NIT Andhra Pradesh has come up with a new way to monitor and control electrical loads through Smart Powerline communications. The device, an 'Edge Computing Stack', is based on IoT and is designed to gauge the consumption of electrical devices. What makes it unique is the hybridised approach of power line communication and Wi-Fi inbuilt. It has been developed by Dr Sri Phani Krishna Karri, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, along with research scholar LN Sastry Varanasi.

Dr Krishna spoke about the key aspects of the device. "The system addresses energy mismanagement at the consumer end, which is a problem for both the utility company and customer. This product is intended to optimally manage electrical energy and monitor appliance level health by utilising the existing electrical infrastructure. This will also reduce the recurring maintenance cost and the power bill," he said. Speaking on commercialising the device's patent, Sastry says, "We are planning to commercialise the product by establishing a start-up and grow as an individual entity. However, for wider outreach, we are looking at licensing the technology to develop various products."

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The distinctive feature of the computing stack is the optimal usage of both Wi-Fi and power line communications whereas other items are mainly based on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a combination of both. Prof CSP Rao, Director, NIT Andhra Pradesh, said that IoT-based monitoring system for individual appliances will help the consumer for balanced utilisation of energy and also save the power bill.