Internet over power poles

[rekees4300]

This is a new technology called AirGig that could revolutionize rural Internet access. AT&T is testing and if all goes well commercial deployment could occur within 9 to 12 months.

"Project AirGig technology involves placing small low-cost plastic antennas developed by AT&T Labs on top of existing power lines. These devices create a multi-gigabit signal that travels along or near the wire--but not actually through it."

AT&T plans to deliver fast Internet over power poles

 

[kcflhrc]

Sign me up please.

 

[dickfoster]

This is a new technology called AirGig that could revolutionize rural Internet access. AT&T is testing and if all goes well commercial deployment could occur within 9 to 12 months.

"Project AirGig technology involves placing small low-cost plastic antennas developed by AT&T Labs on top of existing power lines. These devices create a multi-gigabit signal that travels along or near the wire--but not actually through it."

AT&T plans to deliver fast Internet over power poles

Looks promising. They've been trying to come up with a way to use power lines for communication for years but they always hit a block from the inductance that transformers pose to higher frequency signals.

 

[Looking4new]

Please DO NOT sign me up! Up here that will be just as UNRELIABLE as Hydro One is now.

 

[Streetcar]

Our local power company quit the internet business, too much interference

 

[vvanders]

Pretty light on the technical details. I wonder if it's just point-to-point wireless that uses an inductor to pull power directly from the wire without the need to splice the line.

 

[cqaigy2]

Pretty light on the technical details. I wonder if it's just point-to-point wireless that uses an inductor to pull power directly from the wire without the need to splice the line.

but in a surprising way. Signals would not travel inside the power lines, but near the lines. "Low-cost plastic antennas and devices located along the power line" send wireless signals to each other, using the power lines as a guide, AT&T said. Quoted from ARS technica

 

[k0ua]

Looks like they are using the power lines as "G lines".. This is a method of using a single conductor as an RF transmission line with low loss with proper "launchers" on each end. This may be what the plastic looking cones are. This is all from memory, as I have no actual info on this technique.

 

[k0ua]

but in a surprising way. Signals would not travel inside the power lines, but near the lines. "Low-cost plastic antennas and devices located along the power line" send wireless signals to each other, using the power lines as a guide, AT&T said. Quoted from ARS technica

Aha... looks like I might have been right..

 

[vvanders]

I guess when I start seeing things like "plastic antennas" then it sets my engineering BS meter off, plastic makes an incredibly poor conductor .

The nifty bit would be to get power indirectly from the line, point-to-point wireless has been done. There's a community based ISP up on one of the PNW islands here that use a microwave link over the sound to get in ~2gbps and then just stake 5Ghz wifi equipment with highly directional antennas to the nearest trees. Tons of trees out here in the PNW means you've got a lot of options when it comes to mounting hardware. If I remember correctly they just ran a power line down the the nearby house and required the homeowner to pay for the electricity in addition to the service costs.

Ah, found it: How a group of neighbors created their own Internet service | Ars Technica Was up on Orcas island.