Anyone hear anything about internet connection through electric outlets?!?

[the_lost]

I heard the tail end of a talk about this subject this morning on the radio... If my ears heard correct, this summer they will be testing out this technology. It's broadband connections via electric lines with a huge advantage in speed compared to cable connections. It would also give a huge population access to broadband connections. Smile ROBERT_D! http://www.audioforums.com/forums/biggrin.gif

At any rate, I don't know what to think? Is it true? Could we expect to see this available to consumers in the next few years? The radio is my "alarm clock", so maybe I was just dreaming... http://www.audioforums.com/forums/confused.gif

jay

Anyone have any insight.

[This message has been edited by the_lost (edited 02-10-2003).]

[+Erik.+]

no , it seems true.
http://www.driverheaven.net/

read it this morning.

the thing is, years ago i read about printers that were gonna be usable through your home power lines in the same way. I didn't know if the technology was available or not to do this. I told my computing teacher about this and he laughed at me and said it wasn't true at all.

[Vernon Kuehn]

There are a lot of concepts out there that people are running up the flagpole to see if anyone salutes.

People are out there buying up backwater AM radio stations betting on the conversion to digital broadcasting to be the answer to everyones data needs.

DSL by the phone company and digital cable both have a lot of positive things going for them.

I work for a company that has designed some antennas for people who dream of putting small internet transmitters in a neighborhood near you on something the size of a phone-pole.

The pizza size sattelite dish people think they own a piece of the pie. (pizza pie? <groan> )

All of these people have lobbyists and PR spinmiesters at work big time. All of them will just about convince you they will soon own the world.

Of all these schemes, I look at the power line scenario as one of the least promising of all these game plans. But, then again, if I am so smart, why am I not rich? http://www.audioforums.com/forums/rolleyes.gif

Here's my logic:

all of the booster amps and connecting hardware would be more expensive than other systems because it must be able to handle the high voltage.

Some of the other competing methods already have a staff, an infrastructure of technicians who work with fragile, low voltage equipment. Power companie crews know how to work with beefy, heavyweight equipment. Would require two distinct sets of technicians. (Costs would be high because the power company is going to require that the people trained to deal with the BEEFY VOLTAGES be there to participate in every install and repair.)

Cable delivered data has had to market in the face of a public that hates the level of service they get from the cable company. Think where they would be today if the cable company was universally loved.

That segues into my final point on the power company. In this post-Enron era of deregulated power companies who have lost control of their energy costs, people are not going to be easily sold this new service from the same company that is perceived to be gouging them on energy costs.

O.K. Like a dummy, I've stuck my neck out with some bold thoughts. Shoot 'em down. I need to learn something new today.

[Robert D]

TL - Sounds good, except my phone lines always work, and my power is always going out. So if my internet is over the power lines then I won't have internet access when the power goes out. There, you see, I've thought this out completely. http://www.audioforums.com/forums/biggrin.gif

[donsaudio]

I'm in the same boat as Robert. I thinks I would be a sad fella.
Don

[seiji-san]

but if your power goes out, how are you going to surf the internet anyway? unless you happen to have one of those fancy "laptops" theyre always talking about on TV... http://www.audioforums.com/forums/smile.gif

[XenosoniK]

haha...oh man...please tell me you guys were kidding about the power/phone line outages!

-Xeno

[Robert D]

Originally posted by Robert D:
There, you see, I've thought this out completely. http://www.audioforums.com/forums/biggrin.gif

I thought that was the punchline. I hadn't thought about the laptop though. Yes it was a joke. http://www.audioforums.com/forums/smile.gif