USA: Broadband everywhere?

[hard candy]

Good news for everyone, especially those out in the country. Broadband Over Power Lines (BPL) was approved. Bwkaz, they're doing some trial runs in Michigan of the BPL.
Also, Bellsouth and others can run fiber optic and keep them for their own use without sharing, some danger of momopoly but will widen availability. FCC approves broadband changes (http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2004/10/18/fcc_ruling_sets_stage_for_broadband_surge/)

Bon Bon tried broadband over power lines once, he got current events but it was a negative experience. (also some free shock therapy) :)

[bwkaz]

Interesting. I'd try it if we didn't already have DSL. :p

[jrbishop79]

Originally posted by hard candy

Bon Bon tried broadband over power lines once, he got current events but it was a negative experience. (also some free shock therapy) :)

[GROAN]

['nother groan]

Sometimes I wonder why bon bon hasn't gone postal yet.....

[Hmse]

Sweet! That's so totally awesome, especially since I do liveout in the country, except......I already have DSL:rolleyes: Well, maybe they'll decide to run fiber optic (hope hope)

[bs_texas]

Maybe BPL would be a good alternative to this crappy SBC Yahoo DSL service I currently have.

I sometimes have to reboot the modem 2 or 3 times a day. I'll be surfing along and all of a sudden the DSL light on the modem will go from green to red. My only option then is to turn the modem off for about 10 minutes and then get back to the web page for the befsr41 and go to the status page and hit 'Connect' 3 or 4 times. Usually I get PPPoE negotiation failed and another message I can't exactly recall at the moment, but eventually it will reconnect. It's really a sad state of affairs here in Richardson, Texas.
Then if I call SBC tech support I get the script monkeys in India who are no help whatsoever. They usually want you to delete all your cookies, delete all your cache, delete your history, take the router out of the loop and hook your modem directly to one PC....
:rolleyes:
Also, the speed just drops all of a sudden. I just ran their speedtest and the download speed is about 359kbps instead of the normal 2.444Mbps I should see. So, I have to reboot the modem yet again!!!
(sorry for the ranting...)

[banzaikai]

from: hard candy
Bwkaz, they're doing some trial runs in Michigan of the BPL.


He's not the only one in Michigan, ya know. Besides, the article you link to states that the Massachusetts (WME) folks are testing, not Michigan (CME). Oddly enough, I used to live next to Agawam (home of Riverside Park). Though I'm sure once BPL is approved, all the energy companies will be all over it. If there's money to be made, they'll make it...


from: hard candy
Bon Bon tried broadband over power lines once, he got current events but it was a negative experience. (also some free shock therapy)


So, there was something positive about the experience? Any resistance from the wife? And did the latest shockwave plug-in work?

banzai "Puns-R-Me" kai

[blight]

Thats FRIKIN AWSOME!

we live like 5 miles from anyware and the only decent ISP is way over priced and its sucks @$$. for one thing they forbid the use of web servers on there network also, it peaks at only 240k at about 3 am.

so yes!....totaly stoked...can't wait :D :D :D

[hard candy]

"So, there was something positive about the experience? Any resistance from the wife? And did the latest shockwave plug-in work?

banzai "Puns-R-Me" kai"


He did get a trial subscription to Wired magazine out of it. :)

[EnigmaOne]

Originally posted by hard candy
Bon Bon tried broadband over power lines once, he got current events but it was a negative experience. (also some free shock therapy) :)

How could I have missed seeing that "Caution! Zero-Crossing" sign on the way in here today?

With your capacity for puns, I think you're "currently" leading yourself.

More power factor to you.

[banzaikai]

What about the "Amped Online" demo disk?

They are broadband, after all...

banzai "mutual transconductance" kai

[hard candy]

Another technology, WiMAX, is starting out in 2005. Intel (http://www.intel.com/netcomms/technologies/wimax/) is pushing this one. Broadband wireless up to 30 miles, mostly 3-5 miles according to most sources. Three phases starting in 2005, outside fixed receivers (like rural areas), then inside receivers (metro areas), then laptops and PDA's with integrated receivers in 2006. So you would not necessarily need a wifi hotspot for internet access and could roam like a cellphone. Look at the Demo link (its a flash format), pretty interesting stuff.

[Sgood1971]

Originally posted by banzaikai
What about the "Amped Online" demo disk?

They are broadband, after all...

banzai "mutual transconductance" kai

I find it Shocking that you could all make puns about such an Enlightening expierience for Bon Bon. I can see where some people would get a Charge out of this, but like my grandma always said "Turn on the AC on and chill out, there is no need for Bias." We could all benefit froma little meditation. You know, sit around and say "Ohm".

[elderdays]

Now....if we could only get power lines out here in Nashville we'd be set :P

[banzaikai]

from: Sgood1971
We could all benefit froma little meditation. You know, sit around and say "Ohm".


Errr. Mutual Transconductance is measured in "Mhos".

Mhoooo... Mhoooo...

Nah. Doesn't sound quite right.


from: elderdays
Now....if we could only get power lines out here in Nashville we'd be set :P


Damn, that's funny. Looks like retirement for me.

Den agin, didern't da TVA pervide y'all wit awl da 'lectrickery y'all kin handle?

banzai "soon to be lynched :D " kai

[ehawk]

I have heard that since you have many miles of unshielded powerlines, they act as huge antennas in the range from 3-80 MHz. Some people believe that this would wipe out the spectrum used by amateur radio operators and shortwave transmissions. I have also heard that other countries, such as Japan, have abandoned this approach for this reason.

[bosox79]

I just hope this will drive down the coast of all broadband service because of competition

[banzaikai]

from: ehawk
I have heard that since you have many miles of unshielded powerlines, they act as huge antennas in the range from 3-80 MHz


That's what all the HAM mags and the like are saying. However, this is pretty much the same thing as sending packets over UTP. Sure, the frequencies used may interfere, but at what power level are they transmitting the packets at? If you're piggybacking (modulating) the packets at, say, 5-12Vp-p on a 120/240/480/1.2MV powerline, the radiation emmission at that frequency is gonna be only a couple of feet, at best. My guess would be that BPL has more to fear from HAM rigs interfering with the packets than vice-versa. Ever stand next to a 500W rig when it's keyed? Jeez, Louise...

Then there's the possibility of bleed-through into the power section of their rigs. Again, if they have a well-filtered supply, then what's the problem? Even a simple L/C bypass can be placed on any power inputs to limit this (it should already be there, in fact, because of X10 devices).

So, I'm betting that the Agawam, MA test will come out clean, and the HAMs can go back to debating whether code or computer is better.

banzai "CQ" kai