Fast Burst Synchronization for PLC Systems

Fast burst synchronization is an important requirement in various power line communication (PLC) networks, where devices transmit short data packets in an unscheduled fashion. Such a synchronization is typically achieved by means of a preamble sent in front of the data packet. In this paper, we discuss the appropriate receiver processing of the preamble signal and devise a new preamble-design approach, which takes the most distinctive characteristics of the power line channel and important practical constraints into account. A comprehensive performance study shows that an exemplary designed preamble consistently outperforms conventional preamble sequences.