PRESENTATION

ON
BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES

1
 INDEX

1. INTRODUCTION

2
1.1. Internet access (Broadband over power lines, BPL)

1.2. BPL Modems

3
 7

4
THE POWER GRID

PLC ENCODING

9
5
PLC backbones

10

PLC into the home

11
6
CATEGORIES OF PLC or BPL

11

MULTIPLE FORMATS OF ACCESS BPL 12

2. SHORT HISTORY OF POWER LINE COMMUNICATIONS

14

7
Industry Players in PLC

8
9
10
11
12
13
14
 14

15
ADVANTAGES OF PLC

16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
 14

24
DISADVANTAGES

15

3. FUTURE

25
 16

4. STANDARD ORGANIZATIONS

26
 16

27
CONCLUSION

28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
 17

43
5. REFERENCES

18

6. HANDOUTS (HARDCOPY)

44
7. HANDOUTS (SOFTCOPY)

45
1. INTRODUCTION
Broadband over Power Line (BPL) is a technology that allows Internet data
to be transmitted over utility power lines. (BPL is also sometimes called Power-line
Communications or PLC.) In order to make use of BPL, subscribers use neither a
phone, cable nor a satellite connection. Instead, a subscriber installs a modem that
plugs into an ordinary wall outlet and pays a subscription fee similar to those paid for
other types of Internet service.

BPL works by modulating high-frequency radio waves with the digital signals
from the Internet. These radio waves are fed into the utility grid at specific points. They

46
travel along the wires and pass through the utility transformers to subscribers' homes
and businesses. Little, if any, modification is necessary to the utility grid to allow
transmission of BPL. This mode has not yet been widely deployed in the United States,
but it has been implemented in a few other countries, with varying results. The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) is currently working on a set of rules according to
which BPL may be implemented in the United States. If it is put into use, BPL will be
an unlicensed service, and will be governed by rules similar to those that apply to
cordless telephones, television remote controls, and other consumer electronic devices

Power line communications (PLC) or Broadband over Power Lines (BPL)

allows transmission of data over power lines. Power line communications uses the RF
signal sent over medium and low voltage AC power lines to allow end users to connect
to the Internet. The RF signal is modulated with digital information that is converted by
an interface in the home or small business into Ethernet compatible data.

Power line communications (PLC) or Broadband over Power Lines (BPL)

allows transmission of data over power lines.

Power line communications uses the RF signal sent over medium and low
voltage AC power lines to allow end users to connect to the Internet. The RF signal is
modulated with digital information that is converted by an interface in the home or
small business into Ethernet compatible data.

The first technique to make use of the power line for control messages was the
method - Ripple Control. This is characterised by the use of low frequencies (100 –
900Hz) giving a low bit rate and a demand on very high transmitter power, often in the
region of several 10kWs. The system provided one-way communication technology,
and among the applications provided was the management of street lights and load
control.

In the mid 1980’s experiments on higher frequencies were carried out to analyse the
characteristic properties of the electric grid as a medium for data transfer. Frequencies
(in the range of 5 – 500kHz) were tested in which the signal to noise levels were
important topics for measurements as well as the attenuation of the signal by the grid.

1.1 Internet access (Broadband over powerlines, BPL)

Broadband over power lines (BPL), also known as power-line internet or Powerband, is
the use of PLC technology to provide broadband Internet access through ordinary
power lines. A computer (or any other device) would need only to plug a BPL
"modem" into any outlet in an equipped building to have high-speed Internet access.
BPL seems, at first glance, to offer benefits relative to regular cable or DSL
connections: the extensive infrastructure already available would appear to allow
people in remote locations to have access to the Internet with relatively little equipment
investment by the utility. Also, such ubiquitous availability would make it much easier
for other electronics, such as televisions or sound systems, to hook up.
47
However, variations in the physical characteristics of the electricity network and the
current lack of IEEE standards mean that provisioning of the service is far from being a
standardized, repeatable process, and the amount of bandwidth a BPL system can
provide compared to cable and wireless is in question. Some industry observers believe
the prospect of BPL will motivate DSL and cable operators to more quickly serve rural
communities.
PLC modems transmit in medium and high frequency (1.6 to 80 MHz electric carrier).
The asymmetric speed in the modem is generally from 256 kbit/s to 2.7 Mbit/s. In the
repeater situated in the meter room the speed is up to 45 Mbit/s and can be connected to
256 PLC modems. In the medium voltage stations, the speed from the head ends to the
Internet is up to 135 Mbit/s. To connect to the Internet, utilities can use optical fiber
backbone or wireless link.
The system has a number of complex issues, the primary one being that power lines are
inherently a very noisy environment. Every time a device turns on or off, it introduces a
pop or click into the line. Energy-saving devices often introduce noisy harmonics into
the line. The system must be designed to deal with these natural signaling disruptions
and work around them.

Fig 1: Block diagram of BPL

Broadband over powerlines has developed faster in Europe than in the United
States due to a historical difference in power system design philosophies. Nearly all
large power grids transmit power at high voltages in order to reduce transmission
losses, then near the customer use step-down transformers to reduce the voltage. Since
BPL signals cannot readily pass through transformers — their high inductance makes
them act as low-pass filters, blocking high-frequency signals — repeaters must be
attached to the transformers. In the U.S., it is common for a small transformer hung
from a utility pole to service a single house or a small number of houses. In Europe, it
is more common for a somewhat larger transformer to service 10 or 100 houses. For
delivering power to customers, this difference in design makes little difference with
power distribution, but it means delivering BPL over the power grid of a typical U.S.

48
city will require an order of magnitude more repeaters than would be required in a
comparable European city. However, since bandwidth to the transformer is limited, this
can increase the speed at which each household can connect, due to fewer people
sharing the same line. One possible alternative is to use BPL as the backhaul for
wireless communications, by for instance hanging Wi-Fi access points or cell phone
base stations on utility poles, thus allowing end-users within a certain range to connect
with equipment they already have. In the near future, BPL might also be used as a
backhaul for WiMAX networks.
The second major issue is signal strength and operating frequency. The system
is expected to use frequencies in the 10 to 30 MHz range, which has been used for
decades by amateur radio operators, as well as international shortwave broadcasters and
a variety of communications systems (military, aeronautical, etc.). Power lines are
unshielded and will act as antennas for the signals they carry, and have the potential to
completely wipe out the usefulness of the 10 to 30 MHz range for shortwave
communications purposes.

1.2 BPL Modems

Fig 2: Closeview of household

BPL modems use silicon chipsets specially designed to handle the work load of
pulling data out of an electric current. Using specially developed modulation
techniques and adaptive algorithms, BPL modems are capable of handling powerline
noise on a wide spectrum.

49
Figure 1: The BPL modem simply plugs into the wall and then into your
computer. These modems are capable of speeds comparable to DSL or cable
modems.

A BPL modem is plug and play and is roughly the size of a common power
adapter. It plugs into a common wall socket, and an Ethernet cable running to your
computer finishes the connection. Modern BPL systems use OFDM modulation which
allows the mitigation of interference with radio services by removing specific
frequencies used. A 2001 joint study by the ARRL and Home Plug powerline alliance
showed that modems using this technique "in general that with moderate separation of
the antenna from the structure containing the Home Plug signal that interference was
barely perceptible" and interference only happened when the "antenna was physically
close to the power lines".
Much higher speed transmissions using microwave frequencies transmitted via a newly
discovered surface wave propagation mechanism called E-Line have been
demonstrated using only a single power line conductor. These systems have shown the
potential for symmetric and full duplex communication well in excess of 1 Gbit/s in
each direction. Multiple WiFi channels with simultaneous analog television in the 2.4
and 5.3 GHz unlicensed bands have been demonstrated operating over a single medium
voltage line. Furthermore, because it can operate anywhere in the 100 MHz - 10 GHz
region, this technology can completely avoid the interference issues associated with
utilizing shared spectrum while offering the greater flexibility for modulation and
protocols found for any other type of microwave system

2. THE POWER GRID

To gain a good understanding of how PLC Works an excellent understanding of
the Power Grid is required. Unlike telephony and it’s associated technologies there is
no set standard for providing power. An example of such a difference in standards can
be seen in the difference in voltage provided in the U.S. and the EU. Ireland uses a
50
220v AC power source whereas in the US a 110v power source is used. These
differences lead to differences in basic equipment such as plugs e.g. The 3 pin plug
used in Ireland compared to the 2 pin plug used in the US made possible due to the
lower voltage used in the U.S. Despite these differences in basic equipment the basic
network is similar in nearly all countries.

Power is generated at Power stations and distributed around a medium to large

geographical area via HV lines or High Voltage lines.

In areas where power needs to be distributed to consumers transformers will be

used to convert this high voltage into a lower voltage for transport over MV or Medium
Voltage lines. These transformers are generally located at electrical substations
operated by the utility or power supplier. Such medium voltage lines will be used to
transport electricity around smaller geographical areas such as towns and small
counties etc.

At the customer’s house or premises a transformer is used to drop the voltage

down to safer more manageable voltages for use in the home or business. This power is
usually transported over LV or Low Voltage lines. These Low Voltage Lines include
the lines that traverse a customer’s home or business.

3. PLC ENCODING
Though there are no set standards in PLC all implementations act in the same
manner. PLC is based on the idea that any copper medium will transport any electrical
signal for a certain distance. Basically a radio signal is modulated with the data we
wish to send. This radio signal is then sent down the copper medium (our power lines)
in a band of frequencies not used by for the purposes of supplying electricity and
managing electricity.

The frequencies and encoding schemes used greatly influence both the
efficiency and the speed of the PLC service. Most PLC radio traffic generally occurs in
the same bandwidth roughly 1.6 MHz to 80 MHz. These frequencies are in the MF
Medium Frequency (300KHz-3 MHz), HF High Frequency (3MHz – 30 MHz) and
some of the VHF Very High Frequency (30MHz – 300 MHz) spectrum. Various
encoding schemes have been used for sending the data along the Power Lines these
include:

GMSK
Used with the Single Carrier Version of PLC providing low bandwidths <1 MB

CDMA
Used with the Single Carrier Version of PLC providing low bandwidths <1 MB

OFDM
Used with the Multi Carrier version of PLC providing a bandwidth of 45 MB

51
3.1 PLC backbones
Though the encoding techniques mentioned above are the main portion of PLC
a lot of other work is required to make it a broadband provider. Much like technologies
such as DSL and broadband over wireless PLC requires the use of a high capacity
backbone network such as fibre or leased lines. Such backbones need be to be located
at power sub-stations. The reasoning behind this is that the substation serves a certain
limited number of users. If the backbone were to be provided at a location such as the
power station only low bit rates would be possible, as the amount of bandwidth
available would need to be shared between all users of the power grid supplied by that
power station. By placing the backbone at the substations on the power grid would
allow limited frequency re-use i.e. all the substations could use the all the PLC
spectrum (roughly 1.6MHz to 60MHz). Figure 1 shows a diagram of a portion of a
power grid on which BPL is available. The sub-station is marked as a HV/MV
Transformer in the diagram below with a connection to a backbone.

Figure 2 – Portion of Power Grid where BPL is available

3.2 PLC INTO THE HOME

There are two means of getting the broadband into the home from the electrical
pole. One method is to use a wireless device located on the power line to broadcast a
radio signal containing the data with a receiver located in the home. This method

52
allows “In Home” PLC to be used to network machines such as printers PCs and other
PLC enabled devices. This is a useful set-up but causes problems due to the fact that
wireless is known to be an insecure technology and would allow hackers with the right
equipment to view data and possibly piggyback their own data on the bandwidth the
customer is paying for.

The alternative is to allow the PLC frequencies to either skip around or pass
through the transformer and continue onto the home allowing any devices with PLC
connections to be plugged in anywhere in the home. Figure 2 shows a diagram in which
the data is sent via the LV lines between the transformer and the home. As can be seen
from the diagram it’s hoped it will be possible to have devices such as home
entertainment systems and other household appliances will also be placed on this data
network and allow services such as viewing streamed media and web browsing from
televisions. It is hoped that services such as VOIP will be offered allowing this
technology to compete not only with ISPs but also with existing Telco’s.

Figure 3 – Shows In-building BPL

4. CATEGORIES OF PLC or BPL

In-building BPL

These BPL systems use the buildings electrical wiring to network computers
within a building. Most operate under the HomePlug specification. An example of a
company that offers HomePlug is Maxim’s Powerline products that are based over in
the U.S. This company uses the HomePlug standard to turn ordinary AC power wiring
into a data and multimedia network. It offers 14Mbps data transfer rates over existing
electrical wiring in the home or office.

Maxim’s Powerline products use the HomePlug 1.0 specification, which is

supported by over 90 companies. This is an accepted standard within the U.S. and
HomePlug is being adopted by Europe and Asia.

53
Access BPL
Access BPL uses electrical distribution lines, overhead or underground, to
provide broadband Internet access to homes and businesses. These access BPL systems
serve as a significant interference potential to over the air radio services such as the
American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA).

Control PLC
This control PLC operates below 500kHz and are used by electric utility
companies to control their equipment using the power lines as transmission lines. This
type of power line communication does not serve as a significant interference risk to
the HF operation.

5. MULTIPLE FORMATS OF ACCESS BPL

End-to-End Access BPL
.

End-to-end Access BPL systems use either a combination of MV and LV

power lines or LV power lines only. These systems represent the classical architectures
for Access BPL. In this case the BPL signal is injected onto and carried by the MV
power line. The BPL signal is then transferred to the LV power line via couplers or
through the LV transformer and delivered directly to the end-user

54
Hybrid Access BPL
Hybrid systems use a combination of power lines and wireless transmission. For
example, a hybrid system may inject a BPL signal onto an MV power line and use a
special extractor to translate the signal into a wireless channel which is delivered to the
end-user.

Brief overview of Power Line Communications origins

Power line communications (PLC) has been around since the 1950’s but was
never seriously thought of as a communication medium due to its low speed, low
functionality and high development cost. However in recent times, new modulation
techniques supported by technological advances have finally enabled power line
communications to become a realistic and practical means of communication.

6. Short History of Power Line Communications:

The first technique to make use of the power line for control messages was the
method - Ripple Control. This is characterised by the use of low frequencies (100 –
55
900Hz) giving a low bit rate and a demand on very high transmitter power, often in the
region of several 10kWs. The system provided one-way communication technology,
and among the applications provided was the management of street lights and load
control.

In the mid 1980’s experiments on higher frequencies were carried out to analyse
the characteristic properties of the electric grid as a medium for data transfer.
Frequencies (in the range of 5 – 500kHz) were tested in which the signal to noise levels
were important topics for measurements as well as the attenuation of the signal by the
grid.

Bi-directional communication was developed in the late 80’s and early 1990’s
and the main difference between these systems and modern systems today is that much
higher frequencies and a substantial reduction of the signal levels are used on today’s
power grid network. Since the 1997 experiment in a school of Manchester (United
Kingdom) utility and technology companies continued to experiment with higher
bandwidth data transfer across the electric grids in Europe and the U.S. Advances in
PLC technology now allows for high speed, broadband communications over medium
and low voltage mediums yielding extraordinary market opportunities.

6.1 Industry Players in PLC

There are several trade associations that are working on the standards and legal issues
that represent the PLC industry:

  Power Line Communications Association

  United Power Line Council
  PLC Forum
  HomePlug Alliance

7. Advantages of PLC
Power line communications opens up many new business opportunities for
applications and customer services, for both telecom and electricity sectors in Europe
and in the U.S. There are various strong, unique advantages for PLC to become a very
important element in the future of broadband communications.
Power line communications provides many advantages for the providers of the service
and also more importantly for the end users of the service.

The advantages for providers are the following:

• A major selling point for the development of PLC for utility companies is
that most of the infrastructure is already in place because the technology

56
 relies on the existing power grid. This thus enhances the cost-effectiveness
of rolling out PLC. Only the substation server equipment and customer
conditioning service units need to be installed in order to establish a digital
power line network.
• Another important aspect to consider for providers is that of coverage. The
power grid is everywhere. The low voltage power grid has a unique feature
in that it comprises of an already existing networked infrastructure to
billions of private customers as well as businesses. The power grid has the
greatest availability of any other solution that exists today. PLC can help
companies reach customers that have no other utilities except for power.

The advantages of PLC for the end users are the following:

 The equipment needed to set-up PLC in the home in the U.S. is cheaper on
average that that of other broadband solutions such as DSL and cable modem,
usually costing (depending on equipment) between $45 up to $75.

 The equipment uses existing power outlets in the home making it a lot easier to
set-up and also is very simple to set-up as it is plug and play. There is no need
for complicated wiring and additional installations. It is possible to move your
computers and appliances where you want them.

 Power line communications outperforms its competitors with speeds of up to

14Mbps.

 For users in rural areas, who cannot receive DSL or cable modem services, PLC
can be used to provide an all in one service providing telephone, cable
television and high speed data.

8. DISADVANTAGES
Access BPL systems are designed to send information within parts of the 2-80
MHz frequency range along unshielded power lines, which results in the unintended
emission of RF energy. This unintentional radiation can create interference to the
radiocommunication services mentioned above.

9. FUTURE
Broadband over Power lines has the potential to be the next big broadband
technology. The following factors will determine whether BPL will succeed in
broadband market.
57
  Standardisation of BPL technology to allow better deployment of BPL
equipment
 Cost of BPL needs to become more competitive in the broadband market
 Interference issues needs to be resolved to prevent conflicts of interest between
government and radio enthusiasts
 The marketing of BPL needs to be performed to a high standard in order to
make consumers aware of this technology.

10. Standard organizations

Several competing standards are evolving including the HomePlug Powerline Alliance,
Universal Powerline Association, European Telecommunications Standards Institute,
and the IEEE. It is unclear which standard will come out ahead. X10 is a de facto
standard also used by RadioShack's Plug'n'Power system. In 2006 the ITU-T began
work on G.hn, a new home networking standard for operation over powerline, coax and
phonewires.
• Consumer Electronics Powerline Communications Alliance (CEPCA) (Sony,
Mitsubishi and Panasonic) is developing a standard to realize coexistence
between various Powerline technologies, available today. [3]
• IEEE P1901 "IEEE P1901 Draft Standard for Broadband over Power Line
Networks: Medium Access Control and Physical Layer Specifications" is a
working group for delivering broadband over power lines. The aim is to define
medium access control and physical layer specifications for all classes of BPL
devices - from long distance connections to those within subscriber premises.
• OPERA (Open PLC European Research Alliance) is a R&D Project with
funding from the European Commission. It aims to improve the existing
systems, develop PLC service, and standardise systems.
• POWERNET is a R&D Project with funding from the European Commission. It
aims to develop and validate a ‘plug and play’ Cognitive Broadband over Power
Lines (CBPL) communications equipment that meet the regulatory
requirements concerning electro-magnetic radiations and can deliver high data
rates while using with low transmit power spectral density and working at low
signal to noise ratio.

US FCC
On October 14, 2004, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to
facilitate the deployment of "Access BPL" -- i.e., use of BPL to deliver broadband
service to homes and businesses. The technical rules are more liberal than those
advanced by ARRL and other spectrum users, but include provisions that require BPL
providers to investigate and correct any interference they cause. These rules may be
subject to future litigation.
On August 8, 2006 FCC adopted a memorandum opinion and an order on broadband
over power lines, giving the go-ahead to promote broadband service to all Americans.[9]
[10]
The order rejects calls from aviation, business, commercial, amateur radio and other
58
sectors of spectrum users to limit or prohibit deployment until further study is
completed. FCC chief Kevin Martin said that BPL "holds great promise as a ubiquitous
broadband solution that would offer a viable alternative to cable, digital subscriber line,
fiber, and wireless broadband solutions", and that BPL was one of the agency's "top
priorities".[11]
New FCC rules require BPL systems to be capable of remotely notching out
frequencies on which interference occurs, and of shutting down remotely if necessary
to resolve the interference. BPL systems operating within FCC Part 15 emissions limits
may still interfere with wireless radio communications and are required to resolve
interference problems. A few early trials have been shut down [5][6], though whether it
was in response to complaints is debatable.
The ARRL sued the FCC, claiming that the FCC violated the Administrative Procedure
Act in creating its rules. On April 25, 2008, a US Court of Appeals agreed with the
ARRL that the FCC violated the APA, especially by redacting data from the public that
could have shed doubt on the FCC's decision.
"It is one thing for the Commission to give notice and make available for comment the
studies on which it relied in formulating the rule while explaining its non-reliance on
certain parts", D.C. Circuit Judge Judith Rogers wrote. "It is quite another thing to
provide notice and an opportunity for comment on only those parts of the studies that
the Commission likes best."[12]

11.CONCLUSION
There are many examples of power line communications projects worldwide,
ranging from R & D projects to Internet Service Provider (ISP’s) commercial
introductions of power line communications. PLC has taken off in the UK, Germany
and also in the U.S.

The latest news on power line networking in the U.S. is that the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has moved forward with a process to measure
interference caused by the broadband over power line service. Several groups including
the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the U.S. Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) have expressed concerns over the unlicensed broadband
over power line equipment interfering with their licensed radio signals. However, the
FCC staff are confident that the interference problems can be resolved. The FCC sees
broadband over power lines as a potential competitor to digital subscriber line (DSL)
and cable modem services. They also see broadband over power lines providing
broadband access to places not served by cable or DSL.

12. References
http://www.antennex.com/shack/Aug03/plc.htm
http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/06/19/2/
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114793,00.asp
59
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114135,00.asp
http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-9372044.html
http://www.seminarsonly.com
http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20080121/technology01.shtml - 34k -

60