vpFREE2 Forums

Computer access in Vegas

#1

<rayzp@j...> wrote:
I'll have my laptop while staying in Downtown Vegas. Do
any casinos there provide "hot spots" or hi-speed
access? Or is it at all possible just to plug into the
room's telephone?

The three links on this page are lists of places in Las
Vegas where you can get internet access. Several of them
are downtown. http://members.cox.net/vpfree/LV_I.htm

In the last five years or so, I have been able to plug into
the room phone of every hotel where I have stayed and used
my dial-up connection.

#2

I read recently about a new technology called BPL (Broadband Power
Line) which provides internet access by simply plugging a PC into a
power outlet. It would be a good marketing ploy, I would think, if
the city of Las Vegas implemented this new technology. One US city
already has, as explained in the quote below. Info on BPL can be
found by doing a Yahoo search using the letters BPL.

"The City of Manassas has turned up the first municipal BPL lines, or
broadband Internet over power lines, in North America. Available to
all residents and businesses, the technology will make available to
subscribers high-speed internet access from any electrical outlet in
a structure by simply installing a modem. Prospect Street Broadband
was awarded a franchise by the city council in October 2003 to deploy
the service city-wide, supplying equipment and handling
administrative functions such as account administration, help desk
support and final connection to the internet."

ยทยทยท

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, ms vpfree <ms_vpfree_3@y...> wrote:

> <rayzp@j...> wrote:
> I'll have my laptop while staying in Downtown Vegas. Do
> any casinos there provide "hot spots" or hi-speed
> access? Or is it at all possible just to plug into the
> room's telephone?

#3

brumar_lv wrote:>

I read recently about a new technology called BPL (Broadband Power
Line) which provides internet access by simply plugging a PC into a
power outlet. It would be a good marketing ploy, I would think, if
the city of Las Vegas implemented this new technology. One US city
already has, as explained in the quote below. Info on BPL can be
found by doing a Yahoo search using the letters BPL.

"The City of Manassas has turned up the first municipal BPL lines, or
broadband Internet over power lines, in North America. Available to
all residents and businesses, the technology will make available to
subscribers high-speed internet access from any electrical outlet in
a structure by simply installing a modem. Prospect Street Broadband
was awarded a franchise by the city council in October 2003 to deploy
the service city-wide, supplying equipment and handling
administrative functions such as account administration, help desk
support and final connection to the internet."

BPL is licensed by the FCC and is currently being tested in about 6
cities across the U.S. to see if the system will work as advertised and
also to work out a major problem with it. That problem being, major
interference with police, fire, business and emergency communications
systems. When the BPL system runs on power lines, it radiates signals
which can totally block a communications receiver. This is the "small"
problem they are trying to work out and so far have had only limited
success. Of course, they are not going to tell you about all this in a
"press release", especially if they are trying to sign up more subscribers.

Bob

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#4

* Bob Sommer - Top of the World Coins <NL7HT@barrow.com> [2004-06-07 19:32]:

BPL is licensed by the FCC and is currently being tested in about 6
cities across the U.S. to see if the system will work as advertised
and also to work out a major problem with it. That problem being,
major interference with police, fire, business and emergency
communications systems.

Sounds like it might provide yet another excuse for beating speeding
tickets.. BPL will interfere with police radars.

#5

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, Bob Sommer - Top of the World Coins
<NL7HT@b...> wrote:

BPL is licensed by the FCC and is currently being tested in about 6
cities across the U.S. to see if the system will work as advertised

and

also to work out a major problem with it. That problem being,

major

interference with police, fire, business and emergency

communications

systems. When the BPL system runs on power lines, it radiates

signals

which can totally block a communications receiver. This is

the "small"

problem they are trying to work out and so far have had only

limited

success. Of course, they are not going to tell you about all this

in a

"press release", especially if they are trying to sign up more

subscribers.

Bob

Based on several articles I've read, it works very well, at high
speeds, and without the serious interference problems you described.
I hope Las Vegas investigates this new technology.

#6

brumar_lv wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Based on several articles I've read, it works very well, at high
speeds, and without the serious interference problems you described. I hope Las Vegas investigates this new technology.

The problem is that the field tests have been in extremely small areas of the cities they are testing. These test cities are just now starting to go area wide. Time will tell. I actually hope the tests are successful, but even the FCC has admitted that there is potential for major problems if it is not done properly and monitored closely.

Bob

#7

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, Bob Sommer - Top of the World Coins
<NL7HT@b...> wrote:

The problem is that the field tests have been in extremely small

areas

of the cities they are testing. These test cities are just now

starting

to go area wide. Time will tell. I actually hope the tests are
successful, but even the FCC has admitted that there is potential

for

major problems if it is not done properly and monitored closely.

Bob

I'm not recommending that BPL be implemented in LV, I'm asking that
it be investigated, as you suggested too. Las Vegas may be ideally
suited for BPL because in many areas the power lines are buried, and
I think that's true of most of the strip too. But in the older
areas, with overhead power lines, BPL may not be a good choice.

In other words, BPL could be used inside strip hotels, and in areas
with buried lines. I think its possible to be selective as to BPL
service areas because the transformers that serve a particular area
(or hotel) will stop the BPL signal from straying elsewhere (to the
overhead lines). Hotel guests are the main target market, because
they aren't served well today at most hotels.

As far as individual hotels are concerned, the good thing is that
every room is alredy wired. It would be very inexpensive to get
up and running, compared to stringing cable. And hotel guests don't
need their own modem. The hotel could install a BPL modem in each
room, or give one to guests that request them (for a fee?).

This is a very new technology, so I'm sure some of the problems will
be solved. There is at least one company, already, that claims it
has completely solved the interference problem.