Posted on 10/17/2005 10:11:58 AM PDT by rawhide
CINCINNATI--The idea has been around for years. In Spain and elsewhere in Europe, utility companies have long offered high-speed Internet service to consumers over their power lines.
But American utilities are only now beginning to roll out broadband connections on their grid.
For Jim Hofstetter, a salesman for Cadbury Schweppes, the food and beverage company, this new option was far better than the high-speed connection he used for years from his local cable provider.
"I would never go back now that I have this," said Hofstetter, who often works from his home office in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Cincinnati. He pays $30 a month for the service from Current Communications, an Internet service provider, which uses the power lines run by Cinergy, the local utility in Cincinnati. That cost is about $15 cheaper than comparable Internet access from either Cincinnati Bell or Time Warner Cable. The Current service can be piped into any electrical outlet in Hofstetter's home, with no reduction in speed even when he, his wife and their three daughters are online at the same time. All that is needed is a baseball-size jack that plugs into the wall and is connected to a computer with an Ethernet cable.
Known as broadband over power line, or BPL, the service is poised to challenge the cable and phone companies that dominate the high-speed Internet market. Instead of burying cables and rewiring homes, BPL providers use the local power grid, which means that any home with electricity could get the service.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.com ...
We keep hearing what sounds like a short (two or three second) burst of digital data which seems to occur randomly. It is picked up and amplified by our TVs, car radios, cell phones, and even the sound systems on our computers. It is obviously not local to our house or neighborhood, because we've heard it on our car radios in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.
I would like to record a sample of it, and attempt to decode the data. Unfortunately, the random nature of the bursts would likely require 24 hour storage and a great deal of effort to catch. If I knew exactly what I was trying to capture, I could probably devise some sort of smart filter to trigger a recording only when the signal is present, but I don't know what the waveform looks like.
I suspect that it's close to a square wave -hence a composite of all harmonics- because it is detected and amplified by tuners operating in bands all over the spectrum. I guess it could also be a low frequency signal which is directly affecting power supplies in the various devices, but if so then it must also be an awfully strong signal.
If anyone reading this post has noticed this interference and knows what might be causing it, please help save me from my own curiosity!
I don't believe that was the point, which seemed to be that the allocation of the bandwidth to ham radio is inefficient, meaning there are better uses for the bandwidth. That's what I took anyway. BTW, what does CW stand for?
The water company in Coweta County, Georgia has offered cable modem service for years.
Well, my DSL provider is giving me 3 mbps (down) and 768 (up) for $35. Although I have noticed speeds creeping up and prices creeping down the last two years. And since it is a small commercial outfit, I get MUCH better service and support than I used to get from those clowns at Verizon. I would never buy DSL from Verizon again. Nightmare!
I am very curious about the security implications of networking via power outlets. Anyone seen anything in depth on that aspect of it? I figure in Europe they have no concept of privacy from government, so that tells me nothing.
Time to sell your cable TV and internet-over-cable stocks...
This isn't the only reason. Verizon is starting to offer cable TV to compete directly with Comcast and the others. And as they roll out the high speed internet connections, they are cutting DSL to $15/mo.
If lowering taxes raises revenue, doesn't lowering price increase revenue? I am keeping my covad stock.
Just cellular transmission. The tiny slice of bandwidth that our federal government "gave" the cellular providers must be reused--thus the need for cells. This means that RF engineers, (can you hear me now?) must design systems to deal with extreme interference issues. Even using digital CDMA technology, there is a limited number of calls that can be carried on the tiny slices of bandwith that Clinton's administration busted up the 1900 MHz range into but that is an argument for another day.
Continuous wave
All open wire conductors (the power grid) would in effect become radiators (transmitting antennas) for this interference Not only would civilian terrestrial radio reception be severely affected, military and satellite radio could be adversely effected too. IMO, BPL is broadband noise radiating out of everything and wreaks communications chaos. Although proponents have cited usage in some countries, it has been abandoned by most of the countries it was initially peddled to. This is seldom mentioned in the sales pitch for BPL. It creates more problems than it solves with its inherent RF pollution and interference to public service and private radio communications. Spitz'
"Meaning, what? About .0001% of the population?"
That .0001 percent might save your bacon in the event of a severe disaster.
"This means that RF engineers, (can you hear me now?) must design systems to deal with extreme interference issues. Even using digital "
What good is any of this if a disaster knocks out cell towers? How good was cell service in the path of Katrina? huh? I would say it was ZERO!
Basic DSL, which is still about 5 times faster than regular dial up, is available in our area for $24.95 a month.
You might want to check your local DSL carriers. Competition has driven the prices down FAST.
Hams, such as Art Bell, have been somewhat alarmed by this development for quite a while. There is already a lot of interference from power lines, but this will only increase.
Please Detroit Edison - do this soon! I can't wait to get rid of Comcrap!!!!
coupling capacitors
Quick - get to your nearest grocery store and buy some aluminum foil. Make hats for yourself and everyone in your family. It could be the CIA trying to beam secret messages to you!
Considering the persistence, pervasiveness, and wide area in which we've noticed the interference, I also figured there must other witnesses. Maybe not. Perhaps it's just a glitch in my alien implant.
bump for later.
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