Powerline communication over special systems

Powerline communication (PLC) has undergone a rapid development in recent years both for Internet access and home networking. Besides these well-known residential applications, PLC is also applicable for special systems, such as airfield lighting control and ship power distribution network. Using PLC as transmission medium to realize switching and monitoring of airfield halogen lamps and other information exchange is an efficient and safe way to accelerate telematics in aviation. Applying PLC in ship environment can support provision of traditional and novel value-added services both for operators and customers. In this paper we present a laboratory trial to investigate applicability of PLC over an airfield lighting system and an in-vivo test to evaluate the applicability of PLC linked by ship´s power distribution system. Our research suggests that PLC is a strong candidate for data communications also in these special environments.