2005/04/11

ElectricNews.net:News:Brussels backs broadband over power lines

ElectricNews.net:News:Brussels backs broadband over power lines

Broadband over Power Lines (or PLC power line communications) has been promised for a while. Unfortunately the technology hasn't met expectations and there are still problems with it.

In the UK there have been trials in various regions including rural areas of Scotland where the results have been very promising and the technology can work well in rural areas. Why? a) there's nothing to interfere with, so any leakage of EMI (elctromagnetic interference) doesn't actually interfere with much (well maybe a few sheep) and b) a single substation feeds a region.

In somewhere like London, multiple substations feed premises and putting PLC into substations doesn't work as they destructively interfere with each other. However that's a technology problem that may well find a solution in the coming months or years.

In house PLC has been reasonably successful and there's even an organisation supporting it HomePlug, but with the introduction of wireless USB, Zigbee and WiFi/WiMAX it may get lost in the dust.

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