BT-SA has introduced a range of smart power monitoring solutions that could save households and companies huge amounts of money due to power outages. This also forms part of its strategy to create an overall Internet of Things (IoT) business environment.

Power trips, load shedding, storms, inadequate general maintenance and bad maintenance of poles are some of the reasons why power could go out and there are many reasons why monitoring power is a good idea.

BT-SA managing director Bertie Strydom points to some typical examples. "If you’re away on holiday, you don’t want to worry about returning to a fridge or freezer with off food or if you're a business owner with a data centre or a shop owner with large freezers or even a restaurant owner."

"Farmers that pump water using electricity need to know that the process is running smoothly and hatcheries, the pharmaceutical, catering and beverage industries would greatly benefit from knowing about a power outage before it happens. These solutions have many applications in businesses and consumer households,” says Strydom.

Smart Zero U Power Distribution Units (PDUs)

The cloud or network managed Smart Zero U Power Distribution Units (PDUs) provide active Class 1 metering, so that clients are able to take advantage of energy metering and energy optimisation of cabinets in their data centres. The units also offer the option to add temperature, humidity and fluid monitoring sensors.

He says companies still face challenges with the management of effective power distribution, power protection and power management in their data centre cabinets. "Making use of one of these Smart PDUs will help companies better manage existing power capacity to improve data cabinet efficiency, uptime and expansion.”

Smart metering helps users determine power usage and what capacity is available right at the rack level, which in turn, makes it easier to safely add devices into the environment and by adding optional environmental IoT sensors, users will gain the added benefit of environmental monitoring to ensure their equipment is safe at all times.

The Smart PDUs provide users with remote power monitoring and rack sensor information regarding the conditions inside the data centre via a Web interface or SNMP managed by a centralised or cloud-based management systems. This means businesses will be able to mitigate risks with user-definable alarms with real-time alerts, giving them control and keeping them in the know no matter where they are.

The units also provide remote monitoring of current, voltage, power, energy usage and environmental conditions, as a result users are warned of potential circuit overloads and nominal consumption increases. In addition they offer remote power switching for emergency shutdowns or to reboot hanging servers.

Furthermore, the units can be installed quickly and easily and are a highly cost effective alternative for companies looking to take advantage of reliable, high volume power distribution with extended outlet configurations and vertical Zero U mounting options for high density data centre cabinets.

Simple single Phase GSM Power Monitor PH1

The new Simple single Phase GSM Power Monitor PH1 presents a convenient remote power monitoring solution with myriad applications. The unit need simply be plugged into any power plug, a SIM card added, SMS the number that it needs to report to the unit and will then monitor the premises’ mains power and temperature.

Notifications about the status of power are sent straight to the user’s cellphone via SMS and the unit can send SMS-based status reports at the users’ request. In addition, the Simple GSM Power Monitor has front-mounted LED indicators to show network and functional statuses.

Features of the unit also include an integrated South African three pin plug, utility mains power detector (single phase), GSM unit with a Micro SIM socket that is externally accessible, an internal GSM Antenna, and an internal Lithium-ion polymer rechargeable backup battery and charger.

The unit can also be expanded to measure environmental temperature in a range from -45 to 145+ in one degree steps and also has and optional connective to stream warnings through GPRS connectivity. Furthermore, the unit’s GSM capability has been Icasa approved.

“This unit will help you to know your temperature and power and knowing your power goes beyond pure convenience. It helps you with preparation for or quick recovery from an outage, which in turn means that you could avoid disaster in your world, whether that disaster is that you can’t shower, or that you need to keep millions of Rands worth of food goods fresh. And available at an affordable price, this investment is worth it,” concludes Strydom.

For more information email sales@bt-sa.co.za or visit www.bt-sa.co.za or contact BT-SA on 0860 105 183.