What is gr-plc?

Gr-plc is a C++ implementation of an IEEE 1901-like protocol, designed to work in GNU Radio. GNU Radio is a free software development toolkit that provides signal processing blocks to implement software-defined radio and signal-processing systems. The system was tested using Ettus USRP N210 and the LFRX and LFTX daughterboards.

Gr-plc includes the following:

• IEEE 1901 frame detection and alignment algorithms
• Turbo decoder (incompatible with IEEE 1901, see FAQ)
• Several channel estimation methods
• Support for all IEEE 1901 ROBO Modes: Standard ROBO, High-Speed ROBO and Mini ROBO
• Support for all IEEE 1901 modulation types: BPSK, QPSK, 8-QAM, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM, 1024-QAM and 4096-QAM
• Adaptive bit loading algorithm
• Noise power spectral density estimation capability

You can watch a demo of how gr-plc is used for in-vehicle powerline communication.