Apparently BPL Isn't Quite Dead Yet
from the it-just-flinched! dept
For well over a decade, we've seen nothing useful come out of investments in broadband over powerlines. It's been a money-sucking pit that has rarely worked particularly well, and never found many customers. The biggest and most hyped-up experiments failed pretty miserably, and just last month it seemed like we could officially declare BPL dead. Apparently, IBM did not get that memo, as it just invested nearly $10 million in a BPL offering for rural customers. We give them props for their optimism in a technology that has been nothing but trouble for years, but unless they've come up with something radically different than all those failed projects, we expect to be reading a story in another year or two about this project shutting down as well.
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Filed Under: bpl, broadband over powerlines
Companies: ibm
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It's not quite dead yet?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grbSQ6O6kbs
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Re: It's not quite dead yet?
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Re:
There's also something to be said about repeatedly working on something that will fail.
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(1) Trying with different approach/angle/perspective is much different than repeat attempt with similar approach; and (2) I don't have an inside knowledge on what IBM plans to do - but saying that they WILL fail is a bit strong. Nothing is certain.
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Will BPL turn out the same way? Maybe not, but you never know until you try.
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pity nobody told IBM
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$10 mil from IBM
they probably found $20 mil in the couch cushions in one of the executive suites.
i hope that BPL and wimax can actually deliver competition to telco and cable broadband. residential broadband is a market in serious need of competitors.
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This is relevant article in Russian:
http://www.e-xecutive.ru/news/news/845545/
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BPL innovations?
I don't ever envision BPL taking over Fiber/DSL/Cable, but it's got to be viable for those areas that aren't already serviced by broadband.
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To #5: There is not a direct link between the computer and the main line through a modem like this (e.g. you aren't just shoving two wires from your wall socket to your computer modem, though you can if you like!). Also, any credible piece of equipment has built in isolation.
Nothing beats a dedicated line.
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All Over The Map
I agree with Mike. BPL has, and probably always will, suck. It has been a boondoggle with FCC support for far too long.
I agree with comment #3 that says that, despite sucking, it's good that some contrarians are pushing on. People said CDMA cellular wouldn't work, the sound barrier couldn't be crossed, and that man couldn't fly. I think we're better off that some would not listen to prevailing wisdom. Let them try, even though they will likely fail.
And regarding comment #5, you don't seem to understand BPL. You don't plug a modem into the mains (wall plug). The Internet signal carried by the high-voltage lines into neighborhoods can't survive the step-down voltage converters. This is one of the weaknesses of BPL: every time the voltage steps down, the Internet signal must be taken out prior, and re-inserted after. In a neighborhood level, they take the signal out, and usually try to use Wi-Fi or some other last 200 yards solution (Wi-Fi has been popular). Of course, the net result is that BPL is a combination of "hops" across multiple dubious technologies. This doesn't compare well to the simplicity of cable or DSL with a wire from your home straight to the CO.
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bpl, futility, and other sisyphean efforts
we were going to do away with all the wall-warts and all our home and office networking gear, modems, routers, switches, print servers, etc., would power themselves off a POE injector instead of having to dedicate a power strip just to run the kit.
or wireless power. that was going to be how all your small appliances ran. a special platter mounted under a counter-top and just put the blender, can opener, toaster, even cell phones and other electronic devices, over the panel and it had power.
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Bad publicity...
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Broadband over power line
Edison struggled with everything from a better filament light bulb to Dynamos, direct current (DC) that were far from efficient, yet everybody saw the basic value proposition like with BPL.
Tesla came along and showed Edison a novel new approach to electricity generation and transmission. Alternating Current (AC), turned out to be the solution to many of the problems that Edison, et al., couldn't comprehend. Remember, Nichola Tesla, did not have a formal education nor did he subscribe to the then current day opinions of his peers. Obviously, he (Tesla) was very helpful to the electric power industry and it's emergence to the use of today.
The same old approach to data transmission, i.e., voltage modulation will eventually tire and new materials and electronic modulation approaches will take shape.
The most difficult thing really, is to have a non-biased debate where cable, telecoms, and electric-co's special interest's, are at least leveled on the playing field with the human family's needs.
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