Power Theft Detection and Protection System using Arduino and Embedde Technology

Abstract—Power theft significantly impacts the stability, efficiency, and financial performance of electricity distribution systems. Manual detection methods are inefficient and often delayed. This paper proposes a real-time, automated Power Theft Detection and Protection System using Arduino and embedded systems. It detects unauthorized electricity usage and electrical faults such as short circuits, triggers alerts, and maintains incident logs for analysis. The system integrates alarm sirens, display notifications, and remote alert mechanisms. Further enhancements such as silent alerts, adaptive sensitivity, graphical data visualization, and automated power regulation are proposed to improve reliability and usability. Keywords—Power theft, Arduino, embedded system, real-time monitoring, alarm siren, short circuit detection, automated alerts, smart grid.