Power Line Communication Technologies


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PLC -- Power Line Communication

60%+ U.S. homes have Internet access
10% broadband
Inaccessible and costly
PLC = No new wires:
Emerging Technology
Use of Power grid for communication
Extensive infrastructure
"Every" building

PLC -- Problems

Need high frequencies: current lines designed @ 50-60 Hz to 400 Hz
Contaminated -- noise, unreliable
Legal restrictions on frequency bands limit data rates
Power Loss
Directly proportional to square of current
Proportional to distance
High, medium, & low voltage lines & customer premise lines

PLC -- Previous Use

Due to past low data rate communication needs, utility companies used PLC to maintain power grid
New technologies allow high data-rate communication over low-tension lines

Regulatory Constraints

Regulatory agencies
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
European Committees for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC)
North America
0 to 500 kHz and part of 2 to 30 MHz unlicensed spectrum are used for PLC
General -- Regulate
Band allocation
Radiation emission
Power transmission on band


Attenuation in PLC

The decrease in the value of something
Decrease in amplitude of an electrical signal
Opposite of amplification
Dependant upon Impedance