October 17, 2005

Get the 'Net Over Power Lines

If you want high-speed Internet access you can use cable, DSL or satellite. However a fourth choice that you'll see more of, is Internet service offered via your power line. Imagine having Internet access available at any electrical socket in your home? No need to install a home network.

The NY Times writes "I would never go back now that I have this," said Mr. Hofstetter, who often works from his home office in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Cincinnati. He pays $30 a month for the service from Current Communications, an Internet service provider, which uses the power lines run by Cinergy, the local utility in Cincinnati. That cost is about $15 cheaper than comparable Internet access from either Cincinnati Bell or Time Warner Cable.

The Current service can be piped into any electrical outlet in Mr. Hofstetter's home, with no reduction in speed even when he, his wife and their three daughters are online at the same time. All that is needed is a baseball-size jack that plugs into the wall and is connected to a computer with an Ethernet cable.

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