Systems and methods to emulate high frequency electrical signatures

1. An electrical device configured to be coupled to one or more electrical appliances, the electrical device comprising:

a monitoring mechanism configured to couple to at least a first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances; and

an emitter mechanism coupled to the monitoring mechanism and configured to couple to an electrical power line,

wherein:

the monitoring mechanism is further configured to detect usage of electrical power from the electrical power line by the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances when the monitoring mechanism is coupled to the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances and the emitter mechanism is coupled to the electrical power line;

the emitter mechanism is configured to generate emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise and place the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise on the electrical power line when the monitoring mechanism is coupled to the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances and the emitter mechanism is coupled to the electrical power line;

the emitter mechanism is further configured to generate the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise based upon an amount of the electrical power from the electrical power line being used by the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances; and

the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances, the monitoring mechanism, and the emitter mechanism are devoid of switch mode power supplies.

2. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein:

the monitoring mechanism is further configured to detect the amount of the electrical power used by the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances; and

the emitter mechanism is configured to generate the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise with a frequency dependent upon the amount of the electrical power used by the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances.

3. The electrical device of claim 2 , further comprising:

a first user input device coupled to the emitter mechanism and further configured to allow a user of the electrical device to specify a frequency range of the frequency of the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise.

4. The electrical device of claim 2 , further comprising:

a first user input device coupled to the emitter mechanism and further configured to allow a user to select whether the frequency of the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise is a fixed frequency or if the frequency of the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise is dependent upon the amount of the electrical power used by the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances.

5. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein:

the electrical power line comprises one or more electrical outlets;

the emitter mechanism is configured to couple to and receive the electrical power from a first outlet of the one or more electrical outlets; and

the monitoring mechanism is configured to provide the electrical power to the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances.

6. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein:

the emitter mechanism is further configured to generate the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise when the monitoring mechanism detects the usage of the electrical power above a predetermined threshold by the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances; and

the emitter mechanism is further configured not to generate the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise when the monitoring mechanism detects the usage of the electrical power below the predetermined threshold by the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances.

7. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein:

the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise has a frequency in a range of 300 kilohertz to two megahertz.

8. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein:

the emitter mechanism is configured to stop emitting the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise when the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances stops drawing the electrical power.

9. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein:

the monitoring mechanism comprises:

a voltage measurement mechanism configured to measure a voltage across the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances;

a current measurement mechanism configured to measure a current used by the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances; and

a power calculation mechanism configured to receive the voltage from the voltage measurement mechanism and the current from the current measurement mechanism and further configured to determine the amount of the electrical power used by the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances.

10. The electrical device of claim 9 , wherein:

the power calculation mechanism is further configured to determine the amount of the electrical power used by the at least the first appliance of the one or more electrical appliances at two or more predetermined intervals.

11. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein:

the emitter mechanism comprises:

an analog filter circuit; and

a signal generation mechanism configured to generate the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise.

12. A method to emulate switch mode power supply electrical noise using a first electrical device, the first electrical device is electrically coupled to an electrical power line and a first electrical appliance, the method comprising:

using the first electrical device to receive electrical power from the electrical power line;

using the first electrical device to determine usage of the electrical power from the electrical power line by the first electrical appliance, the electrical power received from the electrical power line by the first electrical device corresponds to an amount of electrical power being used by the first electrical appliance;

using the first electrical device to produce emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise corresponding to the usage of the electrical power by the first electrical appliance; and

using the first electrical device to place the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise on to the electrical power line,

wherein:

the first electrical device is different from the first electrical appliance; and

the first electrical device is devoid of a switch mode power supply.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

using the first electrical device to produce the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise comprises:

using the first electrical device to produce the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise with a frequency dependent upon the amount of the electrical power used by the first electrical appliance.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

receiving from a user of the first electrical device an indication of a frequency range of the frequency of the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

using at least one third device to monitor electrical noise transmitted over the electrical power line; and

using at least one fourth device to associate the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise with the usage of the electrical power by the first electrical appliance,

wherein:

the at least one fourth device and the at least one third device are different from the first electrical device.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

using the first electrical device to produce the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise comprises:

using the first electrical device to produce the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise only when the electrical power is being used by the first electrical appliance.

17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

using the first electrical device to provide the electrical power from the electrical power line to the first electrical appliance.

18. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

coupling the first electrical device to the first electrical appliance; and

coupling the first electrical device to the electrical power line.

19. A system configured to measure electrical power used by one or more electrical appliances coupled to an electrical power line, the electrical power line coupled to one or more electrical outlets, the system comprising:

a first electrical device configured to removably couple to an electrical power line and one or more electrical appliances, the first electrical device comprising:

a monitoring mechanism configured to determine usage of electrical power by a first one of the one or more electrical appliances when the first one of the one or more electrical appliances is using the electrical power and the first electrical device is coupled to the first one of the one or more electrical appliances and the first electrical device is coupled to the electrical power line; and

an emitter mechanism configured to generate emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise corresponding to the usage of the electrical power by the first one of the one or more electrical appliances when the first electrical device is coupled to the first one of the one or more electrical appliances and the first electrical device is coupled to the electrical power line;

an electrical usage detection device configured to removably couple to the electrical power line and further configured to monitor the electrical power line for the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise generated by the emitter mechanism; and

a computational module configured to run on a computer processor and further configured to receive information regarding the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise from the electrical usage detection device, the computational module further configured to determine the usage of the electrical power by the first one of the one or more electrical appliances from the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise,

wherein:

the first one of the one or more electrical appliances and the first electrical device are devoid of switch mode power supplies.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein:

the emitter mechanism is further configured to generate the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise with a frequency dependent upon the usage of the electrical power used by the first one of the one or more electrical appliances;

the emitter mechanism is further configured to start generating the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise when the monitoring mechanism detects the first one of the one or more electrical appliances beginning to use the electrical power; and

the emitter mechanism is further configured to stop generating the emulated switch mode power supply electrical noise when the monitoring mechanism detects the first one of the one or more electrical appliances stops using the electrical power;

the electrical power line comprises one or more electrical outlets;

the first electrical device is configured to receive the electrical power from a first one of the one or more electrical outlets; and

the first electrical device is further configured to provide the electrical power from the first one of the one or more electrical outlets to the first one of the one or more electrical appliances.