Contactless Power Line Communications at 2.45GHz

In this paper it is shown how a power line can be used to conductively carry and re-radiate 2.45GHz Wi-Fi signals over a distance. This can be useful when a conventional RF links' line-of-sight operation at 2.45GHz is obscured for example in multiple story buildings where Wi-Fi has difficulty penetrating. Commercial Wi-Fi modems were used to transfer data on a power line for up to 65m (non-energised) and up to 20m in a typical industrial energised situation. One modem was coupled to the power line, the line used as a travelling wave antenna and the second modem used in normal RF mode. This was compared to a direct RF link - where both modems were used in RF mode. Although a RF link performs better at long distances, with line of sight or few obstacles, the contactless power line configuration compared well in performance for a distance of up to 40m.