Data transfer over low-voltage European power distribution networks

Broadband power line (BPL) data transmission deals with transfer of data via the existing power line systems and is a fast emerging technology. The main advantage of BPL is being able to use the existing power line infrastructure, thereby reducing the cost. However, power line systems were not designed for high-speed data transmission as they consist of various branches and power line elements such as bridges, taps, transformers and capacitor banks. Therefore, the power line transmission medium not only introduces noise but is also adverse to high-speed data transfer in terms of the channel bandwidth. In this paper a power line channel has been modelled using Matlab and the effects of variations in the direct length, branch length and branch load on the channel frequency response are investigated. Simulations indicate suitability of multi-carrier transmission over the power line channels.