IEEE 1901.2a-2015

This standard specifies communications for low-frequency (less than 500 kHz) narrowband power line devices via alternating current and direct current electric power lines. This standard supports indoor and outdoor communications over low-voltage (less than 1000 V) (LV) and medium-voltage (1000 V to 72 kV) (MV) power lines and through associated transformers in both urban and long-distance rural applications. The standard uses transmission frequencies less than 500 kHz. Data rates will be scalable to 500 kb/s depending on the application requirements and network conditions. This standard addresses grid to utility meter, grid automation, electric vehicle to charging station, and within home area networking communications scenarios. Lighting and solar panel power line communications (PLC) are also potential uses of this communications standard. This standard focuses on the balanced and efficient use of the PLC channel by all classes of low-frequency narrowband devices, defining detailed mechanisms for coexistence between different low-frequency narrowband standards developing organization (SDO) technologies, assuring that desired bandwidth may be delivered. This standard assures coexistence with broadband power line devices by minimizing out-of-band emissions in frequencies greater than 500 kHz. The standard addresses the necessary security requirements that assure communication privacy and allow use for security-sensitive services. This standard defines the physical layer (PHY) and the medium access control (MAC) sublayer of the data link layer, as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) open systems interconnection (OSI) basic reference model as shown in 4.3.

This standard amends IEEE Std 1901.2-2013 to incorporate corrections and clarifications

Amendment Standard - Inactive-Reserved. Changes to clarify how and when to encrypt header and payload information elements, update the interleaver design in order to eliminate some drawbacks in certain channels, a new PHY data primitive attribute so sub-band SNR data can be obtained from the PHY, modification to the frame counter size for security to make it consistent with IEEE Std 802.15.4e(TM)-2012, and adding a beacon attribute and change the zero crossing detector text are addressed in this amendment.