Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, supplying an alternating voltage waveform to a winding coupled to a magnetic core of an inductive power supply to regulate an alternating magnetic flux in the magnetic core. The alternating voltage waveform can be generated by selectively enabling one or more switches coupled to a storage device. The subject disclosure may further include configuring the one or more switches according to a configuration during a portion of a period of the alternating voltage waveform, and measuring a characteristic of an alternating current flowing in a conductor coupled to the magnetic core during the portion of the period of the alternating voltage waveform. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, a communication device with a support structure having first and second annular contacts formed on an outer surface thereof, a first radio device having a first inner surface of a first housing opening with a third contact, and a second radio device having a second inner surface of a second housing opening with a fourth contact. The support structure is positioned in and passes through the first and second housing openings thereby positioning the first and second radio devices in a stacked arrangement, and, when in the stacked arrangement, the first and third contacts are aligned and the second and fourth contact are aligned to provide a coupling between the first and second radio devices. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Embodiments of methods and systems for supporting coexistence of multiple technologies in a Power Line Communication (PLC) network are disclosed. A long coexistence preamble sequence may be transmitted by a device that has been forced to back off the PLC channel multiple times. The long coexistence sequence provides a way for the device to request channel access from devices on the channel using other technology. The device may transmit a data packet after transmitting the long coexistence preamble sequence. A network duty cycle time may also be defined as a maximum allowed duration for nodes of the same network to access the channel. When the network duty cycle time occurs, all nodes will back off the channel for a duty cycle extended inter frame space before transmitting again. The long coexistence preamble sequence and the network duty cycle time may be used together.

A digital intercom system includes a master station having hardware and software configured to allow duplex communication between a plurality of communication devices. The software runs a plurality of settings for directing communication between the communication devices. The master station is configured to modify the settings based on input entered into a browser based program run on an input/output (I/O) device by a user.

A method and a device can be used to transmit data onboard a watercraft using an onboard power supply network. A central control unit generates an instruction for a first consumer module. The instruction is transmitted from the central control unit via a first control unit-head station data connection to a first head station. The first head station converts the instruction into an instruction signal that is transmittable via the power supply network. The instruction signal is transmitted from the first head station via a first head station-power line data connection, the power supply network, and a first coupling module-power line data connection to a first coupling module. From the instruction signal, the first coupling module again generates an instruction that can be transmitted via a data connection. The instruction is transmitted from the first coupling module via a first coupling module-consumer data connection to the first consumer module.

Power converter communications, including power converter communication methods and power converters that can communicate information, are disclosed. A control variable of a power converter is modulated, to modulate an output of the power converter for communicating information. Modulation of voltage or current on a circuit path to which the power converter is coupled could be detected, by another power converter, for example. Such modulation could be detected by sensors that are also used in controlling the power converter. Either or both of transmission and reception could therefore be provided without requiring any additional hardware at a power converter.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, different groups of network devices mounted on utility poles. The different groups of network devices can be arranged along different paths. A communication path for transmitting wireless signals can alternate between the different groups of network devices. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving data from an external network device positioned outside of a neighborhood network, wherein the first waveguide system is a first network node of the neighborhood network. Electromagnetic waves are sent to a second waveguide system via a transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium without utilizing an electrical return path, wherein the electromagnetic waves convey the data. The second waveguide system is determined according to a neighborhood routing scheme that limits delivery of the data to a group of recipient devices within a service area of the neighborhood network and the second waveguide system is a second network node of the neighborhood network. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a surveying system operable to receive a plurality of electromagnetic waves via a guided wave transceiver that include environmental data collected via a plurality of sensors at a plurality of remote sites. Weather pattern data is generated based on the environmental data. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A method of managing communications between communication devices within a digital intercom system includes providing input and output tables for each communication device. The tables for each device are made up of cells formed from linear arrays corresponding to communication channels and the other devices. When two devices communicate on a given channel, a cell in the appropriate input and output table is identified based on the channel and the devices communicating. The cells provide volume control information which can be relied upon to determine if or to what degree audio signals should be transferred between the devices.