Audio Systems: POWERLINE AUDIO, wireless intercoms, power boxes

Question
I was on the internet the other and came across a company that will soon introduce audio ran through electricial wires.  Have you had any experience with this technology and what is your opinion on it? the company was called powerlinx.  i thought this would be great for a wireless hook up i was just scetchy on how good the sound would travel.  thanks for any input

Answer
This is not new technology.  Actually, the power lines in the home are good carriers of audio and other signals.  Many security systems use this idea.

For years we have had wireless intercoms that feed the audio signal back over the power line to the other intercom unit.

The quality of the audio signal depends on how good the modulator and carrier system is.  It can be good, wide band, high fidelity if done right.  

One problem is that some homes have blocking devices such as power boxes or transformers and dimmer controls that intefere with the transmitted signal, although the newer technology is getting better all the time.

Also, sometimes a nearby neighbor can pick up the signal if it is not scrambled or incrypted.  With Wi-Fi routers and computer feeds the audio can go over secure wireless sytems as well; and wireless routers are getting very cheap now days.

One last comment; there are a number of intelligent house bus systems for distributing command and program materials around the house that rely on house wiring to carry the information, as well.

Hope this helps, but let me know if you need more information.

Cleggsan