A regulation method intended to reduce congestion in a mesh powerline communication network that includes a plurality of node devices, a route discovery request being sent by a source node device and requests being relayed by intermediate node devices to a destination node device. The regulation method is implemented by an intermediate node device, which can receive a plurality of route discovery requests, and includes the steps of: detecting a congestion situation when a number of requests received over a time window of predefined duration is above a predefined first threshold; identifying requests as important when the number of any one request received over the time window of predefined duration is above a second predefined threshold; and relaying solely requests identified as important.

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.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a transmission device that includes a first coupler that guides a first electromagnetic wave to a first junction to form a second electromagnetic wave that is guided to propagate along the outer surface of the transmission medium via one or more guided-wave modes. These mode(s) have an envelope that varies as a function of angular deviation and/or longitudinal displacement. Other embodiments are disclosed.

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.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, an antenna system includes a dielectric antenna having a feed point, wherein the dielectric antenna is a single antenna. At least one cable having a plurality of conductorless dielectric cores is coupled to the feed point of the dielectric antenna, wherein electromagnetic waves that are guided by differing ones of the plurality of conductorless dielectric cores to the dielectric antenna result in differing ones of a plurality of antenna beam patterns.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, a system for generating a plurality of electromagnetic waves having differing signal characteristics, each electromagnetic wave of the plurality of electromagnetic waves conveying a communication signal, and the plurality of electromagnetic waves propagating along a transmission medium without radiating into free space. The system can be further configured for generating, by an antenna coupled to the transmission medium, a plurality of wireless signals according to the plurality of electromagnetic waves. The differing signal characteristics of the plurality of electromagnetic waves thereby enables a device to obtain the communication signal by combining the plurality of wireless signals. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Selecting a communication route between a first and a second node device of a mesh electrical supply network using powerline and/or radio-frequency communications is described. A route cost is obtained for each possible communication route. A communication route of the lowest route cost is selected. For a given route, the route cost is the sum of the link costs between successive node devices on the route, the link cost between two successive node devices is a weighted sum between a maximum value from a link cost in a forward direction and a link cost in a backward direction and a ratio between a number of active routes and a maximum number of active routes. A link cost in a given direction depends on the cost of the link, in the given direction, calculated for each frequency band of frequency bands used by the two successive node devices for communicating.

Technology for a repeater system is disclosed. The repeater system can include a first repeater. The repeater system can include a second repeater that is communicatively coupled to the first repeater via a transmission line between the first repeater and the second repeater. The first repeater can include a controller operable to determine that a change in loss across the transmission line between the first repeater and the second repeater has occurred based on signaling between the first repeater and the second repeater.

In accordance with the present disclosure, a communication network includes a surface wave transceiver, mounted on a medium voltage power line, configured to bidirectionally communicate wireless network data via guided electromagnetic waves that propagate along a surface of the medium voltage power line. A plurality of analog surface wave repeater pairs, a plurality of digital surface wave regenerator pairs, are mounted on the medium voltage power line. A plurality of access points, supported by corresponding ones of a plurality of utility poles that also support the medium voltage power line, is configured to wirelessly transmit the wireless network data to a plurality of client devices in accordance with a wireless network protocol and to wirelessly receive client data from the plurality of client devices in accordance with the wireless network protocol. A plurality of surface wave add/drop multiplexer pairs, is also mounted on the medium voltage power line.

A distributed antenna and backhaul system provide network connectivity for a small cell deployment. Rather than building new structures, and installing additional fiber and cable, embodiments described herein disclose using high-bandwidth, millimeter-wave communications and existing power line infrastructure. Above ground backhaul connections via power lines and line-of-sight millimeter-wave band signals as well as underground backhaul connections via buried electrical conduits can provide connectivity to the distributed base stations. An overhead millimeter-wave system can also be used to provide backhaul connectivity. Modules can be placed onto existing infrastructure, such as streetlights and utility poles, and the modules can contain base stations and antennas to transmit the millimeter-waves to and from other modules.