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Power Line Monitor over Ethernet

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 9:15 am
by jollyrgr
Does anyone know of a "black box" device that is able to monitor power outlet conditions over Ethernet? Basically what I want is a device that will plug into an AC outlet and into an Ethernet connector and "store" the history of what the power outlet is doing on a remote computer. <p>I know a computer connected UPS can accomplish this but I don't want to leave a computer in the closet. I also know a serial to Ethernet device server can connect to a UPS and be monitored remotely over Ethernet. (This is a possibility I may end up using.) But I'd prefer a single unit that is purpose built to perform this task. Simply plug it in, assign an IP address, then use software on a computer to query the remote device. Does anyone know of such an animal?

Re: Power Line Monitor over Ethernet

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 2:14 pm
by philba
google is amazing...<p>http://www.ipower.imodem.net/
http://www.contacteast.com/product/grou ... nt_id=1137<p>You didn't say exactly what you are monitoring for. These appear to be fairly pricy. If all you want is power fail, it should be relatively easy to make one with a microcontroller though serial would easier and cheaper than ethernet.<p>[ October 24, 2005: Message edited by: philba ]</p>

Re: Power Line Monitor over Ethernet

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 3:41 pm
by jollyrgr
Philba,<p>Thanks for the reply. I want to monitor surges, spikes, sags, etc. like the devices shown do. But the problem with the devices shown is they are what I already found and dismissed. The ones I find are SERIAL or phone line based as the ones you pointed out. This means I could deploy the device then retrieve it since it stores 11 days or so of data. <p>My idea was to be able to monitor this from my computer from across town without having to go on site to retrieve the device. (Our engineering has a device that is self contained and provides this information but requires that you pick the device up from where ever it is at.) True I could deploy a serial device server (i.e. a Lantronix MSS100) or take an old computer out there and use a UPS as my detection device. (I have UPSs at the sites and have a number of spare units I could deploy as well.) What I'm looking for is exactly what you pointed out but with an embedded web server or other device that can be accessed over Ethernet.<p>The type of device I am trying to find has a web server or other device built-in. I then use their software or a web browser to access the data. Print sharing devices such as HP JetDirects, Linksys print servers, or web 'managed' routers/firewalls all embed a web server in them. I'm looking for something like that to monitor AC power. <p>A UPS can do the monitoring quite easily and I have a few of those lying around. The problem is you have to have a serial or USB connection to them to monitor them remotely. My "mad scientist" idea is to put these devices at remote buildings and monitor the power lines at the building; namely the feeds to the networking and phone switches. Even though the devices are protected by a UPS there are certain glitches or something weird happening. When this type of gremlin begins to show up I want to be able to check what happened. <p>Thanks again and I'll keep looking as well.

Re: Power Line Monitor over Ethernet

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 7:22 pm
by philba
Hmmm, how much demand do you think there would be for something like that? What sorts of things do you care about monitoring?<p>The web server part is actually pretty easy with something like an xport.

Re: Power Line Monitor over Ethernet

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:26 am
by plunt

Re: Power Line Monitor over Ethernet

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:58 pm
by hp
I would use a tstik (http://www.tstik.com/) and write a java program to generate log files on the tstik's onboard memory and use it's built in java webserver for web access to the files.

Not only that, but you could use it to initiate emails, http get requests, etc. The best thing about this device is that it has a rtc, which would be great for logging.

Re: Power Line Monitor over Ethernet

Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 6:36 am
by plunt

Re: Power Line Monitor over Ethernet

Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 6:37 am
by plunt