A segmented packet collision model for smart utility networks under WLAN interferences

Smart metering utility network (SUN) is an emerging wireless technology for achieving intelligent control and information transfer in smart grid applications. However, the operation of SUNs on unlicensed bands is very sensitive to external interferences generated from other networks working on the same spectrum bands, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs). This paper aims to analyze packet error rate (PER) performance of a victim SUN receiver under the interferences of one or more WLAN transmitting nodes. To deal with a scenario leveraged by multiple random variables, such as offset between desired SUN data packet and WLAN packet, duration of WLAN data packet, and time interval between two consecutive WLAN packets, we propose a segmented packet collision model with the help of the probability theory. We first divide all the packets into small segments and then calculate the collision probability of each segment to acquire a more accurate bit error rate (BER). Then, based on different BERs in distinct segments of the desired SUN packet, average PER of the victim SUN receiver is obtained. Finally, the proposed analytical model is validated by simulations as an effort to evaluate PER performance of a SUN receiver under the WLAN interferences.