PLC pilot to switch-on this month in Rooiwal

The Tshwane Metro will be switching on its Power Line Communication (also known as BPL in some parts of the world) pilot towards the end of January.

According to Project Engineer Maarten van Helden, all 135 homes in the power station township of Rooiwal, just outside of Pretoria, will have been wired and ready to start using broadband internet.

The system chosen for Rooiwal utilises the latest chipset and incorporates a system that allows for notching of the amateur bands. The system, according to the manufacturers Mitsubishi Electric, is also immune to nearby radio signals.

There are still many questions around PLC, even with notching, will PLC increase the noise floor on the HF spectrum? The SARL will be carrying out onsite tests as soon as the pilot is fully operational.

Some basic tests carried out last year showed that shortwave interference was present within a 10 metre radius of the powerline. At that stage no notching was in place.

Source: The South African Radio League