Method and apparatus for detecting fraudulent power line communications signal

An electrical metering device having a predetermined address, the electrical metering device comprising:

• metering means for measuring the power consumption of an electrical load from a power line associated with said electrical metering device;
• means for transmitting signals via the associated power line wherein the signals comprise a message portion and a source address portion and wherein the source address portion is the predetermined address of said electrical metering device;
• means for monitoring the source address portion of signals transmitted via the associated power line, wherein at least a portion of the transmitted signals include the signals transmitted by the electrical metering device;
• and
• means for detecting fraudulently transmitted power line signals which did not originate with the electrical metering device, wherein the fraudulently transmitted power line signals have a source address portion which matches the predetermined address of said electrical metering device but were not transmitted by said electrical metering device.

A power line communications system comprising:

• a system control center for transmitting and receiving signals;
• a plurality of nodes, a respective one of which is associated with a respective one of a plurality of distribution transformers, wherein each node transmits signals between said system control center and a plurality of power lines interconnecting the respective one of the plurality of distribution transformers and a plurality of electrical loads;
• and
• a plurality of electrical metering devices, a respective one of which is coupled to a respective one of the plurality of electrical loads via a respective one of the plurality of power lines, wherein each electrical metering device has a predetermined address and comprises:
• metering means for measuring the power consumption of the electrical load associated with said electrical metering device;
• means for transmitting signals to said node via the power lines wherein the signals comprise a message portion and a source address portion and wherein the source address portion is the predetermined address of said electrical metering device;
• means for monitoring the source address portion of signals transmitted via the electrical power lines, wherein at least a portion of the transmitted signals include the signals transmitted by the electrical metering device;
• and
• means for detecting fraudulently transmitted power line signals which did not originate with the electrical metering device, wherein the fraudulently transmitted power line signals have a source address portion which matches the predetermined address of said electrical metering device but were not transmitted by said electrical metering device.