Analysis and Comparison of Deterministic Power Line Channel Modeling Methods

Indoor broadband power line communications (PLC) use home grid as communication media. Many applications exist such as data sharing and internet access. However, the performances achieved differ widely from a home to another because of differences in electrical installations. A software tool able to qualify any household grid versus power line might be developed. There is no today undeniable model and many frameworks exist. To make an informed choice, this paper analyzes and compares frequent deterministic modeling: chain matrices, multipath, infinite impulse response (IIR) filters, and electrical circuits. Multipath model proved to be the most accurate despite its implementation challenge. Chain matrices and electrical circuits are very sensitive to the uncertainty of the propagation coefficient and the impedance characteristic of power cables. Chain matrices and IIR filters based methods are unable to predict accurately the level of a fading due to both two derivations.