Title :
Using the Wireless and PLC Channels for Diversity
Author :
Lai, Stephen W. ; Messier, Geoffrey G.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Univ. of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
fDate :
12/1/2012 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
Performance of indoor home networks can be improved by simultaneous use of wireless and powerline communication (PLC) channels. A narrowband model representing an OFDM subcarrier is used to analyze the performance of several diversity combining schemes including optimum combining (OC), saturated metric combining (SMC) and maximal ratio combining (MRC). Results from BER analysis show that SMC achieves good performance in highly impulsive noise and is relatively insensitive to error in noise parameter estimates. Indoor measurements from 3 detached homes show that parallel wireless and PLC channels have a wide, but similar, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) range. Measurement data is used with link throughput analysis to show that wireless/PLC diversity can be used to minimize the likelihood of low throughput links.
Keywords :
carrier transmission on power lines; diversity reception; indoor radio; wireless channels; BER analysis; OFDM subcarrier; PLC channels; diversity combining schemes; impulsive noise; indoor home networks; indoor measurements; link throughput analysis; maximal ratio combining; narrowband model; noise parameter estimates; optimum combining; parallel wireless channels; powerline communication channels; saturated metric combining; signal-to-noise ratio; AWGN; Bit error rate; Diversity reception; Measurement; Signal to noise ratio; Wireless communication; Diversity methods; electromagnetic interference; fading channels; indoor radio communication; parameter estimation;
Journal_Title :
Communications, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TCOMM.2012.081512.110408
