Chip helps electric outlet go broadband

he common electric socket will serve as your home’s connection to broadband with a new chip developed by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. — doing away with all the Ethernet cables or the hassle of hooking up to a wireless network device.

Products are still being developed, but gadgets embedded with the chip from the Japanese manufacturer of Panasonic products can hook up to a broadband network by plugging into the common electrical outlet, company officials said Thursday.

That’s because the Osaka-based company has come up with technology to use electric wiring in the home to relay not just electricity but also data.

By Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press

Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2005-09-29-broadband-socket_x.htm