Current Broadband - powered by Cinergy

[CTA513]

Have any of you heard about this new broadband service? I heard about it months ago from one my my teachers, and I just got a postcard in the mail today from Cingery about it.



How It Works
Connecting to the Internet has never been easier! Our revolutionary technology lets you use the existing power outlets in every room of your home or office for high-speed, broadband access. There’s no special wiring or equipment attached to your home, and no complicated wiring to your computer.

Current BroadbandTM service provides you access to the Internet from the existing power outlets in your home with a special power line modem. When you sign up for one of our monthly service plans, we will send you a power line modem to connect to the service free of charge.

Once you receive the modem, connect it to your computer with the standard Ethernet cord we provide. Then simply plug the modem directly into the power outlet on your wall, register your account and you’re connected!

Source: http://www.current.net

Does anyone here have this or know of anyone that does? I want to find out if its actually a good service with good uptime and download speeds.

[RBA]

Yeah, I heard about this a few years ago. They were setting this up in Germany. There were some bugs they had to work out. But I hear you can get really good speeds.

[CTA513]

Yeah, I heard about this a few years ago. They were setting this up in Germany. There were some bugs they had to work out. But I hear you can get really good speeds.

If its as good or better than Zoomtown then ill probably switch. But I need to find out first, and also need to know if theres a limit on upload/download.

It would be nice to pay less and be able to move my computer to my old room with out having to install phone lines in there.

[Johnny Footstool]

I heard about this a few years ago, too. They were looking for investors and a friend of mine was interested. He said one of the main problems with the technology was that power lines are extremely "noisy" with interference, so your connection can get lost very easily. I don't know if they've found a way to correct the problem or not.

[GoReds]

There are several problems that I've read about with the technology. Here's an excerpt from an Australian article following a trial.


The technology was given a public boost when NSW energy provider EnergyAustralia announced that it had completed a successful trial of BPL in Newcastle at the end of last year. Other recent trials have occurred in Queanbeyan, by Country Energy, and also one in Tasmania by Aurora Energy.

However, a range of services will be adversely affected by BPL, according to Martin Howells, the NSW State Coordinator for A.C.R.E.M. (Australian Citizens Radio Emergency Monitors).

Howells said AM broadcast radio, amateur radio, HF maritime radio, HF aircraft frequencies, RFDS, School of the Air, 4WD safety and emergency networks, SES and Police HF radio networks, and various other HF radio users and emergency services were all prone to interference by the technology.

Glenn Dunstan, a consulting engineer at Densham & Associates, said the nature of BPL meant it would always create serious side effects.

"Tons of documents prove without a doubt that it does not work," he said. "It [power lines] is designed to carry AC voltage, not radio signals."

From a technical viewpoint, Howell's said BPL technology utilised radio frequencies commonly between 3-30MHz to deliver the broadband signals (it is believed the Newcastle trial used up to 80MHz).

"Power lines tend to radiate the HF frequencies just like a giant 'long-wire' antenna," he said. "It is impossible for the BPL provider to filter all HF frequencies, as this would basically kill the technology, so obviously there is going to be some frequencies radiated from the power lines to be received by nearby receivers.

"Just ask any radio operator about the interference that can be radiated from a faulty/dirty power line insulator -- these can cause problems for hundreds of metres, so what kind of problems do we expect from an actual radio frequency?"

Full article
http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;650745972;fp;2;fpid;1

[TRF]

Cincinnati was one of the test cities. The problem wasn't downloading, rather uploading past the transformer. It seems as though they have gotten around that if they are offering it as a service. The potential for this is huge.

[paintmered]

It [power lines] is designed to carry AC voltage, not radio signals

Umm, radio signals are AC voltages too.

[Unassisted]

Competition is a good thing in the broadband industry. This will be a real boon to rural America, which has mostly been shut out of the broadband revolution.

[reds1869]

I'll stick with my Road Runner for the moment. It has never let me down and I see no need to switch. This is promising technology for rural areas, though, as mentioned above; I'm originally from West Virginia and it took us quite some time to get broadband becasue no one wanted to invest for so few customers.

[macro]

Competition is a good thing in the broadband industry. This will be a real boon to rural America, which has mostly been shut out of the broadband revolution.

Trust me, I know. :( :( :(

To make matters worse for me, the house next door to mine refused to let the power lines run across his property to get to mine because of his Ham radio equipment. The next closest house was at the end of the line coming from the opposite direction, and two miles from the next-closest house on that line. I had to tap onto that end for electricity. I'll get broadband at my house...never!

Oh, well. At least I have room to roam and peace and quiet, and I'll take that over a fast MP3 download any day! :)

[Roy Tucker]

I've got a friend that works for Current. She says it's as reliable as cable. Don't know if that was sunshine getting blown up a bodily orifice or the gospel truth.

FYI... you can also get Internet broadband via Direct TV/Dish Network if you're in a rural/non cable area.

[RBA]

The next big thing is going to be wireless connections deployed out by small blimps hovering over the cities.

I'll see if I can find the article.

[RBA]

Broadband takes to the skies


Chocks away for 120Mbps Capanina project

Iain Thomson, vnunet.com (http://www.vnunet.com/) 08 Dec 2004
Airships and solar powered planes that can transmit high-speed data to remote communities will take to the skies thanks to plans partially funded by the European Union.
The Capanina project, named after the Italian restaurant where the idea was conceived, aims to develop high altitude platforms that can beam broadband to areas that are too expensive to receive cable.

It has received €3.1m in funding from the EU's Framework Programme, which supports research and development, and expects to have the first platforms in the air in three to five years.

The platforms are capable of transmitting data at rates up to 120Mbps and can even deliver signals to moving trains via a 'smart' antenna that can track the platform. The unmanned platforms would fly at an altitude of 20 kilometres powered by solar cells.

"Demand for fast communication is increasing all over the world, and this technology offers an innovative way of delivering broadband inexpensively to people at home, in the office, and on the move," said Peter Walters, of the EU's Framework Programme Six.

"The opportunities offered by high altitude platforms are exciting as they could deliver broadband connections 2,000 times faster than a traditional modem and 200 times faster than today's 'wired' ADSL broadband.

"They are also easier to maintain than satellites as they can be periodically brought back to earth for upgrades and maintenance."

Various transmission technologies are being looked at, but some research has already been done using WiMax (802.16) signals. BT is a partner in the venture.


LINKS
<LI class=leftmarginlistitem>Capanina project (http://www.capanina.org/)
EU Framework Programme (http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/fp6/index_en.html)

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Broadband reaches for the sky (http://www.vnunet.com/news/1152342)

[Unassisted]

FYI... you can also get Internet broadband via Direct TV/Dish Network if you're in a rural/non cable area.Last time I checked (2+ years ago now), it started at $99/month, had major lag on the download and was as slow as dialup on the uplink.

[KronoRed]

Last time I checked (2+ years ago now), it started at $99/month, had major lag on the download and was as slow as dialup on the uplink.
It's about 10 bucks cheaper now, and has up and download at high speed, but installation is about 500, and latency is still a big issue

[CTA513]

Some guy from Current came to our neighborhood today and I guess was letting people know about Current broadband. He had the plug for the outlet and said he was letting people know about the new service and if you wanted to you could test it out.

I probably should have tested it out. :o

[KronoRed]

Yes you should have! ;)

I'd be interested in it, me and Cincy bell have 'issues'

[RFS62]

nm

[CougarQuest]

I was told by a guy who works for Time Warner that when Current becomes available in his part of the city, he is going to get it immediatley. It's supposed to be much cheaper than the other two well known options in Cincinnati. Take that for what you think it's worth.