We present an experimental study on the end-to-end capacity of PLC links. We discuss the variability of PLC capacity over space, frequency, and time by using a testbed on a realistic enterprise environment. These measurements are used for characterizing end-user performance, for establishing practical link-metric guidelines, and for facilitating future deployment of hybrid networks that comprise PLC technologies. We present link-metric guidelines that use metrics proposed by IEEE 1905.1 standard.

The IEEE 1905.1 standard aims at making interoperability between different technologies (Wi-Fi, PLC, MoCA) easier and more flexible. By introducing an abstraction layer between the MAC and IP layers (layer 2.5) and a common interface, it enables a device to seamlessly use or alternate between two or more technologies, depending on the network conditions. Its goal is also to make the management of heterogeneous networks simpler, by providing end-to-end QoS, autoconfiguration, common secured authentication and setup methods.

In this chapter, we present different standardized solutions for heterogeneous net- works. We describe in particular the IEEE 1905.1 standard. We also present algorithms that can be used in heterogeneous networks to improve performance.