Automatic Registration of Meters to a Centralized Data System

A system for automatic configuration of a monitoring device for measuring a characteristic of energy supplied by an energy distribution system, the system comprising:

• a network having associated network parameters;
• a data collection system in communication with the network;
• a monitoring device in communication with the network, the monitoring device measuring the characteristic of energy supplied by the energy distribution system and storing data representative of the measured characteristic;
• and
• wherein the monitoring device is automatically configured for communicating the data to the data collection system by establishing a first network communications link between the monitoring device and a host server on the network to identify network parameters including an address of the data collection system;
• establishing a second network communications link between the monitoring device and the data collection system based on the address of the data collection system;
• communicating nameplate information associated with the monitoring device and configuration information associated with the monitoring device from the monitoring device over the network to the data collection system;
• and registering the monitoring device in the data collection system by accepting the nameplate information and the configuration information.

A monitoring device that is automatically configurable when placed in communication with a network including a data collection system, the monitoring device comprising:

• a network interface for communication with the network;
• a data interface to obtain data from an energy distribution system;
• a data storage device;
• and
• a controller that establishes a network communications link between the monitoring device and the network, contacts a host server to obtain network information, obtains the address of the data collection system, establishes network communication between the monitoring device and the data collection system based on the address of the data collection system, sends nameplate and configuration information from the monitoring device over the network to the data collection system, and sends the data obtained from the energy distribution system over the network to the data collection system.