Radio over fiber based networks for the smart grid

In this paper, the application of radio over fiber (RoF) based wireless communications for smart metering and power distribution is introduced. A RoF based network has the potential to enhance both the coverage and spectral efficiency of smart grid wireless networks since its major benefit is adaptability to temporal and spatial traffic variations. A clustered architecture is presented which provides signal diversity to enhance the coverage and capacity of smart grid communications. Examples are presented to illustrate the improvement in coverage and latency of a smart grid wireless network when RoF is used instead of a conventional wireless network.