The knowledge of the topology of a wired network is often of fundamental
importance. For instance, in the context of Power Line Communications (PLC)
networks it is helpful to implement data routing strategies, while in power
distribution networks and Smart Micro Grids (SMG) it is required for grid
monitoring and for power flow management. In this paper, we use the
transmission line theory to shed new light and to show how the topological
properties of a wired network can be found exploiting admittance measurements
at the nodes. An analytic proof is reported to show that the derivation of the
topology can be done in complex networks under certain assumptions. We also
analyze the effect of the network background noise on admittance measurements.
In this respect, we propose a topology derivation algorithm that works in the
presence of noise. We finally analyze the performance of the algorithm using
values that are typical of power line distribution networks.Comment: A version of this manuscript has been submitted to the IEEE
Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement for possible publication. The
paper consists of 8 pages, 11 figures, 1 tabl
