Patent ID: 8335936

Claim:
A power node comprising: a power plug; one or more power sockets including a particular power socket; a power switch interposed between the power plug and the particular power socket to control a flow of power from the power plug to the particular power socket; a voltage sensor operable to measure voltage at the particular power socket; a current sensor operable to measure current flowing through the particular power socket; a first network interface utilizing a powerline communication physical layer to communicate through the power plug; bridge circuitry to bridge the first network interface to a second network interface utilizing a second physical layer; and a processor that is configured to: receive information, through the second network interface, about one or more devices plugged into the one or more power sockets; measure at least one electrical parameter of the particular power socket; compare the at least one electrical parameter to expected values for the one or more devices based on the information received about the one or more devices; identify a particular device of the one or more devices that receives power from the particular power socket based, at least in part, on the comparison; send at least some of the information about the particular device and an identifier of the particular power socket across the first network interface; send a message across at least the first network interface containing information based on the at least one electrical parameter; receive a command over the first network interface; and control the power switch based on the received command.