Slashdot Mirror
Smart Grid May Also Carry IPv6 Traffic
itwbennett writes "Kevin Fogarty is blogging about new specs outlined by the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) that outline the requirements for 'any network designed to carry data instead of just electrons.' What's needed, in short, is 'a Common Information Model for the format of data in the network, interfaces to allow it to go from one device or substation to another, exchanges between control centers and communications protocols that will add security to the net.'"
It carries "waves". The individual electrons don't really get very far, but the 60Hz electromagnetic wave that carries the power, that goes far.
All this is, is, hey, we carry a powerful 60Hz signal, how about we carry lower-power, high frequency signals too? And all the associated complexity of actually sending and receiving high frequency signals, a devil of many details.
--PM
Also, this "add security to the net" thing has me worried. Don't law enforcement have the capability to shut down power to buildings etc.? Will this give them the capability to shut down internet access too -- perhaps even for an entire block where riots are taking place?
And isn't high frequency electrical noise carried over high power lines a threat to our health?
http://areyoutargeted.com/fighting-back/public-relations/making-your-case/eh-and-health/
Probably not but it is a threat to radio communications, esp HAM radio; unless the "smart grid" will use shielded power lines only. Sounds like another stimulus project.
No, and don't call me Shirley.
Broadband over powerlines keeps popping up. It isn't going to happen. Yeah, it sounds like a good idea on paper... You've already got all those copper lines carrying electricity, why not throw a signal in there and do double duty? Except that it just doesn't work. I don't know how many times I've seen it here on Slashdot.
And IPv6? Not any time soon. Maybe not ever. Yeah, I know, we're running out of addresses. NAT is horrible. I know. And I'd love to roll out IPv6 today just for the hell of it (because I don't have enough work to do already). But folks have been talking about IPv6 for years now.
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes." -Oscar Wilde
And you don't think can do this already?
It doesn't hurt to be nice.
I swear I've heard this before... ... Time Passes...
oh yeah, phone lines... I think it went something like this:
Exec 1: We already have lines run, why should we bother with a second set of lines for control signals say from pay phones?
Exec 2: I can't see of a reason, let's do it
Exec 1: we all get bonus for saving ourselves $BIGNUM bucks.
Exec 2: Sweet!
Captain Crunch: *2600Hz whistle* now can I get free long distance calls?
Execs 1..N: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.....
hence the development of SS7.
Now if we can get this, which network is going to be "phoning home" to report electrical usage? even if the traffic is sufficiently encypted, and authenticated, what happens when someone decides to start DOSing their electrical meter? that and, eventually, and i stress eventually, any encryption can be defeated. it's only a matter of time before someone figures out how to fake electrical readings from the new smart meters, or better yet, hacks and publishes the hack, for certain brands of meters.
I will not give in to the terrorists. I will not become fearful.
First, the power grid has not been dumb. It has been pretty smart for decades. The Smart Grid is a major upgrade, but it isn't a scratch start from a dumb basis.
The existing grid includes sophisticated control centers and sophisticated microprocessor-based protective devices that sense faults and make corrections. Power grid equipment runs into problems all the time (such as equipment failure, storms, and curious animals) and handles them most of the time without putting the lights out.
The grid has always had two infrastructures: an electrical infrastructure (power lines, transformers, generators, etc.) and an information infrastructure. Decades ago, the information infrastructure was rudimentary. Now it is much more extensive. With the Smart Grid it will be even more extensive and will have much more interface to systems at the customer site. However, major upgrades will be needed to integrate massive increases in intermittent renewable energy such as wind and solar, to manage pluggable electric vehicles, and to vastly improve energy efficiency, reduce costs, and improve reliability. That will require standards. That is what the Smart Grid is doing.
Work on some of the Smart Grid standards, including the ones recently forwarded to FERC for rulemaking, started as long as 25 years ago. Those standards need to be deployed. Others will need to be developed.
Second, the Common Information Model is an abstract data model that covers the utility enterprise. It has little or nothing to do with transmitting data over power lines. That is called Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) and (like real estate having three factors in prices -- location, location, and location) it has three problems: interference, interference, and interference. To make BPL work you have to solve the interference problem.
Probably not but it is a threat to radio communications, esp HAM radio
It's been proven over the past decade of BPL deployment that the threat is at least partially in the opposite direction... BPL works great as long as you are a minimum of a half mile away from all transmitters including AM, FM, TV, ham radio, CB, cellphone, any land mobile including cop cars, airport, aircraft, coast guard station/harbormaster yard, railroad... Yet the deployment equipment is quite expensive so you need a high population density, urban city, etc.
So, just find a neighborhood in Manhatten or Hong Kong that has a zillion people per sq km, and has electricity, but somehow has no radio services whatsoever anywhere near by and BPL will totally shine!
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Without getting too detailed, shutting down the internet for an entire block is more difficult than you might think. You either need to physically stop the signal by breaking the circuit or having some sort of jammer on the wire, which would require interfering with multiple kinds of wire (cable, phone, etc). Or you need to cooperate with the internet providers to suspend individual user accounts or stop routing to their local node.
This still wouldn't stop cell data access unless they shut down entire towers, and even then there could be someone who gets a decent 802.11 signal from an AP a few streets down.
All in all the time involved, amount of participation, or cost of equipment and installation would be way too high for simply shutting down internet for a precise region.