Questions & Answers

PRY-CAM HOME is a monitoring solution for Low Voltage electrical installations in the home. It is designed to support electricians in carrying out the main instrumental tests required by law for the certification and electrical installation and to issue in real time a technical annex summarising the results of all instrumental tests carried out. Data is always available in real time via dedicated APP to let homeowners keep the health conditions of their electrical installations under control.

PRY-CAM HOME consists of two units, MASTER and PLUG. The MASTER unit is placed in the household control panel and has the purpose of gathering the data of the electrical installation. The PLUG unit is specifically for electricians to carry out the instrumental tests required by law, in combination with the MASTER unit. The PLUG unit remains an electrician?s permanent tool to use at any new installation or as part of the electrical maintenance programme.

More than 80% of domestic fires are caused by electrical faults. This is because the electrical installation is an invisible of a home and is rarely considered a subject to wear and aging. Following the certification required by law, its maintenance may be limited, none at all or carried out only following a fault when it is too late. PRY-CAM HOME makes the check of electrical installations easier and more effective for electricians and prove an installation's safety and longevity. PRY-CAM HOME also provides the homeowner with a solution that highlights invisible but potentially harmful condition of their electrical installation. This will clarify the hidden signs or failures and indicate the right time to call in an electrician.

The MASTER unit remains permanently installed in the main consumer unit to allow homeowners to monitor their electrical installations? key parameters, i.e.: currents, voltage, residual current, temperature and earth-loop impedance. The PLUG unit is specifically for electricians to carry out, in combination with the installed MASTER unit, the instrumental tests required by law, i.e.: voltage drop test, earth loop impedance test, Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) test, Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB) test.

Currently, PRY-CAM HOME's MASTER unit can be installed only in a monophase circuit. In three-phase circuits one MASTER unit can be installed for each phase of the circuit. A three-phase device will be released by PRYSMIAN soon.

In terms of software the PRY-CAM HOME algorithms are kept continuously up to date. This ensures that also new functionalities, if any, are always available to all devices already installed. In terms of hardware a 3-phase device will soon be available.

Thanks to PRY-CAM HOME electricians, installers and maintenance teams can carry out the main certification tests required by law for electrical installations in the home easily and rapidly, using a single device. Upon conclusion of the tests, the electrician can also issue a technical annex summarising all the instrumental tests carried out. The PLUG unit remains an electrician's permanent tool to use at any new installation or as part of the electrical maintenance programme. PRY-CAM HOME allows electricians to plan tailor-made maintenance programmes and make their clients' home installations more efficient. Thanks to PRY-CAM HOME, the electrician becomes a true reference point for active safety, full functionality and the best energy efficiency of electrical installations in the home.

Electrical instruments are on average expensive because they must ensure very high safety and reliability standards. At present, there is no single device on the market that allows to carry out all the main instrumental tests required by the law for the certification of electrical installations, except PRY-CAM HOME. The market offers several solutions that are designed to be used in a wide range of installations, therefore they include also functions that are not applicable for electrical installations in the home. PRY-CAM HOME is designed for specific use in home electrical installations and does not include additional functions. This grants a lower market price.

Based on our research and experience, 1 to 2 days is the average time required to perform all tests on a medium/large size apartment. With PRY-CAM HOME time required is reduced to 2/3 hours.

Voltage drop measurement, earth loop impedance measurement, Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) test and Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB) test.

IEC 1010/6.

The voltage drop measurement is an electrical diagnosis method that can help identifying rapidly high-resistance problems in a circuit. PRY-CAM HOME can be used to measure the voltage drop on each socket or light-point in an electrical installation. Voltage drop is the decrease in voltage caused by the flow of current through a resistance. A high value may cause the appliance connected to the socket to operate unsafely or non-efficiently.

The earth loop impedance measurement is an electrical diagnosis method that can quickly detect if the ground wire connection has been made correctly or with a high resistance. PRY-CAM HOME can be used to measure the earth loop impedance on each socket or light-point in an electrical installation. High resistance in this loop could cause a failure in the electrical installations' safety systems.

PRY-CAM HOME can measure both earth loop impedance and circuit impedance.

It is calculated by generating a defined current value in the circuit and by measuring the voltage before and during the test. The PRY-CAM HOME total circuit impedance calculation is proprietary and patented.

The Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) test is a method that allows to check if the electric system switches off correctly in case of overcurrent or short circuit. PRY-CAM HOME carries out the MCB test by simulating a controlled short circuit.

The Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB) test is a method to check if the electrical system switches off correctly in case of electrical leakage in the circuit. PRY-CAM HOME carries out the RCCB test by simulating a controlled leakage and measuring the tripping current and the tripping time.

Type AC devices can detect and respond to AC sinusoidal wave current only. Type A devices are used for alternating sinusoidal residual current and for residual pulsating direct current. PRY-CAM HOME can be used with both.

No, not in the current version. The arc flash detection feature will be released in the future.

Yes, it is mandatory by law. In some countries the law requires also to issue a technical annex to the certification report with the results of the tests carried out. With PRY-CAM HOME, upon conclusion of the tests, the electrician can also issue a technical annex and forward it with the homeowner to prove the compliance of the work done.

The inspection/certification must be carried out according to standard IEC/NEN1010 / 6.

The standard defines all the requirements according to which all electrical installations must be designed, installed, used and maintained.

Electrical components, switches and cables are subject to aging. It is important to periodically test the system and check if any external disturbance has had a non-visible impact in order to guarantee a high standard of safety.

The new nZEB regulations pave the way to the adoption of devices that increase installation's active safety, like PRY-CAM HOME.

The MASTER unit allows homeowners to monitor the health conditions and to check the correct functioning of their electrical installations, thus increasing their safety. Homeowners receive PRY-CAM HOME notifications on their smartphone in the event of issues , like unsafe appliances or power over-usage and associated risk of a blackout. Homeowners can also monitor energy consumption in real time and on a historical basis.

The PRY-CAM HOME APP allows monitoring electrical historical and real time data and notifies the homeowner whenever an unsafe appliance is connected to the installation.

The PRY-CAM HOME APP allows monitoring consumption historical and real time data. Through these data homeowners can identify the most energy-intensive devices.

The MASTER unit installed in the main panel of the house monitors continuously the power consumption or the power generation and provides information on consumption on a hourly, daily, weekly and monthly basis.

A building's construction date does not usually correspond to the most recent inspection of the electrical installation. Each country has a dedicated set of laws and regulations related to inspection and certification of electrical installations PRY-CAM HOME can be installed both in new and in refurbished buildings. In old buildings PRY-CAM HOME can help identifying potential issues and preventing failures before they actually happen.

Insulation properties in cables can decrease due to deterioration caused by aging. This leads to an increase in the chance of leakage current, short circuit or earth connection loss.

If your electrical system has been designed and installed correctly you should be able to increase the electrical load without any risk. Otherwise, the electrical system's average operating temperature could increase, thus leading to higher risk of short-circuit, blackouts or burns. PRY-CAM HOME provides information about the power load and notifies if the residual power is insufficient.

PRY-CAM HOME measures the electrical system's key parameters including power consumption. By analysing real time and historical data you can understand if the available power is enough to handle a charging station and which is the best time to sue it during the day.

The main purpose of an electrical installation's grounding is to avoid or reduce chances of electrocution to a minimum. Any leakage or faulty current in the circuit cause the presence of electric charge on exposed conductive surfaces. In any electrical installation grounding is key to ensure safety and prevent serious consequences for people and equipment. Proper grounding provides a safe path for currents and prevents these currents from flowing through people or other equipment.

A fault current is a current that flows with an intensity that is higher than its expected value. In the case of overcurrents on live-neutral circuits, the installation should be protected by the MCB, the maximum value is reached in the case of short-circuit. Another fault current is the leakage current that flows from the circuit to the earth. If this value is higher than the nominal current of the RCCB, the installation switches off. PRY-CAM HOME can verify the correct functioning of both the MCB and the RCCB and notify the overcurrent via the APP.

A short-circuit or an overcurrent can cause an uncontrolled increase in the installation's temperature and trigger a fire. A leakage current could cause electrocution if protection is not appropriate or if the earth loop connection is not correct. PRY-CAM HOME can verify the correct functioning of both the MCB and the RCCB and notify the overcurrent via the APP.

The switch-off times depend on the type of protection in use and on the selectivity of the circuit breakers installed in series. It is important that all devices operate within their tripping time and current range to reduce risks to a minimum.