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A while back, @ShiroKuro posted a Wirecutter article about Ting, a sensor that monitors the electricity in your home and alerts you if it thinks there's a problem. State Farm is giving them away to policyholders and paying the annual monitoring fee for three years. If anyone missed the initial discussion, here's an overview from State Farm:
https://newsroom.statefarm.com/state-farm-offers-customers-more-than-one-million-free-ting-sensors/
I saw that the Ting network came into play in Houston during Hurricane Beryl:
When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden - Minnie AumĂ´nier
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@Big_Al - I think you were in on the original discussion, which actually started with smoke detectors and then drifted to other home protection devices...in any event, I think at the time you wondered what the methodology was behind the Ting product.
I found this older (2018) technical paper about Ting and thought you, and maybe @Steve-Miller ,might be interested.
In the category of "little known and even less cared about information"....I noticed what appears to be a Lithuanian among the authors, Vyto Babrauskas. Vyto is probably an simplified version of Vytautas, which is a common Lithuanian name.
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Oh I was going to look into Ting and totally forgot, thanks for the reminder!
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We got the freebie from State Farm.
We get a weekly report. It tells you if you've have any brownouts or power outages, and it has graphs of power quality coming into your home. If it detects a hazard, I think they contact you immediately by phone or text or something, but so far the device hasn't found anything it deems a problem in our house.
We've had the sensor for a couple of months.
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Thanks for sharing that paper. It gave a great overview of how the Ting device was developed and its likelihood of detecting hazardous electrical arcs in homes.
As I imagined, it is much better than nothing and, at the same time, not foolproof. I think their present practice of sending an electrician to investigate alarms and determine whether they are real events or false alarms raises the potential for further improvements. As described, the Ting may not detect all arcing events so it is not perfect, but perfection in this area is probably impossible.
The arc fault circuit breakers now required by the National Electric Code for new installations will be effective in reducing arcing fires where they are installed, but their absence in older homes leaves a broad area where the Ting may provide valuable protection.
Big Al
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I put one in a couple months ago too. Better than nothing.
Big Al, we had an all new breaker box put in in 2018. Would that be an arc fault unit?
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@wtg Mik, an installation in 2018 would probably include arc fault circuit breakers for a number of circuits, but it's dependent to some degree on what edition of the National Electric Code was enforced in your jurisdiction at the time.
If you look at the circuit breakers, they should be identified on the label as to type. If you have questions about a particular breaker and can see the manufacturer and part number on the label, I could lookup information for you.
Big Al
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Some other things Ting does.
https://www.tingfire.com/electricity-101/beyond-fire-prevention-5-unexpected-things-ting-can-do/
I didn't know about this one:
#5: Ting Can Help Prevent Pipes from Freezing
Cracked or burst pipes during freezing winter temperatures can cause serious water damage to your home. Your Ting sensor contains a temperature sensor and can send low-temperature warnings if the ambient temperature inside your home where the sensor is installed is at risk. These notifications can be controlled in your Ting Sensor app settings.
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From the Ting folks regarding Ting performance
This paper summarizes data from a smart home electrical monitoring service designed to prevent electrical fires. It analyzes the systemâs electrical fire prevention efficiency and associated mitigation data, which encompasses electrical hazards in home wiring, devices, and appliances, as well as those introduced into the home from local electrical utility infrastructure issues. Root causes of these hazards and correlation with home age are analyzed.
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Ting at work a few weeks ago in Cleveland.
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We have it. So far so good.
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Whisker Labs has enhanced its industry-leading grid monitoring technology by introducing Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) measurements, providing unprecedented insights into the health of the U.S. electric grid. THD monitoring enables identification of homes and regions experiencing elevated levels of âdistortedâ power. These disturbances reduce energy efficiency, damage home appliances, and harm critical grid infrastructure, ultimately leading to higher costs for homeowners. This advancement not only provides benefits at the household level, but also offers valuable insights to utilities, government agencies, and researchers addressing challenges faced by modern power grids.
This exclusive, impactful data set is powered by Ting, a DIY plug-in sensor that detects and mitigates electrical hazards that lead to fires. While a single Ting sensor monitors a home, the network of Ting sensors monitors power quality and the resiliency of the electrical grid across the nation. By integrating THD monitoring into Ting, Whisker Labs is bringing this advanced power quality assessment directly into homes and communities for the first time, helping to better understand and address grid issues on both a local and national scale.
https://www.tingfire.com/news/enhanced-grid-monitoring-with-total-harmonic-distortion-measurements/
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Interesting.
