Modeling of broadband indoor power line channel for various network topologies

Power line communication (PLC) offers a convenient and inexpensive medium for data transmission, however this technology still faces a difficult challenge: the channel modeling. Many efforts have been put in determining accurate channel models for the power line, but there is yet not a widely accepted model in the PLC community. This paper presents recent developments on PLC channel modelling and its transfer function. For data communication over any medium, it is necessary to determine the characteristics of the communication channel. In this work, the power line is approximated as a transmission line and the transfer function is derived based on the lumped-element circuit model, using scattering matrix method. The model is capable of determining the line characteristics under different network topologies. The approach allows not only taking into account the cable characteristics, but also the number and length of the branches. This paper strives to broaden the understanding of broadband indoor power line channel.