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Designing Reliable Powerline Communications | Cypress Semiconductor

Designing Reliable Powerline Communications

Last Updated: 
Jan 06, 2011

Powerline Communication (PLC) is a communication technology that uses powerlines as its communication medium. The data travels over the same powerline that provides electricity, thus allowing the existing powerline infrastructure in homes or cars to be used for the purpose of transporting data without adding new wires. PLC technology is experiencing a period of rapid growth and finding its way into multiple applications and market segments including smart grid, lighting control, solar panel monitoring, energy metering, in-home video distribution, and electric cars. The global push for energy conservation is driving the need for intelligently communicating with energy generation and energy consuming devices. PLC offers a unique no-new-infrastructure approach to enabling rapid deployment of smart energy management technology around the world. Unlike wireless solutions, PLC does not have limitations of line-of-sight and short transmission range. PLC is also a cost-effective and easy-to-install technology for many applications.