Comparative performance analysis of prime-PLC and G3-PLC systems for PLC-AMR systems

Power Line Communication (PLC) technology, which is economically advantageous because it does not require additional wiring other than existing power cables, finds use in many areas such as meter reading, indoor automation and street lighting. As it is still a developing technology, various protocols with different performance variables are used and it is aimed to increase the stability and data rates. In recent years, there is a clear relationship between the developing enthusiasm in Narrow Band Power Line Communication (NB PLC) systems and the common use of Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) systems. AMR is a technology which gathers data from energy, gas and water meters and delivers it to the processing unit for analysis for billing purposes. AMR systems generally consist of Electronic Meter, Central Unit and Communication System. In this study, comparative performance analysis of G3-PLC and PRIME standards, which are among the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)-based new generation protocols widely used in Narrow Band Power Line Communication (NB PLC), have been made. Detailed explanations of both standards and MATLAB simulation outcomes of their performances in power line systems are presented together. To simulate the transmission channel accurately, the Katayama noise model is used in this study.