ACNW

ASSIGNMEN
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Chaitanya Reddy
070911152
IT-A

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1. Introduction
“Power line communications” basically means any technology that enables data
transfer at narrow or broad band speed through power lines by using advanced
modulation technology.

Electrical power is transmitted over high voltage transmission lines distributed over
medium voltage, and used inside buildings at lower voltages. Powerline
communications can be applied at each stage. Since power lines are already present
connecting all homes, offices and institutions, the idea of power line communications
is cost-effective in a way that there is no need for new network cables to be laid.

Depending on the country, the institution and the company, power line
communications are grouped into several key words:
 Power line communication(PLC)
 Power line digital subscriber line(PDSL)
 Power line telecom(PLT)
 Power line networking(PLN)
 Broadband over Power lines(BPL)

2. Operating Principles
PLC Broadband technology is capable of transmitting data via electrical supply
network, and therefore can extend an existing local area network or share an existing
Internet connection through electrical plugs with the installation of specific units.

The principle of PLC consists in superimposing a high frequency signal (1.6 to 30

MHz) at low energy levels over 50 Hz electrical signal. This second signal is
 transmitted via the power infrastructure and can be received and decoded remotely.
Thus the PLC signal is received by any PLC receiver located on the same electrical
network.

3. The Power line as a communication

channel

The above figure shows a digital communication system using power-line as

communication channel. The transmitter is shown to the left and the receiver to the
right. Important parameters of the communication system are the output impedence
(Zt) of the transmitter and the input impedance (Zj) of the receiver.

A coupling circuit is used to connect the communication system to the power-line.

The purpose of the coupling circuit is two-fold. Firstly, it prevents the damaging 50
Hz signal, used for power distribution, to enter the equipment. Secondly, it certifies
that the major part of the received/transmitted signal is within the frequency band
used for communication. This increases the dynamic range of the receiver and makes
sure the transmitter introduces no interfering signals on the channel.

Thus the problem arises of limiting the power required to transmit data while ensuring
a sufficient bandwidth, and limiting the effects of noise and distortion on the line. The
 solution: a combination of strongest possible signal and optimal coupling between
PLC network and the electrical supply network.

There are two coupling methods:

 Parallel capacitative coupling on electrical network

 Induction coupling using a magnetic core

4. Data modulation technologies

The main challenge of PLC is “obtaining” a bandwidth with low transmission levels,
where transmission powers are limited on the power line, or a treatment of the most
powerful signal to over come the restriction on transmission levels.
Two types of modulation are used:
 OFDM(Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing)
 Spread Spectrum modulation

OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

OFDM transmission technology is based on simultaneous transmission on n
frequency bands with N carriers per band. The signal is shared between the carriers.
The signal is transmitted at high enough bandwidth level and then applied onto
several frequencies simultaneously. The OFDM signal spectrum provides optimal
usage of the allocated band due to the orthogonality of the sub-carriers.

SS: Spread Spectrum Modulation

The principle behind Spread Spectrum modulation consists in “spreading out”
information over a frequency band much broader than the band actually required, with
aim of counteracting the interference signal an distortion caused by propagation. The
signal is encoded; one code is assigned to each user which is then decoded when it
reaches its destination. Spreading is ensured by applying a pseudo-random signal
called a spreading code. Spread Spectrum modulation is optimised to counteract
noise, reducing the effects caused by noise.
5. Data connection
All PLC solutions must include a robust physical layer and also an efficient network
layer access protocol. This protocol controls the division of the transmission media
between many customers, while the physical layer specifies the modulation, the
encoding and the format of the packets.

The access method used by PLC machines is CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple
Access with Collision Avoidance), which is the same method used in wireless
networks.

6. PLC Network Security

Any PLC network must be protected like any other local area network through the
installation of a firewall; however there are two intrinsic levels of security in PLC
equipment:

 A DES encryption(using 56 or 128 bit key)

 The possibility of setting up separate networks on the same electric circuit with
two different keys that can be configured using software usually provided with
the equipment.

7. Pros and Cons

Advantages of PLC:
 Mobility
 Flexibility
 Ease of installation for indoor setup
 Stability

Disadvantages of PLC:
 Installation and high performance depend on the architecture of the electrical
network
  Lack of standards and guidelines
 Interoperability problems with various types of equipment
 Current price, market needs to be developed

8. Applications
Power-line products are used in many homes and offices for extending and connecting
internet enabled devices. Power-line Communications technology is also used for:

 Enabling automobiles. Power-line technology can enable in-vehicle network

communication of data, voice, music and video signals by digital means over
direct current battery power-line.
 Transmission of meter reading of utilities.
 Control and telemetry of electrical equipment such as meters, switches, heaters
and domestic appliances.
 Broadband over power-line services
 Power-line telephone applications
 Home appliances control
 Monitoring home energy consumption and pricing

9. Conclusion
Power-line communications solutions may be seen as complementary or alternative
solutions to the traditional fixed line networks, wireless networks and VDSL
networks. According to existing network architectures, buildings or technical
constraints, either solution can be chosen, but one can also consider one solution to
complement another.PLC is an upcoming technology. As we seen, the main
disadvantages are lack of standards, guidelines and interoperability problems. Many
research projects are ongoing to find solutions for these problems.