Broadband Power Line communication is considered as one of possible communication technologies for the buildings communication infrastructure in the concept of Smart Building. The possible applications where BPL (Broadband over Power Lines) solution can be used for communication in the concept of Smart Building are Power Quality (PQ) measurement, Electric Vehicle or Micro Grids and Distribution Generation (DG). This article should help to determine clear performance possibilities of BPL for an implementation in Smart Building especially due to a large amount of overhead caused by cybersecurity and the protocol overhead. The possibilities of BPL were measured with five different BPL solutions. The results show a sufficient throughput on the application layer for Smart Building application, because, in the literature, various throughput limits are introduced. According to related work, there are missing measurements on the application layer for laboratory conditions as well as compared with real field measurements. In this article, we also exploit our novel idea of a broadband PLC (Power Line Communication) modem integrated into an electrical outlet.

The popularity of the Power Line Communication (PLC) system has decreased due to significant deficiencies in the technology itself, even though new wire installation is not required. In particular, regarding the request for high-speed throughput to fulfill smart-grid requirements, Broadband Power Line (BPLC) can be considered. This paper approaches PLC technology as an object of simulation experimentation in the Broadband Power Line Communication (BPLC) area. Several experimental measurements in a real environment are also given. This paper demonstrates these experimental simulation results as potential mechanisms for creating a complex simulation tool for various PLC technologies focusing on communication with end devices such as sensors and meters. The aim is to demonstrate the potential and limits of BPLC technology for implementation in Smart Grids or Smart Metering applications.

Power line communication (PLC) is considered one of the possible communication technologies for applications in the field of smart metering, smart substations, smart homes, and recently for the management of renewable resources or micro grid control. This article deals with the use of PLC technology to determine the technical condition of the cable. This coefficient can help distribution system operators (DSO) to assess the condition of their cable routes. In this way, possible cable breakdowns and subsequent power outages can be prevented. The resulting methodology for calculating the coefficient is presented in two specific examples of routes, in which a significant benefit for DSO’s can be found.

This article explores the secondary use of power line communication (PLC) technology, specifically broadband power line (BPL), as a diagnostic tool for medium voltage (MV) cable lines. Through experimental measurements, it was confirmed that selected communication parameters of BPL modems exhibit measurable deviations in the presence of partial discharge (PD) activity. Specifically, the parameters considered are throughput, signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), link capacity, bit load estimate (BLE), transmission amplitude map, Tonemap (modulation scheme), and Tonemask. In particular, BPL throughput decreased by approximately 10 Mbps for 100 pC PD and by around 50% for 1,000 pC PD. Since partial discharges are an early indicator of insulation system degradation, their detection supports predictive maintenance and contributes to improving the operational reliability of distribution networks. The results demonstrate that PLC/BPL technology–originally designed for communication and automation of distribution transformer stations (DTS)–can also serve as a cost‐effective and readily deployable sensor system for real‐time monitoring of cable health, without the need for dedicated diagnostic equipment. Experiments employing both inductive and capacitive couplers confirm the effectiveness of this secondary application in detecting insulation‐related anomalies.