Search Computing Unplugged's 16,487 article archive 
Home
EasyPrint
News details Click here for the RSS feed's XML code. This is not a browser URL.
Articles-only Click here for the RSS feed's XML code. This is not a browser URL.
Twitter Feed Click here for the Twitter feed.
THE COMPUTING UNPLUGGED INTERVIEW
Understanding broadband over powerline technology
By David Gewirtz

Broadband technology is changing at a wildly accelerated pace. Whether it's EvDO technology in your new Treo 700p or WiFi in your local coffee shop, it's clear Internet access is leaving POTS (Plain Ol' Telephone System) connections behind. One of the most exciting areas of innovation is broadband over powerline (BPL) technology, which distributes high-speed Internet connectivity over your household powerlines.

Everything the President of the United States says is carefully planned and vetted, so when President Bush has a comment on an Internet technology, you can get a feel for how important it might become:

We need to get broadband to more Americans and so, therefore, I want to talk about two other ways to get broadband to the consumer. We need to use our power lines better. They go everywhere. It seems to make sense, doesn't it, if what you're looking for is avenues into the home. Well, electricity goes into the home. And so one great opportunity is to spread broadband throughout America via our power lines.

We continue our series of exclusive, strategic interviews with experts in emerging technology. This week, I had the opportunity to interview Chano Gomez, VP of Strategic Development and Marketing for DS2, a company that makes the chip technology that makes broadband over powerline possible. This interview contains our first article-level editorial coverage of BPL, so it's a worthy read.

David: Chano, please introduce yourself and tell us something about your background.

Chano: I am the vice president of technology and strategic partnerships for DS2. I oversee US operations and manage DS2's key partnerships from our office in Santa Clara, CA. Prior to this role, I served as customer support manager for the company, coordinating of all DS2's support activities to our international customers. This included product development support, field support, network design and deployment support and technical training.

David: Help us understand broadband over powerline (BPL). What is it and why is it important?

Chano: Powerline Communications or PLC uses electrical wiring for high speed transmission of data as an alternative to copper wiring, optical fiber or wireless technologies and constitutes a competitive solution to provide a wide array of services such as Internet broadband access, telephony, multimedia and audiovisual services, in-home networking services, energy related applications for utilities, etc.


1  ·  2  ·  3  ·  Next »
Other articles you might like
Home > Special Reports > Broadband Over Powerline (9 articles)
   Computing Unplugged passes judgement on BPL
   A BPL manufacturer responds to all the complaints
   Inside the ARRL's objection to BPL interference
Get Weekly Email Updates
Subscribe to our regular weekly email newsletter. It's packed with tips, reviews, deep analysis, and the latest news.
 
Recent Computing Unplugged Articles
When WordPress 3.0 Multisite won't let you log in
Choosing the right smartphone for you
Picture Porter 35, a portable hard drive/viewer for photographers
Time to pay the paper?
Photoshop CS5's great new lens correction feature
Photoshop CS5's great new high dynamic range imaging features
Photoshop CS5's great new Puppet Warp feature
Computing Unplugged News
Android wallpaper app that steals your data was downloaded by millions
New Zealand pizza lovers suffer information theft from Hell
Could open source tools make Facebook the next AOL?
Amazon unveils 3rd-generation Kindle e-book reader
Dell Streak: What a Mess
$20 Wikipedia Reader Uses 8-Bit Computing Power
Google Assembles Parts for Facebook Rival
>> Read all the news
More from the ZATZ journals
David Gewirtz Online: CNN commentary and analysis
DominoPower: Smart Upgrade bug in Domino 8.5.1 (and some work-around tips)
OutlookPower: The two most motivational words in the English language
-- Advertisement --

Printing emails and attachments has never been simpler
When it comes to printing emails or attachments, you can be confident that our Auto-Print add-in can do what Outlook lacks - print the emails and/or attachments as soon as they arrive.

Discover this professional tool today.
ZATZ Home  ·  News  ·  Back Issues  ·  Credits/Trademarks ·  Link To Us
Copyright © 2003-2010, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide.
Editor's Login