A Channel Model for Three-node Two-way Relay-aided PLC Systems

A point-to-point (P2P) indoor power line communications (PLC) channel has similar broadcasting nature as the wireless propagation channel because of its tree-like topology. However, once a relay node is introduced into the PLC system, it shows some notable differences between the relay-aided (RA) PLC channels and the wireless channels. In the literature, a channel model for three-node one-way RA PLC system has been discussed. However, three-node two-way PLC system is needed in several applications such as smart grids. Therefore, in this paper, we aim to model the RA PLC system with forward and reverse channels. We use the ABCD method to derive the channel transfer function (CTF) expressions. The CTFs of an RA PLC channel cannot be simply stimulated by cascading two independent P2P channels which can be proved by the simulation results.