Tollgrade’s New LightHouse® Cellular Sensors Address Important Smart Grid Issues Including Asset Management, Big Data the Right Way, Medium-Voltage Visibility

Company debuts new sensor at DistribuTECH; Tollgrade Makes List of Top 25 ‘Smart Grid Companies to Watch’

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(DistribuTECH) – Tollgrade Communications Inc., a global leader in providing network assurance solutions to the world’s largest utilities and telecommunications providers, reports that its newly launched cellular sensors address many of the smart grid issues being discussed at the DistribuTECH trade show, held in San Diego through January 31. Tollgrade’s new sensors, a cellular version of its industry-leading LightHouse Medium Voltage (MV) distribution line sensors, help utility companies improve asset management and increase reliability by analyzing and digesting grid health data into meaningful and actionable intelligence. Tollgrade is demonstrating the new cellular sensors at its booth #3025 at DistribuTECH.

“Utilities are trying to move from calendar-based to condition-based grid asset management, to optimize the efficiency and reliability of their distribution network, and to do Big Data ‘the right way’ – increasing visibility and actionable analytics”

Tollgrade also announced that it has been named a top 25 semi-finalist in the 2013 ‘Smart Grid Companies to Watch’ competition from Smart Grid News – the only pure-play sensor company to make the cut. Votes from readers will determine the 13 finalists for this year’s awards.

“Utilities are trying to move from calendar-based to condition-based grid asset management, to optimize the efficiency and reliability of their distribution network, and to do Big Data ‘the right way’ – increasing visibility and actionable analytics,” said Erik Christian, VP of Smart Grid for Tollgrade Communications. “Our new cellular sensors are ideally suited to help. We’ve more than doubled our deployments in the last 12 months. This, combined with the fact that Tollgrade is the only dedicated sensor company in the Smart Grid News semi-finals for ‘Smart Grid Companies to Watch,’ speaks to our traction in the marketplace.”

LightHouse sensors, including the new cellular sensors, sit in the medium voltage distribution grid and provide critical metrics including load current, fault current, electric field strength, power factor, phase angle, sags, surges, wire temperature and harmonics. While the high voltage grid has a number of sensors to manage grid assets, and the low voltage grid has smart meters, the medium voltage grid has lacked the visibility required for managing assets and providing predictive analytics. Tollgrade’s LightHouse sensors fill this gap.

The LightHouse sensors enhance the reliability of the grid and are inductively powered. Unlike battery-powered sensors that require frequent replacement and can fail without warning, LightHouse is maintenance-free and dependable. At the same time, the Tollgrade distribution line sensors are still able to operate down to 3 Amps, making them available to monitor sparsely populated areas of the grid.

The Tollgrade LightHouse Sensor Management System (SMS) software consolidates circuit measurements, provides map-view displays of sensors and events, and integrates to Data Historian, SCADA, OMS and DMS systems. Within the software, customizable rules can be defined to alert utilities to inefficient operating conditions, subtle system failures, or indications of anomalous behavior that are early indicators of future outages.

Demonstrations at DistribuTECH 2013

Tollgrade is demonstrating the LightHouse solution at its booth #3025 at DistribuTECH. The company will build customized business cases for utilities looking to purchase, demo or pilot the solution. Additionally, LightHouse sensors are also available in the following partners’ booths during the show: Echelon, Qualcomm and Sprint.

Pricing and Availability

LightHouse cellular MV Sensors are currently available and shipping. For more information, please contact [e-mail]

About Tollgrade

With a global footprint and over 25 years of experience providing cutting-edge network assurance solutions, Tollgrade Communications Inc. has built a reputation for improving the reliability and operational efficiency at the world’s largest utilities and telecommunications providers allowing operators to reduce customer down time and recover lost revenue. In 2011, Tollgrade was acquired by Golden Gate Capital – a San Francisco‐based private equity firm with more than $12 billion of capital under their management. Tollgrade was recently named semi-finalist in Smart Grid News Top 13 Smart Grid Companies of 2013. Vote for Tollgrade at www.smartgridnews.com or learn more about us at www.tollgrade.com