Editing Power-line communication (section)

== High frequency (≥ 1&nbsp;MHz) ==

High-frequency communication may (re)use large portions of the radio spectrum for communication, or may use select (narrow) band(s), depending on the technology.

=== Home networking (LAN) ===

Power line communications can also be used in a home to interconnect home computers and peripherals, and home entertainment devices that have an [[Ethernet]] port. Powerline adapter sets plug into power outlets to establish an Ethernet connection using the existing electrical wiring in the home (power strips with filtering may absorb the power line signal). This allows devices to share data without the inconvenience of running dedicated network cables.

The widely deployed powerline networking standard are from [[Nessum Alliance]] and [[HomePlug Powerline Alliance]]. HomePlug Powerline Alliance announced in October 2016 that it would wind down its activities, and the Alliance website (homeplug.org) has been closed. [[Nessum]] (formerly [[HD-PLC]]), and HomePlug AV which is the most current of the HomePlug specifications were adopted by the [[IEEE 1901]] group as baseline technologies for their standard, published 30 December 2010. HomePlug estimates that over 45 million HomePlug devices have been deployed worldwide. Other companies and organizations back different specifications for power line home networking and these include the [[Universal Powerline Association]], [[SiConnect]], [[Xsilon]], and the [[ITU-T]]'s [[G.hn]] (HomeGrid) specification.

=== Non-home networking (LAN) ===

With the diversification of IoT applications, the demand for high-speed [[data communication]] such as transmission of high-definition video data and/or high-frequent sensor data is increasing in the field of smart building, smart factory, smart city, etc. In such use cases, power line communication technologies can also be used and provides the same advantage of reusing existing cables.

Nessum has developed a multi-hop technology that can be used to build large-scale networks. In addition, the latest Nessum technology (4th-generation HD-PLC technology) provides multiple channels, which enables high-speed and long-range communication by selecting the optimal channel.

=== Broadband over power line ===
{{main|Broadband over power lines|IEEE 1901}}

Broadband over power line (BPL) is a system to transmit two-way data over existing AC MV (medium voltage) electrical distribution wiring, between transformers, and AC LV (low voltage) wiring between transformer and customer outlets (typically 100 to 240 V). This avoids the expense of a dedicated network of wires for data communication, and the expense of maintaining a dedicated network of antennas, radios and routers in a wireless network.

BPL uses some of the same radio frequencies used for over-the-air radio systems. Modern BPL employs Wavelet-OFDM, FFT-OFDM, or [[frequency-hopping spread spectrum]] to avoid using those frequencies actually in use, though early pre-2010 BPL standards did not. The criticisms of BPL from this perspective are of pre-OPERA, pre-1905 standards.

The BPL OPERA standard is used primarily in Europe by ISPs. In North America, it is used in some places (Washington Island, WI, for instance) but is more generally used by electric distribution utilities for [[smart meter]]s and load management.

Since the ratification of the [[IEEE 1901]] (Nessum, HomePlug) LAN standard and its widespread implementation in mainstream router chipsets, the older BPL standards are not competitive for communication between AC outlets within a building, nor between the building and the transformer where MV meets LV lines.