pocket even if you are not going to use it.

      --
      - Back off man. I am a scientist
  2. Error in summary by Mieckowski · · Score: 5, Informative

    The article says that after the first 3 months the price will be $39.95, which is about $40/month rather than $50/month.

  3. Re:If there is one thing worse than Gates... by MaxPower2263 · · Score: 3, Informative
    I agree 100%. When I first moved to Houston, I tried to get Earthlink DSL. I apply for the service online and confirmed my order with a person through their customer service number. I waited ... waited ... still waited. Three weeks later, when I had received no service, no modem, no nothing, I called them back and asked what the problem was. "I'm sorry, since you live in an apartment complex, you are not eligible for Earthlink DSL service." It certainly would have been nice to get that tidbit of information three weeks ago!!

    And don't get me started about those commercials!! "An Earthlink address makes a good impression." My ass it does.

    --
    -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
    MaxPower (2263)
    "I got it from a hair dryer."
  4. I don't buy this article at all. by maeltor · · Score: 5, Informative

    I work for IDACOMM. We are CURRENTLY doing testing with both Ambient (to the plug) and Amperion (wifi) and let me just say....Ambient doesn't work. The technology is just way to infant. We were lied to by their sales, president, and engineering departments about how far along their "techology trials" in New York were. We currently have about 50 people deployed on Amperion, and it works a lot better. We are working towards "to the plug" techology, but we know that it is going to be for a lot harder than these articles claim.

  5. Re:Completely naive question... by Mork29 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Old copper can't always handle newer techs like DSL. I suppose that installing a "repeater" (if that applies to this tech) would be much easier than replacing miles of copper that still performs it's old job. Some phones are even done with metals other than copper which certainly couldn't handle DSL. I personally think that the wireless solutions are a better "bonnie solution". Examples have been on slashdot before but I'm much to lazy to search slashdot and google for all of you people.

  6. BPL too easy to sniff and DoS by Nonillion · · Score: 3, Informative

    The overwhelming problem with BPL is that not only does is radiate RF hash, but I could take a transmitter that puts out as little as 4 watts and completely disrupt a BPL signal. Other countries have tried BPL but have banned it (japan for one) because of the interference problems it produces on the HF bands.

    But instead of accepting the facts, the power company is going to try it anyway because the people in charge are even more clueless than the most brain dead computer user. How long do you think the power company is going to put up with "My Internet service keeps going away!" complaints from their user base before they do the right thing and run fiber to the households.

    Sure it may be fast and cheap, but it's suseptable to nearby radio transmitters and will be the most unreliable Internet connection out there. With the right radio equipment, packets could be sniffed, you could DoS the entire neighborhood with a CB radio or other low band or amateur HF transceiver. Not to mention all the RF hash that will be delivered to your house on a otherwise clean power line.

    --
    "I bow to no man" - Riddick