[Boatanchors] Here we go again.... Broadband over Power Lines

[Robert Nickels]

Mark Foltarz wrote:
> Apparently IBM folks weren't aware of   
> http://www.informationweek.com/news/infrastructure/ethernet/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207601040
>
Not to belabor it here, but after doing a side-by-side comparison vs the alternatives, BPL for internet access simply isn't cost-competitive.  The new technologies can be made to co-exist reasonably well, but it's a catch 22 - it will take millions of customers to drive down the cost, and there will never be millions of customers at today's prices.  (A typical BPL system required repeaters ($3-5K) ever 1/8 mile, for example, plus couplers, MV-to-LV gateways, subscriber units, etc.)  IBM will quickly learn that rural areas simply do not support the infrastructure required to serve BPL customer #1.  Neither do denser urban areas, which is why companies like Ampherion have exited the business, and why others like IBEC are hoping that someone like IBM can make the numbers come up differently.

The emphasis is shifting to "smart grid" solutions, which can provide utility management services like power quality monitoring, meter reading and demand-based control using two-way communications over the power grid.  But unlike internet access, they are very low bandwidth applications and thus require different less-expensive hardware that has far less potential for HF interference.   Google "smart grid" to learn more.

73, Bob W9RAN