Largest Wireless DC Power Monitoring Deployment in the World

In late 2019, as the global Covid pandemic was about to explode, a Fortune 100 telecommunications company engaged Packet Power to solve a critical problem: provide real-time visibility into their Direct Current (DC) power distribution architecture to more effectively and confidently manage their data centers. 

The company had been relying on data from multiple sources that were not providing a complete, consistent, up-to-date picture of their power capacity and usage. They needed a single, enterprise-wide view that management could rely on to lead more effectively and make better decisions.

Having substantially grown through acquisitions, the company’s data center infrastructure was diverse and geographically dispersed in often remote locations. This made it prohibitively expensive to send technicians onsite to troubleshoot issues and gather data, and even more difficult to find a solution that would work across the enterprise. 

Guide to Data Center Monitoring

Direct Current Monitoring Solution

In order to obtain the required level of visibility, the telco company determined it needed to monitor DC power at the cabinet level. This would provide the granular readings necessary to give insight into the alignment of the overall power hierarchy and be applicable across the company’s heterogeneous infrastructure.

Given the vast number of cabinets and limited physical space available across more than 55 sites, a wireless monitoring solution was deemed to be the only viable option due to the cost and complexity of additional cabling and networking infrastructure required for a wired alternative.

As one of few companies offering a comprehensive wireless power and environmental solution that included DC monitoring solution, Packet Power stood out with its demonstrated experience of successfully retrofitting across a variety of power distribution architectures spanning multiple sites.

BDFB Monitoring Solution

As Packet Power’s implementation of cabinet-level monitoring was being deployed across all sites, the telco company identified an additional need for monitoring at the Battery Distribution Fuse Bay (BDFB) level.

The BDFBs across multiple facilities had been sourced from different manufacturers which meant that they reported power consumption differently at different points within the power hierarchy. The complexity of the power distribution network made matching of cabinet power consumption with the power supplied by the BDFBs very challenging. In order to solve this problem, in late 2021, Packet Power began rolling out secure wireless power monitoring for all of the BDFBs.

Working in close coordination with the company’s data center management, project teams, and the installation partner, Packet Power planned and coordinated the delivery and deployment logistics to ensure that all sites were properly prepared for a simple installation. Monitoring equipment was delivered on time and in full despite the challenges of the pandemic.

As installation of monitoring hardware progressed, the telco company also chose to utilize Packet Power’s EMX energy portal software, which enabled them to manage the cross-site monitoring infrastructure, feed the data into other analytical applications and fulfill the original goal of providing a complete picture of their power hierarchy. 

The project successfully completed implementation in 2022 with deployment of over 24,000 meters across over 55 customer sites, making it the largest deployment of wireless direct current monitoring in the world.

Packet Power is a market leader in implementing highly secure, complex wireless power and environmental monitoring solutions for Fortune 100 companies in telecommunications, financial services, utility, and real estate.