Patent ID: 8830980

Claim:
A method comprising: performing, using a Power Line Communication (PLC) data concentrator coupled to a medium-voltage (MV) power line, implementing a Media Access Control (MAC) superframe, the MAC superframe including a plurality of beacon slots, a plurality of Contention Access Period (CAP) slots following the plurality of beacon slots, a Contention Free Period (CFP) poll access slot following the plurality of CAP slots, a CFP slot following the CFP poll access slot, an inactivity period following the CFP slot, a beacon region following the inactivity period, and a communication slot following the beacon region, wherein the PLC data concentrator communicates with a PLC device during at least a portion of at least one of the plurality of beacon slots and during at least a portion of at least one of the plurality of CAP slots, the PLC device coupled to a low-voltage (LV) power line, the LV power line coupled to the MV power line through a transformer, and wherein the PLC data concentrator refrains from transmitting messages during at least a portion of the inactivity period to allow communications between the PLC device and another PLC device, the other PLC device coupled to the LV power line; and communicating with another PLC data concentrator coupled to the MV power line, wherein the communication between the PLC data concentrator and the other PLC data concentrator is configured to place during at least a portion of the communication slot using the MAC superframe.