A power line communication method, comprising: determining, by a first node, a channel status of a channel between a second node and the first node in an alternating current cycle, wherein the channel status is used to reflect a status of a channel capacity; dividing, by the first node, the alternating current cycle into time windows based on the channel status, and determining modulation coding parameters used for data transmission between the second node and the first node in the time window obtained through division; and sending, by the first node to the second node, information about the time windows obtained through division and the modulation coding parameters used in the time window obtained through division, characterized in that the dividing, by the first node, the alternating current cycle into time windows based on the channel status comprises: determining, by the first node, whether a timestamp at which the channel status is a transition state exists in the alternating current cycle, wherein that the channel status is the transition state is used to indicate that the channel capacity varies; and if the timestamp exists, dividing, by the first node, the alternating current cycle into time windows by using the timestamp at which the channel status is the transition state as a dividing point; or if the timestamp does not exist, using, by the first node, the alternating current cycle as the time window. determining, by a first node, a channel status of a channel between a second node and the first node in an alternating current cycle, wherein the channel status is used to reflect a status of a channel capacity; dividing, by the first node, the alternating current cycle into time windows based on the channel status, and determining modulation coding parameters used for data transmission between the second node and the first node in the time window obtained through division; and sending, by the first node to the second node, information about the time windows obtained through division and the modulation coding parameters used in the time window obtained through division, characterized in that the dividing, by the first node, the alternating current cycle into time windows based on the channel status comprises: determining, by the first node, whether a timestamp at which the channel status is a transition state exists in the alternating current cycle, wherein that the channel status is the transition state is used to indicate that the channel capacity varies; and if the timestamp exists, dividing, by the first node, the alternating current cycle into time windows by using the timestamp at which the channel status is the transition state as a dividing point; or if the timestamp does not exist, using, by the first node, the alternating current cycle as the time window. determining, by the first node, whether a timestamp at which the channel status is a transition state exists in the alternating current cycle, wherein that the channel status is the transition state is used to indicate that the channel capacity varies; and if the timestamp exists, dividing, by the first node, the alternating current cycle into time windows by using the timestamp at which the channel status is the transition state as a dividing point; or if the timestamp does not exist, using, by the first node, the alternating current cycle as the time window.