Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : LAST MILE TECHNOLOGIES - Let's Discuss Them Here -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: WebDrone who wrote (2362)	11/21/1998 11:52:00 PM
From: ftth	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 12823

Hi Web, as far as communications over the power infrastructure OUTSIDE the home, I don't follow it very closely, and don't find it that interesting. There are a few big players that have made some claims in press releases, but I don't really see the point since it's a given that the broadband infrastructure is being rebuilt/redesigned from a networking standpoint anyway, so why kludge it. Within the home, however, where Joe consumer isn't likely to feel forced to install an in-home network yet, a kludge is an acceptible approach since a kludge (meaning something that piggy-backs an existing something to fulfil a purpose the original something was never intended for) can eliminate the "pain" of tearing up walls to install wired infrastructure. As for signal grade wire and high speed connections, amazing things are being achieved with the addition of signal processing functions that a few short years ago weren't economical to integrate. With appropriate equalization, modulation, and FEC you can run Ethernet (not in its native form, but this is transparent to the end user) on cheap radio shack speaker cables. I suspect multi-megabit (maybe as high as 10) will be do-able and economical within the next 2 years on the internal wiring of any home built in the last 20 years or so. I also think that demand for notebooks as the home computing "second platform of choice" will be key in driving the demand for home networking. If that turns out to be the case, I thing that gives powerline an edge over RF wireless from a consumer demand standpoint (unless untethered roaming becomes an important feature for second computers within the home). dh