If you have IQ2 you should be sweet.

Funny story. Apparently the communications modules in the AMI meter program (smart meters) can be used as wireless receivers for the internet, phone, digital radio and digital television.

Why the governments did not incorporate these into the deal in some form is beyond me. Would have been brilliant for remote areas.

http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/governm...928-26pqt.html

God damn Conroy......

Quote:

Mr Conroy told the conference: “The regulation of telecommunications powers in Australia is exclusively federal. That means I am in charge of spectrum auctions, and if I say to everyone in this room 'if you want to bid in our spectrum auction you'd better wear red underpants on your head', I've got some news for you. You'll be wearing them on your head ... I have unfettered legal power.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derelict

Funny story. Apparently the communications modules in the AMI meter program (smart meters) can be used as wireless receivers for the internet, phone, digital radio and digital television.

Why the governments did not incorporate these into the deal in some form is beyond me. Would have been brilliant for remote areas.

That's an interesting thought, maybe there are bandwidth limitations, or maybe it's the sort of lateral thinking idea that governments or big institutions in general struggle with, seeing that I can buy a network over power line box right now very cheaply, I'm leaning towards the latter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by horst

That's an interesting thought, maybe there are bandwidth limitations, or maybe it's the sort of lateral thinking idea that governments or big institutions in general struggle with, seeing that I can buy a network over power line box right now very cheaply, I'm leaning towards the latter.

Id reserve judgement on that until I knew more about how the system works. Derpy, do you know how the smart meter actually communicate their data back? Is it wireless?

Quote:

Originally Posted by horst

That's an interesting thought, maybe there are bandwidth limitations, or maybe it's the sort of lateral thinking idea that governments or big institutions in general struggle with, seeing that I can buy a network over power line box right now very cheaply, I'm leaning towards the latter.

Very different stuff.

The smart meters communicate back to a basestation using wimax. There is nothing to stop vendors from leasing suitable infrastructure if it is place.

The receiver in the meter is irrelevant for the most part, the real issue is the backhaul bandwidth to the towers *that* is what costs the $ to implement. Monitoring power usage is not bandwidth intensive at all and can easily be served by gsm or sattelite uplinks from the wimax base stations in remote areas. That does not provide suitable consumer broadband services.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey

Id reserve judgement on that until I knew more about how the system works. Derpy, do you know how the smart meter actually communicate their data back? Is it wireless?

Well no, not wireless, you can piggyback a high frequency signal on the 50Hz line quiet easily, but that's pretty much the extent of my knowledge, I know they've not been measuring your power usage over the line for years, but I think they used ohms law for that rather than zeros and ones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by horst

Well no, not wireless, you can piggyback a high frequency signal on the 50Hz line quiet easily, but that's pretty much the extent of my knowledge, I know they've not been measuring your power usage over the line for years, but I think they used ohms law for that rather than zeros and ones.

From whats Eddie says it IS a wireless connection from the meter back to the power utility. I'm aware you can piggyback data over 50hz in the home but it doesn't appear the smart meters are using that tech anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by big eddie

Very different stuff.

The smart meters communicate back to a basestation using wimax. There is nothing to stop vendors from leasing suitable infrastructure if it is place.

The receiver in the meter is irrelevant for the most part, the real issue is the backhaul bandwidth to the towers *that* is what costs the $ to implement. Monitoring power usage is not bandwidth intensive at all and can easily be served by gsm or sattelite uplinks from the wimax base stations in remote areas. That does not provide suitable consumer broadband services.

Cheers Ed, thats what I was wondering (re it being wimax). So it could potentially be integrated into the NBN in the future for last-mile, but I'd assume it's going to be subject to the usual congestion issues that you get with any sort of wireless tech?

Quote:

Originally Posted by big eddie

Very different stuff.

The smart meters communicate back to a basestation using wimax. There is nothing to stop vendors from leasing suitable infrastructure if it is place.

Ah ok, so there must be issues with data over power lines if they chose to do it via microwave link.

Quote:

Originally Posted by horst

Ah ok, so there must be issues with data over power lines if they chose to do it via microwave link.

It requires a lot more infrastructure at the street level to do it that way, whereas you can get kilometres of coverage from a single wimax tower.

The other issue is how do the Smart Meters connect to the LAN side of things? Do they just have an ethernet jack that you'd connect an ordinary router for a PPOE connection? Either way utilising them wouldn't really save a hell of a lot of cost, you're still going to need a router anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by horst

Ah ok, so there must be issues with data over power lines if they chose to do it via microwave link.

If I was to hazard a guess I'd say the NATO Research and Technology Organisation report issued in 2007 where they found that BPL had a "possible detrimental effect upon military HF radio communications and COMINT systems" played a big part.

Apparently it has a effect on household electronics as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by big eddie

Very different stuff.

The smart meters communicate back to a basestation using wimax. There is nothing to stop vendors from leasing suitable infrastructure if it is place.

The receiver in the meter is irrelevant for the most part, the real issue is the backhaul bandwidth to the towers *that* is what costs the $ to implement. Monitoring power usage is not bandwidth intensive at all and can easily be served by gsm or sattelite uplinks from the wimax base stations in remote areas. That does not provide suitable consumer broadband services.

The other factor is that not all the meters installed have antennas on them. The powercor, citypower and ugl networks only install them every 5 meters or so. Their meters communicate to each other via the powerlines.

But another funny part of the SP ausnet network (the one where all meters get antennas - except for the ones installed directly by sp, go figure?) is that they aren't even using the wireless network yet, and are still building and planning it in many places.

Ugh :\

finally a policy! although no real news and a whiff more detail.
Video is worthwhile to watch just to see informed journalists asking pertinent questions, Mal is making a good fist of it but he is being stretched, and to see a silent Abbot standing there with all the utility of a furuncle.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-0...policy/4618232

Quite apart from debate about the merits of the competing policies, there is surprisingly little commentary about the fact that this is another pretty good example of Abbott's "say anything to get elected" strategy.

Good story from the West Australian:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-...libs-nbn-plan/

reminds those playing at home that in 2010 Abbott's instructions to Turnbull were to "destroy the NBN" - and also reminds people that Abbott claimed there were budget savings to be made. As the Libs now accept that the Government's accounting treatment of the NBN expenditure is correct, that's another $2billion to come out of the black hole . . .

Damn, I did forget that they actually planned to dismantle the NBN,
It will be interesting to see how this is reflected in polling now that we finally have a clear point of difference in [one] policy.

What a fucking retarded policy.

Turnbull knows how shit it is, that's why he has his money invested in France's NBN equivalent.

The reaction to Turnbulls Facebook post is priceless.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opin...410-2hldq.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by baax

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opin...410-2hldq.html

It's snarky journalism like this that makes me have the tiniest bit of hope for the industry these days.

This along with the apology from the western suburbs article on the drum are probably the two best articles I have read in months from Aussie media.

Can someone explain how the NBN is funded? I was under the impression that it was funded through bonds and thus didn't actually cost us taxpayers anything, but the media and the Liberals seem to be under a different impression.

Basically, it's being funded by both a series of loan being provided by the Federal Government (which is securing the loans through releases of bonds) and through private investment through venture capital. So essentially the Federal Government is their bank and is their secured creditor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Griggle

Basically, it's being funded by both a series of loan being provided by the Federal Government (which is securing the loans through releases of bonds) and through private investment through venture capital. So essentially the Federal Government is their bank and is their secured creditor.

Not that it matters. As if we can't afford it or shouldn't find the money for it. It's so obviously necessary and important it's just so fucking irresponsible to diminsh the program. Abbott is the most irresponsible candidate I can remember.

Well, it's at least partially relevant.

It means that even if uptake isn't as fast as predicted and they take longer than expected to pay off their debt, the Australian taxpayer will still get their money back (plus interest).

Conversely though, if uptake is much higher than expected we won't get a dividend of that increased revenue and it will just mean the NBN will clear its debt to us faster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Griggle

Well, it's at least partially relevant.

It means that even if uptake isn't as fast as predicted and they take longer than expected to pay off their debt, the Australian taxpayer will still get their money back (plus interest).

Conversely though, if uptake is much higher than expected we won't get a dividend of that increased revenue and it will just mean the NBN will clear its debt to us faster.

Oh I agree. But the cost of the NBN is a red herring and should be treated that way. It works out at less than $2,000 per capita over the life of the expenditure. Contextually, it's irrelevant. We spend about $200 per capita per year on internet use now.

Give me super quick internet now. Sick of optus' patchy bs

The Tony Abbott facial expressions are brilliant

Media Player

Clarke and Dawe - A Very Smooth Presentation - YouTube

http://howfastisthenbn.com.au

Even though it sort of panders to the idea that internet use is just an individual users luxury item, rather than a major part of future industries, it's worth a look.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ratticus

http://howfastisthenbn.com.au

Even though it sort of panders to the idea that internet use is just an individual users luxury item, rather than a major part of future industries, it's worth a look.

Ironically that site was created by a young Liberal voter. I think it's safe to say the ALP have all but given up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoneyhuh

Ironically that site was created by a young Liberal voter. I think it's safe to say the ALP have all but given up.

Anyone noticed how quiet the Libs have gone on the NBN lately? I'm starting to suspect that their new strategy is along the lines of "lets avoid mentioning it as much as we can until the election, after which time we'll quietly make some excuse about it being too far advanced to cancel and keep building it with minimal changes" They know it's good policy, they just don;t want to admit that Labor did something visionary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey

Anyone noticed how quiet the Libs have gone on the NBN lately? I'm starting to suspect that their new strategy is along the lines of "lets avoid mentioning it as much as we can until the election, after which time we'll quietly make some excuse about it being too far advanced to cancel and keep building it with minimal changes" They know it's good policy, they just don;t want to admit that Labor did something visionary.

Given the landslide on the cards, this is what I'm hoping too

And also that they 'axe the tax' by moving to a floating price instead of direct action

Quote:

Originally Posted by CheelWinston

Given the landslide on the cards, this is what I'm hoping too

And also that they 'axe the tax' by moving to a floating price instead of direct action

If Labor had've ditched the red dalek and brought back Rudd when the writing was on the wall last year they could have moved the unpopular carbon tax to the EU floating price model and they most likely would not be in the position of staring down at a landslide that they are in right now. I know, shoudlda coulda woulda.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CheelWinston

Given the landslide on the cards, this is what I'm hoping too

And also that they 'axe the tax' by moving to a floating price instead of direct action

x2

If Labor can get Gonski and the NDIS in place, so that the Coalition keeps them, at the same time going the whole hog with the NBN and get rid of Direct Action then Labor, for all their self-inflicted pain they caused will actually be remembered for quite a fair bit.

- Apologies to the stolen and forced adoption generations.
- Handling the GFC
- NBN
- Carbon pricing/climate action
- Water reform of the Murray Darling Basin
- NDIS
- Gonski

That's nothing to sneeze at.

If Labor is crushed though, as polls predict, suffering the embarrassment of also being wiped out in the Senate then who knows what the Coalition might feel they have the right to do.

If that happens Abbott might go for the whole IPA wish list.

I wish they were called something other than IPA.

I know what you mean. I often have this sudden urge to throw the 6 pack of James Squire's IPA I've just pulled out of the bottle-o fridge. Then I remember.