garagerock
Premium
join:2002-06-14
Louisville, KY
| why does...
every last mile solution that isn't cable or DSL considered either a fringe player, or the savior of all that's good? can't it be in the middle...something that is used when other options are either unavailable or "non deployable" by the incumbents? why does BPL/Wimax et al have to be marketed as the be-all, end-all solution? |
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Wills
join:2001-01-03
Port Charlotte, FL
| Because the large companies want you to think it's a fringe player so you won't switch. And the companies that support it want it to be the savior so investors won't lose interest.
You didn't actually think your well being was actually a player did you?
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I have a shaved head, a goatee, and tatoos. Don't you realize the rules don't apply to me. |
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RayW
Premium
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT
clubs:
 ·XMission
| reply to garagerock
Because some things are just not viable or ignore other facets of life?
And BPL is not just a 'last mile' solution, many papers touting BPL say 'no new wires'. That means for pure BPL you either are sending HF/VHF signals over a large antenna system (with the attendant radiation and line loss and a LOT of amplifiers and jumpers) or you cheat and run fiber to the local substations. By then you might as well go with a wireless signal. We have a lot of those private wireless systems popping up around here and from what some friends of mine say, it is a good system. The power company could have made a killing if they went that route with fiber on their right-of-way instead of trying to force a flawed technology.
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I am not lost, I find myself every time. |
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batageek
Slave To The Duopoly
Premium
join:2003-01-25
| reply to garagerock
No slag intended here and please feel free to set me straight...
If the goal of BPL is to serve internet access, and possibly VOIP, to underserved remote areas that sounds great.
But if you're not providing video too (which would seem to be too bandwidth intensive for BPL), why wouldn't you use WiFi instead?
The Wifi bandwidth is greater and the equipment is cheaper (I would guess). Rolling out wifi to the rural masses has got to be a lot easier (and cheaper) via wifi than bpl.
I've tried over and over to get the allure of BPL, but I can't find it. That combined with the lack of any sense of threat from the incumbent "providers" or mass scaling of BPL equipment providers would lead me to think this is going nowhere.
Please, someone, show me the light on BPL and why it's good. |
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itguy35
@68.188.x.x
| A local power company here in MO has been running fiber to substations for quite a while now. Since it is a co-op (non profit) they're leasing the "extra" bandwidth off their gig fiber lines to local schools for prices you couldn't throw a stick at. They're in the process of upgrading 2 local school districts from 3 T1s (4.5mb) each to 10mb fiber for no extra cost (and no installation charges). The added bandwidth will allow for much more distance learning to take place. Since I work for one of the districts I applaud the power company for connecting their substations and helping kids while they're at it. |
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batageek
Slave To The Duopoly
Premium
join:2003-01-25
| And that's great. The city I live in has run fiber (they own their electric utility too) to their buildings, substations, and schools as well.
But my question is specific to BPL technology, or delivering the last mile over powerline. Sure the backbone is fiber, but the most I've seen offered anywhere via BPL (again correct me if I'm wrong) is about 6 meg down. If 802.11b already exceeds that right now, why would an investment in BPL make sense at all? I'm sure the utility would find wifi "drops" cheaper than all the gear necessary to make a BPL drop to a home, even if they over built the system and had a one-to-one drop requirement (one home gets a direct dedicated point to point wireless or BPL connection).
I'd like to be supportive, but I don't get it.
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»www.tricitybroadband.com |
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w2co
join:2003-07-16
Longmont, CO
| "I'd like to be supportive, but I don't get it"
Well you smell a dog and don't realize it yet...
Go with your first intuitions and stay away from BPL beleive me it's nothing but a dog, and a dead one at that.
Nothing but a big problem for everyone. |
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