Last week, Lutron, a leading provider of wireless lighting controls and home automation systems, filed a patent for powerline-carrier (PLC) technology. The two-way communication system works over a building’s existing powerlines, much the same way as the popular X10 did in the 1990s, but is now infused with modern day smart technology. PLC technology essentially carries data on a conductor that is also used simultaneously for DC electric power transmission. It operates by adding a modulated carrier signal to the wiring system. In a summary of the invention, Lutron describes “a two-way load control system for controlling an electrical load receiving power from an alternating-current (AC) power source comprises a power device (e.g., a load control device for controlling the electrical load or an input device) and a controller that is adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between the AC power source and the power device. The load control system may be installed […]