Performance estimation and analysis of power line communication using single-ended loop testing

Abstract

Using the electricity infrastructure for broadband data transmission is known as power line communication(PLC). The quality of broadband connectivity over a power line is a strong function of the line topology. Two-stephybrid single-ended loop testing (SELT) to estimate the open port loop topology of power lines is discussed in thispaper. Correlation time domain reflectometry (CTDR) at different sockets is used to construct the initial topology.Optimization-based frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) is employed to ascertain more accurate power line topology.The discussed method has the advantage of reusing the existing DSL modem for the measurement and no prior knowledgeis needed for the topology estimation. This method is validated for a wide range of line topologies with different numbersof bridge taps. The performance of the estimated topology is calculated using two-port network theory and the influenceof the bridge taps on the performance of the line is analyzed.