POWER LINE COMMUNICATION:

A new horizon in broadband

communication

COMPILED BY: SARADENDU KARMAKAR

ROLL NO.: 07/EE/15
SEC: A
DEPT. OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING,
NIT DURGAPUR

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TOPICS OF 1.
2.
BROADBAND: A REVIEW
BROADBAND OVER POWER
DISCUSSION LINE
3. TYPES OF PLC
4. PLC: A TECHNICAL
OVERVIEW
5. APPLICATION AREAS OF
PLC
6. PLC: SOME
SHORTCOMINGS
7. PLC: PRESENT SCENARIO
8. CONCLUSION
9. REFERENCES

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1. BROADBAND: A review
 Broadband refers to a telecommunication signal
of greater bandwidth, than another standard or
usual signal.

A huge volume of the communication networks

around the world, use internet as the standard
means of data transfer.

 Theinternet traffic over the last few years show

an enormous growth over the last few years.

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  Internet
broadband lines are mainly provided by, telecommunication
companies, over existing DSL lines, or cable TV networks.

 Datafrom research Teleography shows that Internet traffic has

grown 62 percent in 2010 alone.

A plot of the annual growth rate of the total internet traffic volume.

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 TheDSL lines may not be able to handle the
enormous increase in the internet traffic volume.

 Such huge growth of data volumes also requires

huge improvements in the existing network
infrastructure, which is very difficult.

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2. BROADBAND OVER POWER LINE
 The existing problem with infrastructure, can be overcome,
by use of the power lines, for data transfer. This is known
as “Power line Communication” or “Broadband over Power
Line”.

 PLC works by transmitting high frequency data signals

through the same power cable network used for carrying
electricity power to household users.

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 It is cheap and convenient, as it uses the existing
network, which is both widespread and capable
of wide bandwidth.

 This technology began as simple scheme for

telemetering and control of electrical equipments
in a network.

 PLC is now being considered as a potential “third

wire” in the broadband marketplace.

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3. TYPES OF PLC
Access PLC: This uses electrical distribution
lines, overhead or underground, to provide
broadband Internet access to homes and
businesses.
 This is currently in the developmental stage

In-building PLC: This uses the electrical

wiring within a building to network
computers.

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Control PLC : This operates below 500
kHz, and is used by electric-utility
companies to control their equipment
using the power-lines as transmission
lines.
 These systems are not a problem, although it is
interesting to note that utilities are successfully lobbied
against an amateur VLF allocation, claiming that
amateur transmissions could disrupt their
communications.

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4. PLC: A technical Overview
 PLC works by transmitting high frequency data signals
through the same power cable network used for carrying
electrical power to household users.

 This requires devices that combine the voice and data

signals with the low-voltage supply current in the local
transformer stations.

 The signal makes its way to neighborhoods and customers

who could access it , through utility poles.

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A generalized model of the BPL scheme.

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 Digital
Powerline use a network, known as a
High Frequency Conditioned Power Network
(HFCPN), to transmit data and electrical signals.

 TheCU sends electricity to the outlets in the

home and data signals to a communication
module or "service unit". The service unit
provides multiple channels for data, voice, etc.

 Base station servers at local electricity

substations connect to the Internet via fiber or
broadband coaxial cable. The end result is similar
to a neighborhood local area network.

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 Data from the
internet domain is
never directly fed into
the electrical power
lines. It is rerouted
through an
isolator/coupler,
which serves the
purpose of isolating
the two signal
bandwidths as well as
the voltage levels.

The isolator is
generally connected
to an electronic
package (an injector
or an isolator).

This is a combination Isolator and Electronics package. The

Electronics package can be an Injector or Repeater.

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The scheme of an power line BPL injector/repeater

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4.1. THE SERVER
 TheDigital Powerline base station is a standard
rack mountable system designed specifically for
current street electricity cabinets.

 Typically,
one street cabinet contains twelve base
station units, each capable of communicating
with over 1 of 40 possible radio channels.

 Several
options, with different costs, can provide
broadband Internet service to each base station.

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 Thesimplest solution is connecting leased lines
to each substation.

A wireless system has also been suggested to

connect base stations to the Internet.
This option reduces local loop fees, but increases hardware
costs.

 Another alternative involves running high

bandwidth lines, along side electric lines, to
substations.
These lines could be fiber, ATM, or broadband coaxial
cable. This option avoids local loop fees, but is beset by
equipment fees.

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4.2. THE HFCPN CONDITIONING
UNIT
 The CU uses band pass filters to segregate the
electricity and data signals, which facilitate the
link between a customer’s premise and an
electricity substation.

 The CU contains three coupling ports.

1. The device receives aggregate input from its Network Port
(NP). This aggregate input passes through a high pass
filter.
2. Filtering allows data signals to pass to a Communications
Distribution Port (CDP).
3. A low pass filter sends electric signals to the Electricity
Distribution Port (EDP).
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Scheme of a conditioning unit

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4.3. Service Unit
 The service unit is a wall or table mountable
multi-purpose data communications box. The
unit facilitates data connections via connectors to
cable modems and telephone connections via
standard line termination jacks. The service unit
provides its own line power for ringing and
contains a battery backup in case of power
outage.

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5. APPLICATION AREAS OF
POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS

PLC offers end-users a broad spectrum of

applications and services including broadband
Internet access, voice over IP, multimedia
services, telecommunication, home
automation and energy management(near
energy services).

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5.1. POWERLINE
TELECOMMUNICATION
 It is the use of powerline to transmission of voice
data services.

 PLT has been seen as a very attractive new area

due to the following reasons:
• The power grid is ubiquitous; it constitutes an existing
network infrastructure to billions of private consumers and
businesses.
• The power grid offers last-mile conductivity.
• The power grid supports information based services with
strong growth potential.

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5.2. HOME PLUG NETWORKING:
THE INCEPTION OF SMART GRID
 Homeplug networking is an attempt to integrate
home appliances such as TV’s Refrigerators,
Computers,etc., via the home electrical network.

 Asevery electrical appliance already has a port

connecting it to the electrical supply, it can be
used to connect them with each other.

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 Smart grid technology, uses the same principle
to connect this devices, centrally to an enormous
intelligent system, which can greatly increase the
efficiency of modern power grids.

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A scheme showing smart grid technology
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5.3. INTERNET
 The most obvious use of PLC is internet access.

 Thehigh bandwidth is very convenient for high

speed data access, and for protocols like, TCP/IP,
VoIP, etc.

 Simply by connecting to one’s power outlet, one

can access speeds of about 14 mbps, which is
provides a cheap and convenient means of
internet access.

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5.4. POWER MANAGEMENT: Near
energy services
 Near energy services are defined as energy
services with in the confines of current business
which ads new forms, features and scales.

 Examplesare remote billing, remote metering,

demand side e management distribution
automation and remote control of supply.

 Advantages of such system for utilities lie in their

potential for cost cutting and improving customer
loyalty

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 Some other applications include:
 Automated meter reading – customer usage can
be monitored and billing completed without a
visit to the home
 Fault location and outage detection – BPL devices
can alert the utility to possible failures in the
power grid
 Security and surveillance – the BPL network can
provide video monitoring of substations and
other utility buildings.

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PLC: SOME SHORTCOMINGS
 Electro-Magnetic Radiation Issues:
 Power line solution, like telephone and DSL
connections become unwanted source of
electromagnetic radiation.
 Emissions can potentially cause interference with
radio, television, community antenna television,
telephone and DSL services.
 However, second generation PLC technologies are
using techniques like OFDM (Orthogonal frequency-
division multiplexing), which substantially reduces
this problem.

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 Addressing Issues:
 With the increase in the number of connected
subscribers to the PLC, the addressing of each device
becomes more and more complex.
 The solution schemes to such problems may include
upgradation of the data protocols to IPV6, or Next
Generation Internet Addresses (IPNG), so that an
unlimited number of address space can be generated.

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 Noise Interference:
 Power line communication is vulnerable to noise
interference, due to the non-linear response of
electronic devices to the power system.
 Problems of harmonics and non-linear noise, is a big
problem for PLC.
 This can be solved by either using repeaters or
dynamic change of frequencies.

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 SECURITY:
 The transmission of data over a network that
anybody has access to could also pose a data
security problem. Tapping the signal could allow
somebody to eavesdrop on communications.
 Options like data encryption eliminates the
problem.

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PLC: PRESENT SCENARIO
 Trends in both the electric and telecommunications
industry have lead to a climate where PLC should be
a big player.
 These trends include
 demand for affordable and high speed Internet access.
 deregulation of electrical utilities.
 demand for integrated and intelligent networks

 BPL has rapidly grown to be a major player, as it

utilizes existing networks and provides high speed
data service at par with DSL and cable connections.

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 Also,
digital Power line offers a
deregulated utility several options and
advantages.

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CONCLUSION
 BPL is an exciting emerging technology, for
broadband communication, and data services.

 It utilizes existing power networks, which makes

it cost effective and efficient.

 Byproviding services like, PLT, TCP/IP, VoIP,

Home plug networks etc., it serves as a
multipurpose utility.

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 However,it has some problems regarding
widespread implementation.

 Requirescomplex equipments for coupling the data

signals with the power lines.

 Requirement of repeaters for PLC, makes it costly for

long distance communication.

 Regulatory and legal issues are not yet suitable for

this kind of communication.

 However,
with time, PLC may become a major
phenomenon in the broadband market.

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THANK YOU

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