Department of ECE

Broadband Over Power Lines Communication

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The main aim of power line communication is to use the power supply system for
communication purposes. Broadband over Power Line (BPL) can provide a vast coverage for
broadband services. They have the potential to provide simplified in-house interconnection of
computers and peripherals, and cost effective last-mile delivery of broadband data services.
The power line communication systems consist of terminal devices that are plugged into to
the electrical power supply network and allow data to be transmitted via the network to other
terminal devices plugged into or attached to the network. The use of the existing electrical
power supply network wiring reduces costs and provides convenient access to broadband
interconnection between devices. This technology can however achieve 14 Mbps raw data rate
and it has the potential for up to 200 Mbps. which makes it competitive with cable and DSL
technology.
Historically, power line communications systems are known to be limited to low data
rates typically less than 500 Kbit/s. These low data rate systems are used in applications
such as the remote control of switches in domestic installations and by power supply
authorities.

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CHAPTER 2
BROADBAND ACCESS ALTERNATIVES
2.1.DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER LINE (DSL)
DSL is a very high speed connection to internet that uses the same wires as a
regular telephone line. A standard telephone installation in India consists of a pair of copper
wires. This pair of copper wires has sufficient bandwidth for carrying both data and voice. Voice
signals use only a fraction of the available capacity of wires. DSL exploits this remaining
capacity to carry information on the wire without affecting the line's ability to carry voice
conversations. Standard phone service limits the frequencies that the switches, telephones and
other equipment can carry. Human voices, speaking in normal conversational tones, can be
carried in a frequency range of 400 to 3400 hertz. In most cases, the wires themselves have the
potential to handle frequencies of up to several million Hertz. Modern equipment that sends
digital(rather than analog) data can safely use much more of the telephone line's capacity and
DSL does just that. Many DSL technologies implement an Asynchronous transfer Mode layer
over the low-level bit stream layer to enable the adaptation of a number of different technologies
over the same link. DSL implementations may create bridged or routed networks. In a bridged
configuration, the group of subscriber computers effectively connects into a single subnet.

2.2.FIBER TECHNOLOGIES
In recent years, carriers have begun constructing entirely fiber optic cable
transmission facilities that run from a distribution frame (or its equivalent) in an incumbent local
exchange carriers central office to the loop demarcation point at an end user customer premise.
These loops are referred to as fiber-to-the-home(FTTH) loops. FTTH technology offers
substantially more capacity than any copper based technology. For example, Wav7 Optics
provides a FTTH system today using commercially available equipment that delivers
transmission speeds up to 500 Mbps shared over a maximum of 16 subscribers. This system can
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also provide up to 500 Mbps symmetrically to one subscriber if desired. The speed an actual user
will experience depends upon the time of day and the number of users online. A typical FTTH
system can deliver up to 870 MHz of cable television video services or IP video services along
with multiple telephone lines and current and next generation data services at speeds in excess of
100 Mbps. There are three basic types of architectures being used to provide FTTH. The most
common architecture used is Passive Optical network (PON) technology. This technology allows
multiple homes to share a passive fiber network. In this type of network, the plant between the
customer premises and the head end at the central office consists entirely of passive components
no electronics are needed in the field. The other architectures being used are Home Run Fiber or
Point-to-Point Fiber, in which subscribers have a dedicated fiber strand, and active or powered
nodes are used to manage signal distribution, and hybrid PONs, which are a combination of
home run and PON architecture. Although FTTH technology is still in its infancy, the
deployment of FTTH is growing significantly. Also, the equipment costs for FTTH have
decreased significantly.
In addition to FTTH technologies, some carriers are constructing fiber-to-the-curb
(FTTC) facilities that do not run all the way to the home, but run to a pedestal located within 500
feet of the subscriber premises. Copper lines are then used for the connection between the
pedestal and the network interface device at the customer's premises.

2.3.COAXIAL CABLE
For millions of people, television brings news, entertainment and educational
programs into their homes. Many people get their TV signal from cable television because cable
TV provides better reception and more channels. Many people who have cable TV can now ge a
high speed connection to the internet from their cable provider. Cable modems allow subscriber
to access high speed data services over cable systems that are generally designed with hybrid
fiber-coaxial (HFC) architecture. cable modem service is primarily residential, but may also
include some small business service. Cable modems compete with technologies like
Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Lines (ADSL).

2.4.WIRELESS
2.4.1. Wi-Fi
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Wi-Fi, short for Wireless Fidelity, is a term that is used generically to refer to any
product or service using the 802.11 series standards developed by the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers for wireless local area network connections. Wi-Fi networks operate on an
unlicensed basis in the 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands and provide multiple data rates up to a
maximum of 54 Mbps. The bandwidth is shared among multiple users. Wi-Fi enabled wireless
devices, such as laptop computers or personal digital assistants can send and receive data from
any location within signal reach of a Wi-Fi equipped base station or access point. Typically,
mobile devices must be within approximately 300 feet of a base station.
2.4.2.WiMax
Wireless Local Ares Networks (LANs) based on the IEEE 802.11 have been quite
successful, and therefore he focus in wireless is moving towards the wide area. WiMax based
broadband wireless access also known as wireless DSL, will offer data rates between 512 Kbps
and 1 Mbps. The key is to deliver low cost, indoor, user installable premises devices that will not
have aligned with the base station.

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CHAPTER 3
WHAT IS BROADBAND OVER POWERLINES
The general technical idea of Power Line Communication is to modulate a radio signal with data
and send it through power lines in a band of frequencies which are not used for supplying
electricity. The used frequencies and the modulation scheme have a significant influence on the
efficiency and the speed of the BPL service. The modulation scheme which is used in BPL is
orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). This is a multi-carrier transmission
technique which has been recently recognized as an excellent method for high speed data
communication.
Many power line devices use Othogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
(OFDM) to extend Ethernet connections to other rooms in a home through its power wiring.
Adaptive modulation used in OFDM helps it to cope up with such a noisy channel as electrical
wiring. Accepted international standard ITU-T G.hn for high speed local area networking over
existing home wiring (power lines, phone lines and coaxial cables) uses OFDM with adaptive
modulation and Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) FEC code. Thus PLC technology based on
OFDM technique with adaptive modulation is quite consistent with envisaged ITU standards
regulating BPL functioning.

In order to achieve high bandwidth levels, BPL operates at higher frequencies than
traditional power line communications, typically in the range between 2 and 80 MHz. The
modulation technique of choice for BPL is Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing. OFDM
is superior to Spread Spectrum or Narrowband for spectral efficiency, robustness against channel
distortions, and the ability to adapt to channel changes.

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CHAPTER 4
WORKING
At a high-level, a Power line Telecom network consists of three key segments, the
backbone, the middle mile, and the last mile . The BPL vendors are primarily seeking to address
the last mile segment all the way into the home market.

Fig 4.1. Overview Of BPL

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By combining the technological principles of radio, wireless networking, and modems ,

developers have created a way to send data over power lines and into homes at speeds
equivalent to those of DSL and cable. By modifying the current power grids with specialized
equipment, the BPL developers could partner with power companies and Internet service
providers (ISPs) to bring broadband to everyone with access to electricity.
The idea of using AC (alternating current) power to transfer data is not new. By
bundling radio-frequency (RF) energy on the same line with an electric current, data can be
transmitted without the need for a separate data line. Because the electric current and RF vibrate
at different frequencies, the two dont interfere with each other. Electric companies have used
this technology for years to monitor the performance of power grids. There are even networking
solutions available today that transfer data using the electrical wiring in a home or business. But
this data is fairly simple and the transmission speed is relatively slow.
The power flowing down high-voltage lines is between 155,000 to 765,000 volts.
That amount of power is unsuitable for data transmission. It's too "noisy." Both electricity and
the RF used to transmit data vibrate at certain frequencies. In order for data to transmit cleanly
from point to point, it must have a dedicated band of the radio spectrum at which to vibrate
without interference from other sources. Hundreds of thousands of volts of electricity don't
vibrate at a consistent frequency. That amount of power jumps all over the spectrum. As it spikes
and hums along, it creates all kinds of interference. If it spikes at a frequency that is the same as
the RF used to transmit data, then it will cancel out that signal and the data transmission will be
dropped or damaged en route. BPL bypasses this problem by avoiding high-voltage power lines
all together. The system drops the data off of traditional fiber-optic lines downstream, onto the
much more manageable 7,200 volts of medium-voltage power lines.
Once dropped onto the medium-voltage lines, the data can only travel so far
before it degrades. To counter this, special devices are installed on the lines to act as repeaters.
The repeaters take in the data and repeat it in a new transmission, amplifying it for the next leg of
the journey.
There are several different approaches to overcoming the hurdles presented when
transmitting data through power lines. The power lines are just one component of electric
companies' power grids. In addition to lines, power grids use generators, substations,
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transformers and other distributors that carry electricity from the power plant all the way to a
plug in the wall. When power leaves the power plant, it hits a transmission substation and is then
distributed to high-voltage transmission lines. When transmitting broadband, these high-voltage
lines represent the first hurdle.
In one model of BPL, two other devices ride power poles to distribute
Internet traffic. The Coupler allows the data on the line to bypass transformers, and the
Bridge , a device that facilitates carrying the signal into the homes.
The transformer's job is to reduce the 7,200 volts down to the
240-volt standard that makes up normal household electrical service. There is no way for lowpower data signals to pass through a transformer, so you need a coupler to provide a data path
around the transformer. With the coupler, data can move easily from the 7,200-volt line to the
240-volt line and into the house without any degradation.
The last mile is the final step that carries Internet into the
subscriber's home or office.

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CHAPTER 5
BPL MODEM
BPL modems use silicon chipsets specially designed to handle the workload of extracting data
out of an electric current. These modems are capable of handling power noise on a wide
spectrum. BPL modems are roughly the size of a common power adapter and plugs into a
common wall socket and an Ethernet cable running to computer finishes the connection. There
are various approaches available as far as last mile solution for BPL is concerned. While some
carry the signal in with electricity on the power line, others use wireless links on the poles to
send the data wirelessly into the homes. The BPL Modem simply plugs into the wall and then
into subscribers computer. These modems are capable of speeds comparable to DSL or cable
modems.

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CHAPTER 6
TYPES OF BPL
6.1. ACCESS BPL
Access BPL provides internet and other broadband services like voice,
video, surveillance systems and entertainment for homes and offices, utilities metering services.
It is comprised of injectors which serve as the interface between internet backbone and medium
voltage power lines and are also used to inject high frequency signals on to medium or low
voltage power lines. Extractors used to retrieve the signals and provide the interface between end
users and medium-voltage power lines. extractors are placed at each distribution transformer
which provides low voltage electric power for a group of homes in that area. BPL signals can
propagate for 1000 to 3000 feet before they get become too distorted and weak. Repeaters are
then used to regenerate and amplify the signals to prevent loss due to attenuation.

6.2. HYBRID BPL

In hybrid systems, a combination of power lines and wireless transmission
is used. In this scenario, the injected BPL signal onto medium voltage lines is extracted and
delivered to the end user by using a wireless channel such as Wi-Fi. Another scenario come up
which is based on capturing a wireless signal and injecting it to low power lines to be delivered
to the end users.

6.3.IN-HOME BPL
In-Home BPL modems utilize the existing house wiring to provide local
area network (LAN) that can be used throughout the home. These applications occur within a
single building with both ends of the communications link within the same building. The
building might be a house, an apartment block or an office building. The path over which the
transfer of data occurs within these buildings is relatively short - typically it is less than 100 m
between devices.

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CHAPTER 7
POWER LINE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
BPL systems function by coupling radio frequency energy to the existing electrical power lines.
For deliverance of high speed data communication to customers, technology is based on high
density advanced modulation using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)
modulation technique. To ensure that download and upload speeds are customer specific, data
transmission is made configurable. The system is capable of working in the frequency band of
10-30 MHz, amidst harmonics and distortions in the supply on line so that problems of noise and
power quality do not arise. The strength of signal should not be less than 30 dB in any case
throughout the network. This is achieved by optimizing the usage of repeaters.
PLC communication technology uses High Density Advanced Modulation
at each sub carrier of the OFDM signal. It uses the highest number of sub carriers (1536) for any
technology used in any wire communications at each of the possible operation modes (10, 20 and
30 MHz). In this technology a modulation density of 2 to 10 bits per sub carrier is added. This
technology ensures highest quality communications even in the face of interference and this is
particularly achieved by adapting number of bits for each and every carrier in real time to obtain
high reliability and maximum performance. The number of bits to be adapted for each and every
carrier depends upon the condition of the transmission medium and the signal received. As a
consequence of using high density configurations, PLC delivers speeds of up to 200 Mbps
throughout data journey for bandwidth hungry applications like BPL.
PLC is based on OFDM technique mainly because of immunity of OFDM
towards interference which is an issue of serious nature encountered while transmitting data over
mediums such as power lines. OFDM is not a new modulation technique and is being used in
many other communication systems such as ADSL, VDSL, DAB, DVB etc. Besides,
implementation of OFDM modulation in PLC results in highest level of spectral efficiency and
performance of any wire line communication technology in the market.

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CHAPTER 8
ORTHOGONAL FREQUENCY DIVISION MULTIPLEXING
Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is a frequency multiplexing scheme
utilized as a digital multi carrier modulation method. In this technique, a large number o closely
spaced orthogonal sub carriers are used to carry data. The data is further divided into several data
cannels, one for each sub carrier. Each sub carrier is then modulated with a conventional
modulation scheme. Low symbol rate helps in maintaining total data rates similar to
conventional modulation schemes in the same range of bandwidth.

Fig 8.1.OFDM MODULATION

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The orthogonality of sub carriers in OFDM scheme enables it to achieve distinct advantages over
conventional modulation schemes in that it eliminates serious issues of cross talk and
interference between sub channels. Besides, inter carrier guards are not required in OFDM
scheme. OFDM technique has acquired added significance in broad band internet access because
of its ability to deal with issues of attenuation of high frequencies, narrow band interference and
frequency selective fading. The overriding feature of OFDM is that in this technique many
slowly modulated narrow band signals rather than one rapidly modulated wide band signal is
used and this helps in simplification of channel equalization.

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CHAPTER 9
ADVANTAGES

Wide Coverage
BPL can provide wide coverage, since the power lines are already installed

almost everywhere. This is advantageous especially for substations in rural areas where there is
usually no communication infrastructure.

Cost
The communication network can be established quickly and cost

effectively because it utilizes the existing wires to carry the communication signals.

Less installation time

Since it uses the existing power lines the need for laying out additional

infrastructure is minimal.

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CHAPTER 10
DISADVANTAGES

High noise source over power lines

The power lines are noisy environments for data communication due to

several noise sources such as electrical motors, power supplies, fluorescent lights and also audio
signal interferences.

Open Circuit Problem

Communication over the power line is lost with devices on the side of an

open circuit. This fact severely restricts the usefulness of PLC for applications especially
involving switches.

Lack of regulations for broadband power line communications

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CHAPTER 11
FUTURE SCOPE
In a Country like India where broad band penetration is extremely low and
the costs of laying down copper cable or providing short haul satellite for providing broad band
for its final leg of journey is very high, providing broad band over power lines holds a great
promise, provided issues relating to interference etc are sorted out. Even in advanced Countries
like USA, Europe etc., the larger issues of interference remain unaddressed because of absence
of stringent regulatory measures. Even in the absence of these regulatory measures, BPL is
gaining ground in these Countries despite strong protests from those agencies which are
vulnerable to interference because of BPL.
In our Country where serious financial constraints exist in terms of heavy
investments to be made for laying copper or installing satellite as a mode of final broad band
transmission, giving serious consideration and priority to BPL would be worthwhile, while
addressing other pertinent issues. Another great potential that BPL holds in future is that it can
be used as a backhaul for wireless communications, for instance by hanging Wi-Fi access points
or cell phone base stations on poles, thus allowing end users within a certain range to connect
with the equipment they already have.
Besides, low maintenance costs and lesser installation time make BPL a
worth technology for increasing broad band penetration.
The Broad Band over Power Line communication network technologies
are new for Indian telecom network and will grow extensively in near future for higher capacity
applications e.g. Triple Play services (telephony, data and TV etc.). Also BPL is a better option
with less cost for network operators.
BPL is already on the scene with commercial products readily available.
Green Energy technologies like Solar, Wind etc. may be used as Power Line solutions.
Combination of BPL with FTTX, DSL, PON etc. may be economic solution for access networks
in future.
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CHAPTER 12
CONCLUSION
Even though the importance and direct socio economic impact of access to broadband
services are well understood, currently only 4 percent of the Earths population has access to some
type of broadband services, typically via DSL or cable modem. BPL offers a new, potentially powerful
alternative means of providing high-speed Internet services, VoIP, and other broadband services to homes
and businesses by using existing MV and LV power lines. Because roughly 60 percent of Earths
inhabitants have access to power lines, BPL could play a significant role in bridging the existing
digital divide. But the success of BPL, like that of any new technology in its infancy, depends on more than
strong theoretical results or successful field testing. It also depends greatly on the appropriate business models
and deployment plans. As the regulatory uncertainties and interference issues surrounding BPL dissipate, and
with the success of many field trials and early commercial deployments, the release of various standards, and
the growing availability of reasonably priced standardized and reliable equipment, the road to BPL is
becoming increasingly well paved and broadband over power lines seems to be well energized.
Indeed BPL's future looks very bright.

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