Channel model of broadband power-line communication network with ring topology

The growing interest in using electrical power networks as an alternative broadband communication medium has spurred many to study the channel characteristics and to formulate channel models of these power networks. Existing channel-modelling techniques for power-line communications (PLC) typically assume that the power networks are connected in tree or radial topology. This assumption is not entirely valid as many electrical circuits in residential homes, commercial and industrial facilities may be wired in ring topology. Using the concept of scattering parameters a novel method derives analytical expressions for the channel transfer function and input impedance of ring-based PLC networks. The derived transfer function and input impedance are successfully verified against measurements conducted on a practical electrical power network in the frequency band from 1 to 30MHz.