Internet Via Power Lines Works, but Years Away
Source: Yahoo! News
High-speed Internet access via power lines is as close as an electrical outlet in a house north of New York City, but bringing it to the rest of the world may be a long way off.
Under a research project by Consolidated Edison Inc. and Ambient Corp, a few modifications allow Internet data to race over decades-old power lines.
The companies hope the technology can bring cheap, fast Web access to any standard household electrical outlet.
"People have been sending signals ... through power lines for a long time," said George Jee, manager for ConEd's power line communication project. "Utilities used to send audio signals across lines to check service."
In the year-old ConEd program, Internet signals are taken from overhead transmission lines through a magnetic coupler and a communications box no bigger than a computer hard drive, both of which are attached to a common power pole.
