Patent ID: 7930141

Claim:
A faulted circuit indicator, comprising: a sensor configured to collect data relating to at least one state of an electrical conductor; a controller logically coupled to the sensor and configured to receive the data collected by the sensor and to determine, based on the data, whether to communicate the collected data to a location remote from the faulted circuit indicator; and a communications facility within the faulted circuit indicator, logically coupled to the controller, and configured to communicate the data to the remote location in response to the controller's determination to communicate the data to the remote location by way of cellular communications; wherein the communications facility comprises a second communications device for communicating with at least one additional faulted circuit indicator; wherein the faulted circuit indicator receives information regarding the at least one additional faulted circuit indicator via the second communications device; and wherein the communications facility communicates the information regarding the at least one additional faulted circuit indicator to the remote location via at least one of a cellular communications device, radio frequency communications device, and a wired communications device.