RedsonRedson.
← Back to ideas

Redson Dev · Idea

IoTIntermediateAges 18+An afternoon

Smart Appliance Power Monitor & Anomaly Detector

Published July 29, 2026

This project enables developers to build a low-cost system for monitoring power consumption of individual appliances and detecting unusual patterns. A small workshop in Austin, TX, could use this to track electricity usage of its specialized machinery, alerting the owner to abnormal spikes that might indicate a fault or left-on equipment, saving on energy bills and preventing costly repairs.

What you'll need

  • 1x ESP32 NodeMCU development board
  • 1x PZEM-004T v3.0 AC Digital Multifunction Meter Module
  • 1x AC-AC Step-down power supply (e.g., 9V, 500mA)
  • 1x 5V DC power supply for ESP32
  • Breadboard and jumper wires
  • Enclosure (optional)

Step-by-step

  1. 01

    Hardware Setup and Wiring

    Connect the PZEM-004T module to the ESP32. The PZEM-004T's TX pin connects to ESP32's RX2 (GPIO16), and its RX pin connects to ESP32's TX2 (GPIO17). Power the PZEM-004T with its 9V AC supply. Power the ESP32 using its 5V DC supply.

  2. 02

    ESP32 Firmware Development

    Using the Arduino IDE, install the ESP32 board definitions and the 'PZEM004Tv30' library. Write a sketch to initialize `Serial2` for communication with the PZEM-004T. Periodically read voltage, current, power, and energy data from the module.

  3. 03

    Data Transmission to Local Server

    Configure the ESP32 to connect to your local Wi-Fi network. Implement HTTP POST requests to send the collected power data (JSON format) to a local server running on a Raspberry Pi or an old laptop within your workshop. Include a timestamp with each data point.

  4. 04

    Anomaly Detection Logic

    On your local server (e.g., using Python with Flask), receive the data. Implement a basic anomaly detection algorithm. For instance, store the last 'N' readings and flag an alert if the current power consumption deviates by more than 'X' standard deviations from the recent average, or exceeds a predefined threshold for an extended period.

  5. 05

    Notification System

    Extend the local server application to send notifications when an anomaly is detected. This could be an email alert using a simple SMTP client, or an SMS via a local SMS gateway if available. Display the readings on a simple web dashboard hosted on the same server.

Tips

  • Calibrate the PZEM-004T with a known load for accurate readings.
  • Consider using a data visualization library like Plotly.js for a simple real-time dashboard on the server.
  • For robust anomaly detection, explore more advanced algorithms like Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA).
#power-monitoring#esp32#iot#anomaly-detection#energy-efficiency
← More ideas