An Internet-of-Things Design Approach to Real-Time Monitoring and Protection of a Residential Power System

The need for fault detection and isolation of power supply from appliances is a vital component of safety in homes and residential facilities. There is a growing trend and motivation to optimize energy domestically and minimize the down time of power availability due to faults in homes and offices. This paper presents a study on the development of an Internet-of-Things (IoT) based residential power monitoring and protection system (RPMPS). The continuous power monitoring system was designed and hardware-implemented as a GPRS-enabled device, with Short Message Service (SMS) capabilities, and access to the internet for effective remote monitoring and real-time protection in the different sections of the dwelling. The system is capable of providing protection over electrical hazards, voltage surges, over loading, high temperatures and other faults on the residential distribution lines. Also, the system can detect electrical smoke, shuts down the system, and relay the message of the event remotely. The system combines the role of an energy meter and the traditional distribution fused board, with the inter-operability, scalability and advanced remote real time monitoring and control functionalities. The high-tech system serves as an easy-to-install upgrade to the basic electrical distribution board for fault detection of electrical wiring faults and protection. The meter in the device has the capacity to adequately measure and indicate the parameters of power supply to appliances, leading to more efficient utilization of electricity.