Power-line networks

[Sentaku senshi]

Does any one here have any experince with a power-line network? I am currently working on a report, and would like to include people experene with it.

Please state what technolgy the Power-line networked use(d) as the two most common ones are highly diffent.

[RoD]

The best place for information on this is in

PC Magazine, the April 2002 Issue. There is a two page article going into alot of detail between two types, if u would like i can type it up for you sometime tonight, just ask.

[Sentaku senshi]

Thanks, but to make your life easer don't include any informatoin found on howstuffworks.com

[RoD]

I'll jus type it up in a summerized version, here goes;

A new form of electrical networking, networking done through power cables, was brought to our attention today; HomePlug. We tried our first HomePlug system and found them easy to install, robust,fast, and very suitable for home and small buisnesses.

The HomePlug is not the first product to use this system, however. 802.11b was the first to incorporate this, we did find that HomePlug had a much better price range, only 25-50 dollars a computer.

Many companies plan to put out products based strictly for HomePlug. These companies include Linksys, GigaFast, Netgear, Phonex Broadband, and SMC.

We tested this product in a 29 room condo useing every room with one pc. The network had to be capable of surfing the web and sharing files. The tests went absolutely flawless, aside from the one fualty outlet.

In these tests the network continued un-interupted when we used power strips, appliances, or alot of power. There may be a problem with the use of audiophilies, as if you plug the network into a conditioner for this type of filtering system, the conditioner may mistake the network packets for noise and filter them out.

As opposed to the 802.11b, who used the RC4 algorithm, the HomePlug system protects the data on your grid from others by useing DES encryption. The maker of HomePlug, intellon, commented they are very happy with the leve of security found in this first release. Hacking into a HomePlug network would require cracking the goverment standerd for DES encryption.

HomePlug is faster then 802.11b, which runs at 11mbps, as opposed to HomePlugs 14mbps.


NOTE: i'll add more later gotta get rdy for class : )