Internet over power poles

[TCJatko]

Uh-oh. Should I cash out my cell tower lease?

 

[buickanddeere]

It's about location, location, location. Hopefully this new technology and/or 5G will level the playing field.

Radio wave bands is like land, they ain't making any more of the stuff.

 

[Industrial Toys]

That wave guide business is interesting. But a wave guide in my mind is still exact and uniform in impedance. Power distribution infrastructure is hardly that, in my way of thinking.

I did see small antennas simply clamped onto the (I believe) live conductor of our rural lines to service the smart meters and wondered what that was all about. Given the chance, I always meant to stop and talk to a crew but never got the chance.

 

[ch1ch2]

They figured out how to use power lines to transmit data years ago. The biggest problem was the get the data across the transformers. Once they had that figured out the cost of internet service would be just pennies a month. The high cost of the infrastructure was solved.
Then all the satellite companies, cable companies and telephone companies got scarred and knew they would be forced out of business. So Congress passed a law. No one can use the power lines to transmit internet. The power companies can and do, do it "within house" with their digital meters.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Sounds great. What I wouldn't like, is the popular "all the eggs in one basket" scenario. I have gensets, four levels of back-up. But no power could mean no Internet! And that would suck! No phone if you have VOIP, and maybe no way to be in touch to find out what was going on. In other words, just another technology trap!

 

[MossRoad]

But no power could mean no Internet!

Guy with a backhoe next to your ISP will kill it just as dead. Its something not to be concerned about.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I'm always looking out for modern day traps. No shortage around.

Having said that. Part of me, would like to see how these people hooked on their smart phones would (or will) react when it all goes south.

I did a big annual inspection of a big-pharma security system last night. My friend, head of IT reinforced just how complex and convoluted IT systems have become. I would say, already beyond our ability to manage it or at least even really understand it. When things continue to run, it's almost just by the grace of God. But for how long?

 

[k0ua]

I'm always looking out for modern day traps. No shortage around.

Having said that. Part of me, would like to see how these people hooked on their smart phones would (or will) react when it all goes south.

I did a big annual inspection of a big-pharma security system last night. My friend, head of IT reinforced just how complex and convoluted IT systems have become. I would say, already beyond our ability to manage it or at least even really understand it. When things continue to run, it's almost just by the grace of God. But for how long?

My HF and VHF radio's will still operate on my batterys which are charged by solar power, and I can charge my smartphone too!

 

[Industrial Toys]

Funny you should say that. I was thinking whether I should get an HF rig. I think I asked you about it once. When I got my license in the early 80s complete with the cw requirement, the rules clearly stated that no superfluous communications were allowed. But since commercially available equipment was already then, mostly the order of the day, not much technical conversation was taking place and superfluous communication was abound, so I wasn't much interested.

But given dire circumstances, I'm sure communications with just about anyone, would be better than none. Kind of like Tom Hanks on the deserted island, with no one to talk to but that ball. The name escapes me. Not a sports fan, any way, shape or form.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

My B.I.L works for the local telephone utility. He told me about this technology about 3-4 years ago. Not sure why but they did not peruse it. Probably enough competition with every other option out there now.

They figured out how to use power lines to transmit data years ago. The biggest problem was the get the data across the transformers. Once they had that figured out the cost of internet service would be just pennies a month. The high cost of the infrastructure was solved.
Then all the satellite companies, cable companies and telephone companies got scarred and knew they would be forced out of business. So Congress passed a law. No one can use the power lines to transmit internet. The power companies can and do, do it "within house" with their digital meters.

Baloney. And he reason cars don't run on water is because Big Oil killed the inventor, right? :sarcastic:



They did trials of this not far from me about 10 years ago, in Manassas. I followed the developments via an engineer's newsletter I used to get. It didn't work. They couldn't solve the interference problem, and it was horribly unreliable.

I've actually been watching this technology since about 2001. So far, nobody has made it work decently. That doesn't mean nobody ever will, but it hasn't happened yet.

If they get it right, it will be a game-changer. High speed Internet to rural areas, and more importantly (economically), there will finally be real competition in The Last Mile, which will be an upheaval in the telephone business similar to the breakup of AT&T in 1984.

 

[k0ua]

Baloney. And he reason cars don't run on water is because Big Oil killed the inventor, right? :sarcastic:



They did trials of this not far from me about 10 years ago, in Manassas. I followed the developments via an engineer's newsletter I used to get. It didn't work. They couldn't solve the interference problem, and it was horribly unreliable.

I've actually been watching this technology since about 2001. So far, nobody has made it work decently. That doesn't mean nobody ever will, but it hasn't happened yet.

If they get it right, it will be a game-changer. High speed Internet to rural areas, and more importantly (economically), there will finally be real competition in The Last Mile, which will be an upheaval in the telephone business similar to the breakup of AT&T in 1984.

Broadband over power line in Manassas was an "ecological" disaster. The radiation of RF from the powerlines wiped out every radio receiver nearby. Not to mention it was not cost effective. This system in this thread is something else though. It is NOT broadband over power line. It is a wireless system, that happens to use the power lines. Different animal entirely.

 

[k0ua]

Funny you should say that. I was thinking whether I should get an HF rig. I think I asked you about it once. When I got my license in the early 80s complete with the cw requirement, the rules clearly stated that no superfluous communications were allowed. But since commercially available equipment was already then, mostly the order of the day, not much technical conversation was taking place and superfluous communication was abound, so I wasn't much interested.

But given dire circumstances, I'm sure communications with just about anyone, would be better than none. Kind of like Tom Hanks on the deserted island, with no one to talk to but that ball. The name escapes me. Not a sports fan, any way, shape or form.

The balls name was "Wilson". You should get on HF, I still enjoy it. I am also into all of the digital modes.

 

[MossRoad]

The balls name was "Wilson". You should get on HF, I still enjoy it. I am also into all of the digital modes.

The movie was Castaway. Good movie.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Even the new Z-Wave and Zigby format automated electrical devices don't use the lines they are connected to, using wireless instead.

Like I said, it's beyond me, how they will couple phases, get around transformers and go great distances.

Out utility has given up trying to communicate with Rural smart meters. They simply couldn't make it work. So time of use, for me is out. Thank God since I heat with electric! A utility worker told me, they went through five types of meters before giving up.

Our rural electric uses a type of smart meter if you want it installed so they don't have to come on your property to read the meter. I do think that they still have to read it remotely from outside your property (not sure on that) but my brother in law had them install it on his house because they kept bending his aluminum gate when they climbed over or shoved thru. The remote meter reader stopped that issue. I am surprised that they don't install one at my place since my German Shepherd is a very intimidating dog to deal with.

 

[CADplans]

Our rural electric uses a type of smart meter if you want it installed so they don't have to come on your property to read the meter. I do think that they still have to read it remotely from outside your property (not sure on that) but my brother in law had them install it on his house because they kept bending his aluminum gate when they climbed over or shoved thru. The remote meter reader stopped that issue. I am surprised that they don't install one at my place since my German Shepherd is a very intimidating dog to deal with.

Our power company installed them.
More than the meter usage,, they can determine instantaneous current usage, at their desk at the office.

I was having an issue with the electric water heater.
While on the phone, I would turn the water heater off, then on,, etc,,,
the man at his desk, 30 miles away, was able to tell me exactly what my power usage was changing to.

Big brother IS watching!! :laughing:

 

[buickanddeere]

Every home should have an emergency radio that turns the volume up and announces a crisis all on it's own.
Every home should also have a good quality short wave radio reciever that can listen from half way around the world. We take a Sony 7600 way, way , way up into Northern Ontario. We are astounded at what that radio will recieve in a low back ground noise location.

 

[buickanddeere]

Ontario uses flex net which is between 900-950Mhz with 8000 channels spaced 6.25 khz apart.

 

[dmccarty]

Sounds great. What I wouldn't like, is the popular "all the eggs in one basket" scenario. I have gensets, four levels of back-up. But no power could mean no Internet! And that would suck! No phone if you have VOIP, and maybe no way to be in touch to find out what was going on. In other words, just another technology trap!

A generator at the house is not going to help if the cell tower or central office is without power. One will still be without the Internet. Our only big power outage also took out the Internet because the central office was down like we were. I was wondering how long the cell tower would have diesel fuel because the power was out to the tower. Thankfully, that cell tower stayed up. :thumbsup:

Later,
Dan

 

[kcflhrc]

Our C.O.'s have large battery plants and huge diesel tanks that sit under the generators. That's just one gotcha. The other gotcha's are all the remotes that have their own commercial power sitting out on the roads in the middle of nowhere. If you live rural it is very doubtful that your internet service is not fed by a remote shelf of some sorts. These remotes are typically fiber fed and need power locally to keep them operational. So the CO may be up and running but the remote may have got wacked by a snow plow or brush hog. Cell towers are typically fiber fed also and are at the mercy of some idiot with a post hole digger. Welcome to reality.

 

[RandyT]

We have the smart meter for about 10 years now. A few years ago our power went off and I called the electric company to report the outage, about 10 minutes later they called me back to tell me to go reset the breaker on the pole, It had tripped.