Data Transmission over the Medium Voltage Power Line Communication Channel

This paper investigates the suitability of utilizing a medium voltage power line as a data communication channel. The channel can be modeled as having a time-varying, frequency-dependent, signal-to-noise ratio over the communication bandwidth. Other key factors presented in the channel model are attenuation and propagation delay. Simulation studies are used to test the suitability of the medium voltage power line network as a data communication channel. The test site selected for our study is situated within metropolitan Durban, along the east coast of South Africa. A robust low complexity modulation method, with forward error correction, is implemented between the transmitter and receiver of the selected sites. The effect of added white Gaussian noise, and the channel impulse response, is also investigated. Finally, a communication strategy is proposed for information transfer between the selected sites