A Comparison Study of Three Power-Line Communication Techniques in Low Signal-to-Noise Ratio Conditions

The focus of this research is on the fundamental noise performance properties of three modern power-line communication (PLC) techniques: direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and the recently proposed Ergodic Chaotic Parameter Modulation (ECPM). The ubiquitous power-line has been utilized as a physical layer for building communications mainly because of the availability of a pre-installed infrastructure. However, the power-line channel can be significantly corrupted by both multipath distortion and external interference in the form of narrowband noise. As a result, the three proposed PLC techniques mentioned above have been specifically suggested due to their ability to perform in difficult channel conditions. In this study, we assess DSSS, OFDM and ECPM in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions using three noise types: additive white Gaussian noise and two forms of narrowband noise which can be attributed to radio frequency ingress and switching devices connected to the power-line.