ARTICLE: Top 5 Myths About Portable Metering - Myth #3: I must wait for the report
Portable metering is often used by electricians, engineers and contractors to diagnose a problem or to provide insight into some phenomenon where permanently installed meters are not available. In this series, we dispel several common myths regarding selection and application of portable metering.
Myth #3:
I must wait for the report
Traditional portable meters record data on internal memory, either embedded or removable with an SD card. During the observation period, the meter records measurements in that memory. An expert then comes onsite to download the measurements into a software application and provides a report. There are 3 problems with this legacy architecture: a) you must wait until after the observation period to get results b) any configuration errors in the meter will not be detected until the expert is back onsite leading to more wasted time and c) you are limited by the meter’s memory capacity to collect data points, potentially requiring multiple observation periods.
Thanks to cloud-connectivity, you can now view data from a portable meter within minutes of configuring it. These “online” portable meters connect securely to a cloud-based platform where you can immediately view live data, trends and reports. You get a view of what is happening in your facility without waiting for an expert to download and process the data into a report.
Additional benefits of an online portable meter are:
The meter will continuously send data to the cloud as long as needed with no memory limitations. This means you can send much more data – higher sampling rates and also more data points, including power quality, status and compliance data
Data from multiple portable meters can be combined and displayed, trended, and analyzed in the same environment in real-time.
You can immediately detect any misconfigurations or installation issues with the meters – no more waiting until the data is downloaded to realize you must start all over again. Common installation mistakes can be identified and corrected before the technician leaves the facility.
If an portable meter is detached or tampered with during the observation period, it can be identified right away. With a typical portable meter, there would be no way to verify proper operation during the observation period.
