CONSTRUCTION OF A POWER THEFT DETECTION SYSTEM WITH RF-BASED SIGNALING SYSTEM

ABSTRACT Power theft remains a persistent challenge, particularly in developing regions,leading to significant financial losses for utility providers and disruptions in power distribution. This project presents the design and construction of a low-cost, real-time power theft detection system utilizing Radio Frequency (RF)-based signaling technology. The system is built around an Arduino microcontroller that monitors current flow through a sensing unit. It detects abnormal consumption patterns indicative of illegal tapping or bypassing in single-phase connections. When theft is detected, a wireless alert is transmitted using an RF module (433 MHz) to a remote monitoring station equipped with an RF receiver. The receiver then triggers a buzzer and LED to notify authorities of the theft event. The system issimple, cost-effective, and suitable for rural or underdeveloped areas where advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) or GSM-based solutions may be impractical. The design emphasizes low power consumption,ease of deployment, and scalability for small community or residential networks. The prototype was successfully tested within a 100-meter range under various simulated scenarios, demonstrating its effectiveness in real-time theft detection and wireless alert transmission.