Patent ID: 8681619

Claim:
A method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising: obtaining data specifying a baseline data rate for transmissions from a node that are received over a channel of a power line communications system; obtaining a set of available modulation techniques for the node, the set of available modulation techniques including at least two modulation techniques with which the node is configured to encode data that are transmitted over the channel; selecting a modulation technique for the node, the selected modulation technique being a modulation technique from the set of available modulation techniques, wherein the selected modulation technique is capable of providing data with at least the baseline data rate with at least a threshold confidence; providing, to the node, data specifying the selected modulation technique; and selecting an available channel for the selected modulation technique based on an assessment of data transmission efficiency of the data transmitted from the node, wherefrom the node is reconfigured to transmit over at least one of a different channel and a different modulation technique; determining a signal to noise threshold associated with the selected modulation technique, the signal to noise threshold for the modulation technique being a minimum signal to noise measure at which the modulation technique provides the baseline data rate with at least the threshold confidence; determining a noise floor for one or more available channels, each available channel being a portion of a spectrum that is available to be allocated for transmissions from the node, the available channel having a channel bandwidth over which transmissions from the node are authorized; and selecting an available channel for the node, the selected channel being a channel over Which the selected modulation technique can provide the baseline data rate with at least the threshold confidence.