Implementation and field test results of a software defined PLC modem

This paper presents in details the implementation and field test results of a software defined power line communication (PLC) modem using digital signal processor (DSP). The flexible software architecture using a single hardware supports multiple standard solutions, such as PRIME, G3, IEEE P1901.2. The modem software can also be configured to use different OFDM technologies to combat channel impairment specific to a particular region's grid condition. This paper describes the physical layer software architecture, complexity analysis and field test results. The field tests at multiple sites show the significant benefits of flexible software defined modem configuration to improve throughput and coverage.