Internet service via electrical lines.....

lonewolfny42 · « **on:** 16 Feb 2006, 05:00 am »

While listening to the radio today, I heard about a test my local power company (LIPA) will be running on Long Island to provide Internet service via our electric lines. Full story is here.......

Chris[/list:u]

jules · « **Reply #1 on:** 16 Feb 2006, 05:18 am »

I've been wondering about this one too Chris. Is it possible that this might further degrade power supplies for hi fi systems?

Maybe this should have gone to the lab ... sounds like something for Occam.

jules

Occam · « **Reply #2 on:** 16 Feb 2006, 05:49 am »

Actually, I think it should go to Audio Central, as its going to give the whole Audio/Video community appoplexy. According to Dan Banquer, the power company in the Boston area is already replacing their narrow bandwidth distribution transformers with wide bandwidth ones to facilitate broadband digital transmission. Great for providing bandwidth to all (everyones hooked into the power grid) but not so good for those who care about power line 'noise'. I guess one man's noise is another's common good.

When the powerline standard(s) is defined, I guess both the commercial power conditioner manufacturers as well as the DIY community will have to specifically address it. The Ma and the baby Bells already provide traps to keep the dsl crap out of our phones. No doubt the power companys will offer specific powerline filters, and no doubt they will 'sound' like crap.

Dan Banquer · « **Reply #3 on:** 16 Feb 2006, 12:44 pm »

Actually the power companies many years ago installed high bandwidth transformers to run RF through them in hopes of reading meters through the power lines. I don't think this ever worked out but they left the high bandwidth transformers in anyway.
The high bandwidth transformers are one of the primary causes as to why there is so much "trash" on the AC lines already.
With the ready availability of Fiber optic lines which have up to a 2 Ghz bandwidth the last I knew, why would anyone want to deal with a power line for internet service?
Beats me.

d.b.

ctviggen · « **Reply #4 on:** 16 Feb 2006, 12:59 pm »

I think it's because power lines go to every house and fiber optics do not. In my area, I only have the "choice" of cable internet access. I can't get satellite or DSL or anything else for that matter. I'd welcome a chance to have an option for something other than cable, where I have to pay $55/month if I don't have cable or about $120 with "basic" cable (locals plus a number of other channels). In AZ, I lived in a brand new development and had many choices, including multiple cable companies. CT isn't like that -- I have the "choice" of one cable company or an antenna. I can't get satellite, or I'd go that route.

ctviggen · « **Reply #5 on:** 16 Feb 2006, 03:41 pm »

I do have the choice of phone internet access, but I download so much stuff at home (and listen to radio over the internet) that a phone connection is too slow. So, while I don't think that internet over AC is a good idea, I welcome competition. As it is now, for high-speed access, there is none. For cable, there is none (unless I cut down several trees). I've thought about dropping my cable, but there's a handful of stations I actually watch. Alton Brown, for instance. OLN when they have bike racing. Other than that, 90+ percent of the channels for me can go in the trash.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #6 on:** 16 Feb 2006, 03:56 pm »

I recall trials of this in England, when I worked for Nortel Networks, back in the late 90's, early 2000's.

Not sure it ever took off over there either,

konut · « **Reply #7 on:** 18 Feb 2006, 07:13 pm »

There was a previous thread about this here. http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=14807&highlight=bpl As my brother is a ham radio operator I have been aware of this for years. Consensus is that its a way for power companies to open a new revenue stream. So far as I'm aware is that everywhere its been tried, its been terminated as it causes problems. They (the power companies) say it just needs tweaking, but so far no one has been able to resolve the problems.

djbnh · « **Reply #8 on:** 18 Feb 2006, 09:05 pm »

Internet service either via reg. cable or electrical lines wouldn't have done me any good during the past 24 hours - both were down due to high winds in NH.

Jampot · « **Reply #9 on:** 18 Feb 2006, 09:13 pm »

Quote

I recall trials of this in England, when I worked for Nortel Networks, back in the late 90's, early 2000's.

Not sure it ever took off over there either,

Nope, never did. Sounds as though it may be just as well.

Jim