Power line communications system and method

A method of providing communicating data over one or more overhead power line conductors to one or more user devices, comprising:

• receiving first data in a first data packet via the one or more power line conductors from a first communications device;
• determining whether said first data is to be repeated,
• transmitting said first data onto the one or more power line conductors if said first data is to be repeated;
• receiving a second data via the one or more power line conductors from a second communications device;
• determining whether said second data is to be repeated, transmitting said second data onto the one or more power line conductors if said first data is to be repeated;
• receiving a third data via the one or more power line conductors from a backhaul device communicatively coupled to a backhaul link;
• determining whether said third is to be repeated,
• transmitting said third data onto the one or more power line conductors if said first data is to be repeated;
• determining whether said third data is to be transmitted to a user device;
• transmitting said third data to a user device if said third data is to be transmitted to a user device.

A method of providing power line communications to communicate data over one or more overhead power line conductors to one or more user devices, comprising:

• communicatively coupling a backhaul device to the one or more power line conductors and to a backhaul link;
• communicatively coupling a plurality communications device to the one or more power line conductors and at least one user device, wherein each of the plurality of communications device is in communication with said backhaul device;
• transmitting a first data packet over the one or more power line conductors from a first of the plurality of communications devices and wherein the first data packet is in a first signal having one or more carriers in a first frequency band;
• transmitting a second data packet over the one or more power line conductors from a second of the plurality of communications devices and wherein said second data packet is in a second signal having one or more carriers at one or more of the same frequencies as said first signal;
• and
• wherein the first signal and the second signal are transmitted during overlapping time periods and do not interfere with the reception of each other at the devices to which the first and second data packets are addressed.

A power line communications system for communicating data to one or more user devices over an electrical power distribution network having one or more overhead medium voltage power line conductors, a neutral conductor, and at least one distribution transformer coupled one of the medium voltage power line conductors, comprising:

• a backhaul device communicatively coupled to one of the one or more medium power line conductors and to a backhaul link;
• a first communications device coupled to the neutral conductor and in communication with at least one user device;
• and
• wherein said first communications device is in communication with said backhaul device via the neutral conductor and the medium voltage power line.