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A Web on the Electric Grid

by Geof Lambert
Friday, October 21, 2005. 10:02AM
928 Views 2 Comments

From the New York Times

Published: October 20, 2005 You don't have to dig very deep into the subject of high-speed Internet access before you come across heated arguments over the virtues and shortcomings of nearly every kind of linkage: Wi-Fi, DSL, cable, satellite and "broadband over power line," or B.P.L. It can be hard to believe that an Internet connection could be the focus of so much passion. But humans have an almost primal appetite for information, and no technology has ever promised such a visceral link to information as the Internet.

The technology that inspires the most heated argument at the moment may be broadband over power line. It's a simple enough idea. Why not use the pervasive, national network of power lines to provide broadband access? Nearly every residence in the country draws power from the grid, and it is possible that nearly every residence - no matter how isolated - could link to the Internet through the grid as well, potentially with much faster connection speeds than through cable.

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    Saturday, October 22, 2005. 10:09AM by Jesse Tayler
    I heard they did a test of this some years ago in Japan and it worked fairly well, delivered massive throughput on existing lines -- however, I think they also had troubles that suggested this would not be the best solution. I further thing that the future has to be in wireless -- maybe again, a wireless transmission can be carried by existing infrastructure somehow, like power lines as WIMAX antennae. I've heard that a communication system that can be used by emergency, government, business and personal use would have massive support and WIMAX type solutions might just do that! Any way you cut it, the next decade will see a major change in how all this works!
    Friday, October 21, 2005. 03:16PM by Marc Lefton
    What about WiMax? Have you heard of problems with it? I like the idea of the electrical grid. Clearly information can be sent through pulses in it and you don't have to create entire new fiber optic or wireless networks. I think a combination of everything will work. You might be able to use the wiring in someone's home to transfer information even if they don't use the internet. It could be a way of alleviating traffic as the bandwidth demands increase.