Isn't this partly true today ? Don't the various electricity boards send
"something" down the AC line to switch our home meters between day-time and
night-time billing ? I know this is true in Greece and I'm pretty sure it's
true for England as well, although the techniques may vary.

Now IF I was a "hacker" and a "thief" and had a relevant background, I'd
probably spend some time trying to duplicate that "something" that is sent
down the AC line. Then switch my meter to economy at will. But as I said
that would be naughty and I'd hate to get in trouble with he who is "making
a list and checking it twice ..."  ;-)

For some reason I can't resist reading this thread, although I know from
the title that it has absolutely nothing to do with the specs of this list
:)

Costas Anastassiades,

Athens-Greece

----------
From:   John D. Alleyn-Day[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Παρασκευή, 18 Απριλίου 1997 10:14 πμ
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: Power LAN!

This probably falls into the category of an urban legend (and also gives
away how old I am!)

The British Electricity Board, many years ago, was reputed to use a DC
pulse on the AC line to turn the street lights on and off (how about that
for a narrow-band communication channel).  Then TV manufacturers started to
build transformerless sets to save weight, with, I believe, voltage
doublers to boot.  Every time one of the sets was switched on or off, it
had a VERY interesting effect on the street lighting!



John D. Alleyn-Day
Alleyn-Day International
408-286-6421
408-286-6474 (Fax)
[log in to unmask]
http://www.Alleyn-Day.com