Conformity Magazine - December 2007 - (Page 12) Broadband Over Powerlines Alternative or Trouble? M any home offices are setting up local networks using either wireless or wired technology. However depending on where you live there may be a third alternative: AC wires --the electrical wires that are already inside the home and office walls. But several powerline adapters instruction books warn against plugging them into surge protectors or uninterruptible power supplies because the signal would not be usable. This may be changing as DirecTV recently announced that customers who sign up for its new broadband service will have access to a HomePlug-enabled surge protector. Will this be a path to increase use of broadband over powerlines? The future of broadband technology may still be searching for the light at the end of the tunnel as the industry, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and others struggle to find a common path that is acceptable to all. Potential for Impact on Military Communications The problems don’t start inside the home. There are potential problems outside the home as well. Broadband Over Powerline (BPL) systems use the electrical power grids (wires) as radiators of a signal to reach into the home. Some of these systems use radio frequencies below 30 MHz (HF) which are also used by the military, shortwave broadcasters, amateur radio operators, and others. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has issued a report of the expected effects that widespread BPL (a.k.a. PLC or PLT) application would have on the HF spectrum. The report concluded that there is a “high probability that PLT would cause increased noise levels at sensitive receiver sites given the projected market penetration,” and that the percentages of interference are “highly influenced by assumptions on transmitter EIRP, PLT market penetration, and duty cycle.” by Bob Josuweit 12 CONFORMITY DECEMBER 2007 © Photographer: Kineticimagery | Agency: Dreamstime.com http://Dreamstime.com
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