Throughput Analysis of Wavelet OFDM in Broadband Power Line Communications

Abstract

Windowed orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) and wavelet OFDM have been proposed as medium access techniques for broadband communications over the power line network by the standard IEEE 1901. Windowed OFDM has been extensively researched and employed in different fields of communication, while wavelet OFDM, which has been recently recommended for the first time in a standard, has received less attention. This work is aimed to show that wavelet OFDM, which basically is an Extended Lapped Transform-based multicarrier modulation (ELT-MCM), is a viable and attractive alternative for data transmission in hostile scenarios, such as in-home PLC. To this end, we obtain theoretical expressions for ELT-MCM of: 1) the useful signal power, 2) the inter-symbol interference (ISI) power, 3) the inter-carrier interference (ICI) power, and 4) the noise power at the receiver side. The system capacity and the achievable throughput are derived from these. This study includes several computer simulations that show that ELT-MCM is an efficient alternative to improve data rates in PLC networks. Index TermsPower line communications (PLC), orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), Extended Lapped Transform-based multicarrier modulation (ELT-MCM), multicarrier transceiver, multicarrier modulation (MCM), filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), discrete cosine transform, discrete sine transform, prototype filter, IEEE 1901. DRAFT Channel partitioning methods have become part of several standards for broadband wireless and wireline communications. The idea behind these techniques is to convert a broadband frequency channel into a set of overlapping and (nearly) orthogonal frequency-flat subchannels [1]. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), with or without windowing, is the most widely recommended technique and employs cyclic prefix (CP) or zeros as redundant samples to carry out the channel partition [2]. Recently, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) systems have attracted a great deal of research attention, with the difference that the partitioning is performed by means of pulse shaping, with good properties in time and frequency, with no additional redundant samples [3]. FBMC system is now proposed as an attractive alternative to OFDM as the modulation scheme of the fifth generation of wireless networks (5G) [4]-[9] . The popularity of power line communications (PLC) for smart grids, and for outdoors and in-home communication systems, has grown a great deal [10]-[17]. It can be a good solution for the 'last mile' problem, since it provides broadband communication to isolated places where other communication systems are not in place, and for the 'last inch' problem, since it implements indoor high-speed networks [18]. IEEE Std 1901 [19] defines a standard for broadband over power line (BPL) devices via electric power lines. All classes of BPL devices are considered for the use of this standard, including BPL devices used for smart energy applications or applications in transportation platforms (vehicles).As medium...

Simulation of Achievable Data Rates of Broadband Power Line Communication for Smart Metering

“…Simulations of achievable throughputs of BPL in LV networks have been investigated in previous publications [8,[35][36][37][38].…”

“…The simulation introduced in another study [35] focuses on the theoretical throughput calculation for the in-home PLC scenario via simulation for different PHY recommendations for IEEE P1901 (Windowed OFDM PHY and Wavelet OFDM PHY) [36]. The PLC in-home model proposed in a previous study [37] is a statistical approach that synthesizes different classes with a finite number of multi-path components.…”

“…To see the impact of the branch (tap) length on the throughput, the following scenario was selected: constant length between transmitter and receiver of 1200 m and varying length of the branch (15,25,35 and 45 m). The increasing length of the branch caused decreasing channel capacity, but for the distance between transmitter and receiver of 1200 m it is not significant.…”

Performance Testing and Methodology for Evaluation of Power Line Communication

“…Only a few of these publications [6], [20] were presented a performance evaluation methodology for PLC. In [6], [11], the methodology was adopted via simulations. In [5], [20], the parameters for PLC-based Smart Metering assessment (especially for availability and stability) were introduced.…”

Main Line Fault Localization Methodology (MLFLM) in Smart Grid – The Underground Medium- and Low-Voltage Broadband over Power Lines Networks Case

“…Compared against the other wired and wireless communications technologies that already interoperate in the Smart Grid, BPL networks can more easily deal with the "last mile" and "last-inch" problems since BPL networks are capable of providing broadband communications access to isolated places with significant broadband speeds by exploiting the already installed power grid infrastructure [2]. Another strong argument of the BPL technology is that its network components are already standardized systems by IEEE Std 1901 [3], which defines a standard for all BPL devices that are deployed across the transmission, distribution and indoor power grids including BPL devices used for various smart grid applications.…”