DEVELOPMENT OF AN IOT-BASED ENERGY THEFT DETECTION SYSTEM FOR A SINGLE-PHASE SMART METER

Authors

Ojo Julius Oladele, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
Funso Kehinde Ariyo, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
Samson Oladayo Ayanlade, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, College of Engineering and Environmental Studies, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, NigeriaFollow
Ayooluwa Peter Adeagbo, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Adeleke University Ede, Osun State, Nigeria
Ismail Adeniyi Adeleke, Center for Cyber-Physical Food, Energy and Water Systems, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Electricity theft causes annual global losses exceeding $96 billion, severely impacting distribution networks. This paper presents a novel IoT-based system integrating current differential sensing, physical tamper detection, and edge-cloud analytics to detect energy theft in single-phase smart meters. The design employs three ACS712 current sensors to monitor Kirchhoff-compliant current flow at the grid pole, meter input, and load output, coupled with a PIR sensor for cabinet intrusion. A SIM800L GSM module enables real-time theft alerts and remote disconnection, while closed-loop control autonomously restores power after tamper resolution — a feature absent in prior GSM-only systems. An Android application provides geotagged notifications and remote reactivation. Detection thresholds are formalized using a sensor-fusion algorithm, and the system is validated through Proteus 8.6 simulations across 11 theft scenarios, achieving up to 98.7% accuracy in controlled simulations and 6.7–8.9 s response latency. These results demonstrate promise but also reflect the limitations of simulation-based evaluation. Comparative analysis highlights improvements over GSM-only and ML-based methods in robustness, response time, and coverage. To strengthen validity, field validation with ESP32 prototypes is underway to benchmark against commercial smart meters and confirm real-world performance

Recommended Citation

Oladele, Ojo Julius; Ariyo, Funso Kehinde; Ayanlade, Samson Oladayo; Adeagbo, Ayooluwa Peter; and Adeleke, Ismail Adeniyi (2026) "DEVELOPMENT OF AN IOT-BASED ENERGY THEFT DETECTION SYSTEM FOR A SINGLE-PHASE SMART METER," Al-Bahir: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.55810/2313-0083.1120

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