Internet of Things Enabled Power Theft Detection and Smart Meter Monitoring System

Abstract

Power theft, at low voltage distribution end is a concerning issue as the distribution companies lose billions of revenue annually. With the advent of smart grid technologies, smart meters with Information Communication Technology (ICT) can provide a solution for detecting and alerting the power theft. This paper presents the application of Internet of Things (IoT) in power theft detection and real-time smart meter monitoring. Linear Regression method is used for detecting power theft by continuously monitoring the consumer and distribution end smart meters data. Android applications are developed for monitoring consumption & billing information of consumers and alerting the authorities in the event of theft. The presented system is capable of detecting power theft due to meter bypass, meter tampering and direct line hooking. As an additional feature, direct control of smart meters from distribution authorities is implemented for providing access/denial of power supply for an individual consumer. A prototype circuit is developed using ATmega328P micro-controller with NodeMCU as a WiFi module, for validating the presented system.