batageek
Slave To The Duopoly
Premium
join:2003-01-25
2 edits | Backup
Can anyone provide me one solid case or reason that BPL's design (typically fiber to a point, then powerline) would be better than a fiber to a wifi drop?
It seems that using wifi drops would be substantially cheaper and more robust than any of the speeds I've seen for the powerline stuff.
Really....honestly...I 'd love to hear if someone can prove to me I'm wrong. I'd like to be "schooled" on this because I really just don't get the advantage of using BPL.
Peace
--
»www.tricitybroadband.com |
|
Cerabus12
Dial-up 4 Life
join:2005-08-09
Brooker, FL
1 edit | I don't think there really is no "advantage" but for people like me who live out in the boonies this would be a god sent |
|
n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY
 ·Optimum Online
1 edit | "outpace" the growth rates?
This is probably true. Remember if you sign one customer in a single year and then sign two the following year you have a 100% growth in customers! Considering how few people actually use BPL, I expect to see amazing growth rates on the order of 500% to 1000% or more. Increase your customer base from 100 to 5000 and you can report some amazing growth numbers.
--
I support the right to keep and arm bears. |
|
nasadude
join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD
·Comcast
| prediction
as soon as wireless broadband becomes a viable solution in rural areas (and elsewhere), which seems a lot more likely than BPL becoming widespread, we will stop seeing press releases and other stories about BPL deployments.
wireless broadband will kill BPL before the ARRL will. |
|
batageek
Slave To The Duopoly
Premium
join:2003-01-25
| reply to Cerabus12
Re: Backup
I'm not arguing its ability to bring services. It just seems like it would be cheaper and faster to deliver those services to the actual home via wireless.
All of the BPL builds I've read about aren't pushing any sort of video product and their speeds seem to be limited to the 6 to 10 mb range as far as speed is concerned.
If we can assume that a BPL plant has a fiber backbone (i think i'm safe on that), and that the powerline stuff is just used to get it into a home, i don't know why you wouldn't just use cheap wifi stuff at the ends.
again, i'd like to be proven wrong here and learn something new...
--
»www.tricitybroadband.com |
|
Estragon
join:2003-06-20
Greenville, NH
 ·Fairpoint Communic..
·MV Communications,..
| reply to batageek
All geography is local
It all depends upon your terrain.
(1) In a dense urban setting, your wifi configuration will be limited by the total amount of spectrum that is available, and how closely you can space your wifi access points.
(2) In an east coast rural setting, your wifi plan depends upon having line of sight to the access point, and trees get seriously in the way.
And if you run that much fiber, you basically have FTTC anyway. why not just go all the way to the home? |
|
CPM
join:2001-08-24
Miami, FL | 200 Million BPL Customers by 2020
Wow, playing with numbers is fun. |
|
TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
|  reply to n2jtx
Re: "outpace" the growth rates?
said by n2jtx  :This is probably true. Remember if you sign one customer in a single year and then sign two the following year you have a 100% growth in customers! Considering how few people actually use BPL, I expect to see amazing growth rates on the order of 500% to 1000% or more. Increase your customer base from 100 to 5000 and you can report some amazing growth numbers. What you say is true. But, IF the report is accurate about their already being 400,000 U.S. BPL subscribers, getting to 2.5 million by 2011 means adding approx 400,000 customers per year till then. While possible, that is a tall order given all the competition. Especially since Wimax seems to be the NEW method of choice for expanding broadband to rural areas.
--
--
My BLOG
My Web Page |
|
roady1
join:2003-11-13
Cleveland, OH
| reply to batageek
It's viable...
Particularly in places like Cleveland, who's entire west side lacks the proper switching equipment to support DSL. TWC(formerly Adelphia) has a very firm grip on the market due to poor equipment.
I'd love to use wireless or DSL...or even BPL...but any advancement keeps getting squashed by the local city laws. |
|
Estragon
join:2003-06-20
Greenville, NH
·Fairpoint Communic..
·MV Communications,..
| reply to nasadude
Re: prediction
How do you kill something that is not alive?
It looks like most of the rah-rah press about BPL comes from the companies making BPL hardware. We should pay more attention to the electrical power companies. It appears that the power companies do not see a profitable business model around BPL. Most of the BPL trials seem to end with a press release that says "the trial was a success, and we will not be deploying BPL at this time". |
|
rcm
join:2004-02-16
Pulaski, TN | BPL
Yawn..... |
|
Estragon
join:2003-06-20
Greenville, NH | reply to roady1
Question about Cleveland
Does Cleveland bury its power lines, or do they run on poles up in the air?
And would it make a difference in the HF interference produced by BPL? |
|
Estragon
join:2003-06-20
Greenville, NH | reply to rcm
Re: BPL
I save the yawns for blimpband. |
|
batageek
Slave To The Duopoly
Premium
join:2003-01-25
| reply to Estragon
Re: All geography is local
said by Estragon :And if you run that much fiber, you basically have FTTC anyway. why not just go all the way to the home? But that was kind of my point.
My understanding was that most of the BPL builds are supported by fiber rings around the area anyway. I seem to remember that the expensive part of the BPL builds is literally at the conversion point from the fiber to where it uses the powerline segment/equipment to reach into the home.
If you're that close, and can't run fiber all the way to the home, wouldn't it be substantially cheaper (and more technology safe) to do the end run from the fiber node via a close range mesh (with widely available, standard wifi junk) rather than a proprietary delivery system?
--
»www.tricitybroadband.com |
|
cableties
Premium
join:2005-01-27
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to Estragon
Re: BPL
LOL!!! (yawn) 
Me thinks someone wants to make revenues from an existing utility.
Should read .25 million. God help us if Verizon ever owned a power grid...  |
|
jslik
That just happened
Premium
join:2006-03-17
clubs:
| I got into the wrong business
"a new study claims that there will be 2.5 million broadband over powerline (BPL) customers by 2011..."
Who pays somebody for this junk? Hey, here's an idea...
"A study just completed by jslik reports that jslik will have $3.2 million dollars more in his bank account by close of business today."
...now I just gotta find somebody to pay me 3.2 million for that study.... |
|
kyramilan
join:2006-11-26
Pensacola, FL
| The power companies are looking for a new revenue stream and have the big money to throw at this thing. And, when they do upgrades or big repairs, it would be pretty easy to deploy the HSI aspect.
Isn't it possible fiber could be a powerline?
The only problem, other than the tech hasn't arrived, is how they are going to regulate the power grid. |
|
nasadude
join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD
·Comcast
| reply to Estragon
Re: prediction
said by Estragon :How do you kill something that is not alive?... good point. however, it is electricity and we know what that did for Frankenstein. |
|
rf_engineer
join:2003-08-04
USA
| reply to TKJunkMail
Re: "outpace" the growth rates?
said by TKJunkMail :said by n2jtx :This is probably true. Remember if you sign one customer in a single year and then sign two the following year you have a 100% growth in customers! Considering how few people actually use BPL, I expect to see amazing growth rates on the order of 500% to 1000% or more. Increase your customer base from 100 to 5000 and you can report some amazing growth numbers. What you say is true. But, IF the report is accurate about their already being 400,000 U.S. BPL subscribers, getting to 2.5 million by 2011 means adding approx 400,000 customers per year till then. While possible, that is a tall order given all the competition. Especially since Wimax seems to be the NEW method of choice for expanding broadband to rural areas. I can almost guarantee there are not 400,000 US BPL customers today. The FCC's report in December 2005 listed only around 8,500 customers, and the FCC is known to be very optimistic in their broadband data. The largest BPL system in the US is in Cincinnati, and I believe that system is 50,000 homes passed (not actual customers). I don't even think there's 400,000 homes passed yet.
BPL growth could easily exceed Cable and DSL this year if one looks at percentages. Adding 10,000 or 20,000 new BPL customers for 100% growth is trivial compared with adding another 30 million DSL or cable subscribers. |
|
drman7
join:2004-05-07
Jersey City, NJ
| BPL in Dominican Republic
What's up all. For those who know about the small and beautiful country in the carribean. Dominican Republic has had major issues with electricity. Supposedly, to conserve energy they have a partial nationwide blackout, several days a week. This is for several hours. So BPL is a no no for Dominican Republic, until that is resolved. This has been going on since I could remember..maybe 30+ years.. |
|
