JARViE created this dev board to create power line communications projects and products:
The JARViE PLM Demo Board offers users a simple and low-cost entry point into learning about Smart Home technology. Couple this modem with a microcontroller to bidirectionally communicate with other devices or systems over AC or DC power lines. Applications include lighting control, home appliance control, energy/heating control and up to 3,000 feet data transmission home power networks.
Each Demo board has an NXP TDA5051a powerline modem IC. This modem takes in a digital message from an MCUs UART bus, like an Arduino UNO, and translates this digital message into an equivalent analog message. Additional circuitry on the demo board sends the analog message over the 120/240VAC of your home, if the demo board is connected to a home outlet. Ideally, the analog message will be broadcasted across all the 120/240VAC wires of your home (to all home outlets), so another demo board connected to another home outlet will hear this message. The demo board has special filtering to only receive messages sent by other powerline modem demo boards and reject all other noise or communications between non-demo board devices. Once a demo board receives an analog message sent over the home power lines, it converts it to an equivalent digital message and sends it to an MCU over its UART bus. Additionally, the demo boards can communicate over DC powerlines as well.
OSH Park 