SENSOR
Voltaware single and three-phase sensors are a revolutionary approach to smart metering technology for residential units. The sensors are DIN-rail mountable, which make the installation straightforward and permanent. They are capable of connecting to Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n) wireless access points. After the quick and easy installation, they automatically start transmitting electrical measurements over a secured communication network, with minimum maintenance requirements. The communication to the Voltaware cloud is secured by the client-validated transport layer security (TLS) v1.2 protocol, which is the industry-standard security protocol.
Our sensor is non-intrusive and very simple to install. Since it is self-powered with magnets, no power cable or batteries are needed. In addition, our system is event-based rather than time-based, which means that, depending on your settings, you'll receive an alert every time something happens. Our event-based sensor provides a very accurate reading with a standard deviation of no more than 1-2% from the actual values. Most importantly, we provide the most economically viable solution of its kind on the market.
As soon as the sensor is installed in the fuse box, it samples voltage and current more than 10,000 times a second, providing a very high level of granularity. The data is then sent to the Voltaware cloud and available for integration through API into the customer-facing products (mobile application, web application, etc).
Voltaware is currently available on Amazon in the UK. We're actively working on making our product available on additional platforms and in other countries - stay tuned for updates!
The Voltaware single and three-phase sensors are easy to install with minimum disruption to your supply. The current transformer (CT) is placed around the phase cable and the voltage probes are magnetically attached to the corresponding circuit breaker connectors; it can also be hard-wired into the breaker terminals. The sensor is small enough to fit unobtrusively inside most fuse boxes, and it is non-intrusive so a professional electrician can install it without having to inform your energy provider.
If you need any help with the sensor installation, please refer to the support materials section here.
The single phase sensor has a single clamp measuring 30A and the 3-Phase sensor has three clamps measuring 100A. The single phase sensor measures single phase voltage and current, but the three phase sensor measures three phase voltage and current in Y connection mode with neutral.
The sensor installed in your fuse box depends on the country where you are located and on your electric installation. If you are unsure about it, please contact a professional electrician who will help you figure out which sensor you need. Single phase cabling is most often used in residential places.
In case you have any doubts or questions, please contact the utility directly from which you have received the sensor. If you have obtained it from Voltaware, please send an email to support@voltaware.com with your sensor ID and using your registered email address.
The sensor power consumption is less than only 1 Watt, which is the equivalent of approximately 0.72 kWh per month.
The sensors have the European Union (EU) safety certificates to operate across Europe. For other certificates, you can refer to the specific product page.
You can access the technical specifications of Voltaware products here
1-Phase:
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Case dimensions: 83 × 56 × 7 mm
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Mounting: Top-hat rail EN 50022 – 35 × 15
3-Phase:
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Case dimensions: 87 × 56 × 16 mm
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Mounting: Top-hat rail EN 50022 – 35 × 15
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The sensor is able to save the last 16 events when there is no internet connection. The energy consumption and production values however will be kept forever, until manually reset. However, disaggregation for that period will be lost.
The single Phase sensor can monitor 1 circuit using one clamp while the three-phase sensor can monitor 1, 2 or 3 circuits.
No, the sensor doesn't have an option for an ethernet port. It must have a constant and stable Wi-Fi connection.
The single phase needs to be clamped to the main current cable; while the Three-Phase needs to have at least one clamp on the main. The remaining two clamps can be connected to other appliance circuits.
The sensor works in an event-based manner, i.e. it will send an event every time there is a change in the RMS value of the current greater than 200mA. The sensor also sends time-based information every minute.
Our sensors can send electricity data directly to your servers. For more information, please contact enquiries@voltaware.com .
Yes, Voltaware sensors will not interfere with any third-party smart meter. Furthermore, depending on the meter data measurement resolution, we can enable data services on the already installed smart meters. If the resolution is high enough, utilities can integrate smart meter data into our data analytics platform to enable disaggregation and a combination of energy efficiency and smart home features. You can find out more here .
Yes, the Voltaware sensor can work in any country. The sensor you need depends on your fuse box. Our Single-Phase sensor has a single clamp which is suitable for Single-Phase installations and our Three Phase sensor has three clamps which are suitable for Three-Phase installations. For further information please consult the product page.
Typically around 12MB per month for the Single-Phase and three times more for the Three Phase sensors.
The sensor can be used in retail and real estate to monitor large buildings, petrol stations, SMEs, shops, restaurants, etc. If you would like to know more about this, please check our website for businesses here .
Your data history is continuously stored in our cloud. However, if you would like to have it deleted, please contact the utility directly from which you have received the sensor. If you have obtained it from Voltaware, please send an email to support@voltaware.com using your registered email address and we will delete all your personal data.
Our sensors are not designed to measure both household energy consumption and energy production simultaneously from a single installation point. However, a dedicated sensor can be installed specifically on the AC output of the solar inverter to measure solar production. Our sensors only measure AC current, so they cannot measure the DC power generated by the solar panels before it reaches the inverter.
Depending on the installation, the Voltaware sensor can measure Voltage, Current, Power, Power Factor, Voltage Harmonics, and Current Harmonics. These are the electrical quantities transmitted by the meter. However, our consumer app does not currently support solar energy production analytics. If your business requires solar-production data integrated alongside consumption, this can be implemented in your solar application using our platform. Please contact us directly for more information.
Yes, but only if a Voltaware high-resolution sensor is installed and the installation complies with Voltaware’s requirements. If Voltaware relies on smart-meter data alone (with or without a CAD installed), it will not work correctly in homes with solar panels.
For accurate insights, the sensor must measure the total electrical load of your home so that any feed-in from solar or a battery happens before the point where the Voltaware sensor is installed. In homes with solar (and possibly a battery), grid import is often lower than your actual consumption, so measuring import alone is not sufficient.
To achieve this, we recommend a split meter tail configuration. A Henley block is used to split the incoming supply into separate tails: one set of tails passes through the Voltaware sensor to supply the main consumer unit (your household loads), and another set of tails feeds a dedicated solar/battery sub-board. In this arrangement, solar and battery generation are mixed with the grid supply at the Henley block before power flows through the Voltaware sensor to your home, so Voltaware sees your full household consumption, while exported solar energy can flow back to the grid without passing through the sensor.
Correct Solar Connection
A correct solar connection ensures that the solar PV (and battery, if present) feeds into the home’s supply upstream of the Voltaware sensor. In this layout, any electricity your home uses, regardless of whether it comes from the grid or your solar panels, passes through the sensor. This placement is essential for Voltaware to calculate true household consumption.
Incorrect Solar Connection
Connecting the solar PV system’s output directly to the consumer unit downstream of the Voltaware sensor, either by wiring it into the busbars or through a dedicated MCB, is incompatible with the high-resolution Voltaware sensor. In this configuration, the sensor will only see the reduced grid import and will not account for the solar generation used inside the home, resulting in misleading readings.
Important Note
This information is for general guidance only. Electrical system setups and regulations can vary, and the diagram provided is a simplified representation. A qualified electrician should always be consulted to ensure compatibility with Voltaware devices and compliance with all local regulations. We accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of this information.
Why is this the case?
If solar generation is introduced after the Voltaware sensor, Voltaware cannot distinguish between the electricity supplied by the grid and the electricity supplied by your solar panels or battery. Instead, it will appear as though your home is simply using less energy, because the solar generation offsets the grid import. This leads to incorrect readings of your actual consumption. By ensuring that solar and battery output are mixed with the grid supply before the Voltaware sensor, Voltaware can measure your true household usage accurately, while exported solar energy is excluded.