How You Would RoadTest a Power Entry Device with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Connectivity to Report on Energy Consumption

The ratings appear to indicate it’s not for North America.

rscasny said:

rated at 250VAC 50 Hz 10A

Is that correct, or does it have a 120v version too?

Either way,  It looks like it might be a good idea to include a power cord (to the unit), and an adapter that plugs onto the C13 outlet to provide a standard socket to plug any appliance into.

I checked. It's made by a Holland company, and seems to target the Europe standard.

I noticed that myself. The datasheet only says 250V 50hz 10a. I'll have to ask about the input voltage. 

I think that this is the business case for this device. Easy to deploy in unorganized circumstances.

It looks like it is sold as an internal version as well, designed to replace the appliance IEC input. I guess this could be useful for portable equipment being moved around a site.

I'd certainly look at the security of the device - how is it provisioned, how does it speak to the cloud, how does the API work, is there any local access?

I'd also look at the functionality in terms of whether it memorises state on power outage - as I can see this being a box targeted at remotely power cycling a computer/IT equipment/rack in case of trouble.

It would be interesting to verify accuracy of energy measurement - a resistive load, variac and power analyser could do the job for a ~PF 1.0 load, but distorting loads could be interesting as well, using a phase-angle control dimmer (leading/trailing edge).

I don't think a load test is entirely necessary - it's probably got a relay inside rated at the right rating for the job. But if one wishes to cycle it to check for welding of contacts due to inrush, the results are likely very dependent on the load.

Instead, I'd rather check it for operating power consumption - this is something that's going to be switched on 24/7 and contributing to the power bill, so understanding its consumption would help you avoid silly ideas (i.e. plugging a mobile charger into one, as its standby consumption would be less).

The outlet IEC C13 (plug) is no big issue - if you're like me, you'd probably lop it off and wire in a mains socket for a bit more versatility. For those who don't want the trouble, commercially available C14 (socket) adapter cables are available especially as some UPSes use the same scheme - e.g.

• for the UK: https://au.element14.com/pro-elec/pel01253/power-cord-iec-60320-c14-mains/dp/3052547
• for the US: https://au.element14.com/tripp-lite/p002-001-10a/power-cord-iec-c14-nema-5-15r/dp/2578461
• for the EU (via third party): https://www.amazon.com/Eonvic-IEC-C14-Europe-adapter/dp/B015T1LM92
• for AU (via third party): https://www.lindy.com.au/150mm-power-cable-10a-iec-c14-plug-to-3-pin-socket

- Gough

240v, 50Hz.   That rules me out.  To demonstrate the operation, I'd put it on the Keurig.  That little beast cycles on and off during normal business hours - just in case we need caffine.  "Just in case..."  Who am I kidding?  WHEN we need caffine.

I would test individually. I would like to know the consumption of each device in its typical use case.

Hi Mike,

I'm not sure, but I think it's likely a webpage mistake, because the "250V 10A" text may just mean the relay and the IEC cable rating, because there's nowhere in Europe that has such a voltage system either (nominal is 230V, not 250V). The 50 Hz doesn't make any sense alongside that. Or they might have meant 10A/230V 50Hz. Either way there's a mistake, but I don't know which they meant.

This is pretty interesting! I think testing should be easy enough directly itself. We can plug into the wall and then plug appliances on to this. We can also test if multiple appliances are connected using a powers strip or multi plug to see how it reacts to that. I also have a Wipro Smart Plug which measures energy consumption so we could also test it against other products for accuracy and features. Definitely one of the coolest roadtests to have!