Antonio Acosta and Miguel Villegas

1
Broadband over Residential Wiring
Study
Antonio Acosta and Miguel Villegas
axa018400_at_utdallas.edu
miguel.v_utd_at_yahoo.com
Department of Electrical Engineering Erik Jonsson
School of Engineering Computer
Science University of Texas at Dallas Richardson,
Texas 75083-0688, U.S.A.
Project Proposal/Goals
Project Results

• Study the parameters associated with a 12 AWG
  electrical wire
• Noise floor
• Emissions
• Frequency Response
• Return Loss
• Determine transmission techniques that can be
  used to implement BPL
• Get a better understanding of the test equipment
  and test methods used in this study

Noise Floor
Emissions
Frequency Response
Return Loss
Project Overview

• Broadband over power lines (BPL) is a technology
  that allows high speed communication signals to
  ride on the same power lines that transmit and
  distribute electricity.
• FCC part 15 rules and ANSI C63.17-2008 were
  referenced for the test measurement setup.
• Two wiring configurations were used a single 12
  AWG 10 meter wire and four wires twisted together
  making a node.
• The noise floor was measured using a spectrum
  analyzer to see how susceptible the wire is to
  external interference.
• Emissions testing was performed at
  Alcatel-Lucents anechoic chamber in Plano,
  Texas. The purpose of this test was to see how
  much power can be transmitted without exceeding
  FCC rules.
• For the frequency response we swept the wire with
  a signal generator and captured the results using
  a spectrum analyzer.

PSD Mask of HomePlugs BPL adapters
PSD Mask From HomePlug ARRL Joint Test Report
Project Conclusion

• BPL will have to operate under an extremely
  hostile environment. With an FCC limit of 29.5
  dBµV/m at 30m and a high noise floor, the SNR
  will be small.
• Since the FCC stipulates that 20 dB notches must
  be implemented where amateur radio frequencies
  exist within the 2 - 30 MHz band, OFDM will be
  the best choice to use as a transmission
  technique.
• The wire was able to have a throughput of 1.544
  Mbps with a BER of 10-8.