Experiments with radiated interference from in-home power line communication networks

Power line communication (PLC) technology is at a tipping point and may become ubiquitous as a home networking technology. However, there are concerns regarding RF interference between PLC networks and other radio operators. It is imperative that the interference dynamics of PLC systems be fully understood in advance of any large-scale roll-out. In this work, we experiment with two interference scenarios: notch-infilling due to non-linear mixing and mitigation of radiated emissions using RF chokes. In our controlled test bed environment, we measure RF emissions from the power line devices in the 1 MHz to 30 MHz range. Through the results and simulation, we demonstrate that the effect of non-linear devices may be less of a concern than initially thought, and that simple methods can be employed to control local RF interference.