AT&T Inc. is further tapping the wireless M2M market with smart grid sensor devices that are certified on AT&T’s wireless data network. The carrier will team with Cooper Power Systems to jointly market and sell the offering to utility companies.
Cooper Power’s OutageAdvisor locates and isolates problems on electricity delivery lines such as faults, and communicates a permanent fault event within the system. The company’s VARAdvisor is a low cost sensor alternative to manual inspection of equipment that controls the voltage supplied to consumers, which helps to reduce costly and time-consuming on-site inspections. It also monitors and reports capacitor bank fuse failures.
Together, OutageAdvisor and VARAdvisor will give utilities real-time system performance data to efficiently operate their electric grids, reduce the need for on-site inspections, and identify and solve problems that could cause outages or increase system energy losses, the companies said.
Information from both will be transmitted in real time over the AT&T wireless network.
“AT&T’s suite of M2M pricing plans designed specifically for the advanced meter infrastructure market, nationwide coverage and dedicated M2M platform makes these wireless grid monitoring solutions an economical, secure and rapidly deployable choice for utilities,” said Chris Hill, vice president, mobility product management, AT&T Business Solutions.
