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November 13, 2004
Current BPL Internet Service Plenty Fast
For about a month, now, we've been trialing BPL (Broadband over Power Line) Internet service from Current Communications. Current is working with our local power company, Cinergy, to test and roll out its service. As you can see in the screencap below, these results from a recent bandwidth test show it's plenty swift.
To use the service, you get a BPL modem. It looks like a largish wall-wart power plug with some LEDs on it. It has an RJ-45 jack on it to connect to a computer or a router. That's about it.
We opted for the Cadillac level service: 3mbps up, 3mbps down, and a dedicated IP. That runs $49.95 a month, but the price decreases as more people in my neighborhood sign up (my current price with >3 neighbors signed up is a paltry $42.46). Given that was paying $44.95 to RoadRunner for 3mbps down, 384kbps up, and a dynamic IP, Current is a bargain.
Right now, Current only offers BPL service in parts of Cincinnati, Ohio. But, if you happen to live here, check out their website for pricing and availability. Or, if you don't live here, beg them to come to your city next.
Posted by Craig in Technology
Comments
hello,
I am live in a very rural area that has about 50% of people that can't get broadband due to non-existing cable. So my solution has been Hughes net for 2 years now. I am tired of satellite internet. I get slow speeds for crazy costs. Being that I run an online business I need fast internet. Hughes net has been very unreliable. If it rains/snows/or sprinkles it doesn't work. And speeds suck for three days after a 80mb download. Many of my fellow neighbors would love to have broadband over powerlines, and we were wondering if you could come to our area. I live in western New York, between cities Buffalo and Rochester. Many of my fellow neighbors want gaming connection speeds, to connect consoles to the internet. Dial-up or "affordable" satellite doesn't cut it. I hope you can come to our area, even though it sounds like we might not be getting decent internet for another 8 years or so. Which sounds ridiculous, because Europe and many parts in Asia can get wicked satellite internet speeds. Well, I hope to see broadband over power lines in our area soon. Thanks for taking time to read my request!
Posted by: christopher teco at March 13, 2009 10:18 PM