# BPL - Broadband over Power Line? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 6, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957 "2003-10-06T23:42:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957/1 "2003-10-06T23:42:03Z")
Anyone know anything about this technology? Is it available anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957/2 "2003-10-07T00:23:45Z")
In some parts of Europe. As far as I know, it is still at testing / FCC licensing stages in the US: [http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,110920,00.asp](http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,110920,00.asp) It’s actually a fairly old concept - you might remember “carrier current” broadcast for college radio stations and the like 20 years ago. Getting higher bandwidth out of it, and using it on a wider scale presents some challenges, as well as requiring FCC regulation that old carrier current systems didn’t: [http://www.computeruser.com/news/03/05/03/news4.html](http://www.computeruser.com/news/03/05/03/news4.html) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957/3 "2003-10-07T00:34:09Z")
More than 20 years ago. I knew that. I just poked around a bit to find out how much more. Research was done in 1910, and college carrier current stations started appearing in the 30’s: [http://earlyradiohistory.us/1923wir.htm](http://earlyradiohistory.us/1923wir.htm) ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957/4 "2003-10-07T00:34:43Z")
Broadband over Power Line (BPL) may never come to pass in the USA. It generates massive amounts of radio interfearence that has been shown to disrupt communications on the amateur radio bands as well as public service bands used by police and fire services. More information regarding interference issues is available here: [http://www.arrl.org/news/bandthreat/](http://www.arrl.org/news/bandthreat/) ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957/5 "2003-10-07T01:03:44Z")
Article in today’s Tampa Tribune: [http://www.tampatrib.com/MGAABVQNFLD.html](http://www.tampatrib.com/MGAABVQNFLD.html) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957/6 "2003-10-07T01:11:16Z")
Since it’s available in some European locations, you might wonder why the interference isn’t an issue there. The answer is twofold: 1 - It is. A few small scale commercial services got put into place anyway. 2 - Much of Europe uses buried power lines, which reduces the interference problem. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957/7 "2004-03-05T16:07:01Z")
I’m reviving this thread to mention a development. BPL was thought to be more or less dead in the water several months back, but Cinergy, a Cincinnati based power company, has begun offering service: [http://www.cinergy.com/News/default\_corporate\_news.asp?news\_id=420](http://www.cinergy.com/News/default_corporate_news.asp?news_id=420) An opinion piece: [http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2004Mar/gee20040303024096.htm](http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2004Mar/gee20040303024096.htm) It may provide an interesting alternative for rural areas which cannot be served by DSL or cable modem. The ARRL’s opinion hasn’t changed, claiming that the radio interference problems will be massive. The FCC is obviously letting it go ahead, though, and faster than people thought they would. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957/8 "2004-03-05T16:31:10Z")
On a sort of related note, local area networking over domestic power cables is starting to happen here in the UK (not sure about elsewhere), but I’m not sure what would happen in a building where different parts are supplied by different phases of an initially three-phase supply. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957/9 "2004-03-05T16:47:10Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > On a sort of related note, local area networking over domestic power cables is starting to happen here in the UK (not sure about elsewhere), but I’m not sure what would happen in a building where different parts are supplied by different phases of an initially three-phase supply. LAN over a building’s power lines mostly follows the HomePlug standard: [http://www.homeplug.com](http://www.homeplug.com) You may be able to dig up some technical information there. There are a lot of vendors out there selling little fetishes you can plug into your outlets and use your house wiring for a LAN. ARRL claims HomePlug LAN’s aren’t a problem, BTW, partially because they got the HomePlug standard to “notch out” Ham band frequencies. All fine and dandy, but if they REALLY had to do that to prevent messing up amateur radio, what about stuff operating on the frequencies they aren’t notching? ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957/10 "2004-03-05T17:19:36Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > Broadband over Power Line (BPL) may never come to pass in the USA. It generates massive amounts of radio interfearence that has been shown to disrupt communications on the amateur radio bands as well as public service bands used by police and fire services. > > More information regarding interference issues is available here: [http://www.arrl.org/news/bandthreat/](http://www.arrl.org/news/bandthreat/) Of course, the other side says that there is no interference. I haven’t yet been able to find any studies by independent groups, only ARRL yelling and the BPL industry saying no. [http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/01/07/HNbroadbanddog\_1.html](http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/01/07/HNbroadbanddog_1.html) I’ll make up my mind when I see some numbers and studies. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bpl-broadband-over-power-line/205957/11 "2004-03-05T20:26:42Z")
Will it interfere with my X10 stuff?