An electric Net

You connect to the Internet

over telephone, or over network cables. Nothing new in that. What about

accessing the Net through your electric socket? Shocking? Read on.

So far, the Net has been very

much a computers-only service. That is, you need to have a computer for Net

access, or looking at it from the other side, the Net could reach only

computers. As we saw earlier, cell phones and other wireless devices are now

trying to enter this space. But they aren’t the only ones in the queue. A

whole lot of gadgets and appliances would like to connect and communicate

over the Net.

Let’s look at some standard

examples. What about your microwave downloading settings for that new dish

you want to try out, from the Website you downloaded the menu from? Or on

the same token, what about your washing machine downloading the settings for

that expensive dress, right from the online shop where the dress was bought?

Makes life simple. Right?

Again the bright sparks are

at work, Internet-enabling all sorts of gadgets and devices. That’s the

easy part. Now comes the question. How do you connect up all the appliances

in your home–refrigerator, washing machine, food processor, microwave,

computers, radio, TV…–to the Net? Face it, we’re talking of a

full-fledged network at your home. Obviously, you can’t use individual

telephone dialups for each piece of equipment. So, you need a network. There

are two major options for doing this. One camp argues that home networking

is best done with telephone cables. This is along more or less familiar

routes. The other argues that you should use already existing connections–the

electrical outlets–for home networking. Companies are already at work,

developing standards and technologies for routing the Net over electricity

lines and through your electric plugs. Wait a year, or even less, to see the

early results of their efforts.