Put CTs where the measurement matters
The useful measurement point is often at the meter, consumer unit, sub-board or inverter, not beside the charger. Flow makes those measurements easier to place and use.
PlugStream Flow
Measure the site. Protect the supply. Charge smarter.
PlugStream Flow gives compatible PlugStream chargers a better local energy picture. Add wireless CT placement, up to four measurement inputs, RS485 integrations, richer energy metrics and Sentinel-ready evidence to sites where one charger CT is not enough.
For straightforward sites, PlugStream chargers can already support cloud-assisted site balancing. Flow is added when the installation needs more measurement points, local site visibility, integration with compatible site equipment or stronger support evidence.
- 4 CT inputs
- Wireless CT placement
- RS485 integrations
- Site energy metrics
- Sentinel-ready evidence
Site problems
The problems Flow solves.
Some sites are simple. Others need measurements from more than one place, a clearer view of solar or storage behaviour, or support evidence that explains why charging changed. Flow helps installers and support teams handle those more demanding sites.
See more than one part of the site
Grid import/export, solar generation, storage flow where configured and EV charging are easier to understand when they are part of one local site energy picture.
Go beyond one-CT balancing
PlugStream chargers already support simple cloud-assisted balancing. Flow extends that with more CT inputs, richer local measurements and stronger site context.
Add resilience and support evidence
Flow helps keep the local energy picture available, records useful site events and gives Sentinel better data for support timelines and diagnostics.
Integrate more site equipment
With RS485 support, Flow can bring compatible meters, inverters or other site energy devices into the wider PlugStream system.
Load management fit
Flow extends PlugStream load management.
PlugStream chargers can already support cloud-assisted site balancing for simpler installations using a single CT and reliable internet connectivity. That remains the right approach for many straightforward sites.
Flow is added when the site needs more than that: extra CT inputs, wireless CT placement, solar or storage visibility, RS485 meter or inverter data, local measurement resilience, richer reporting or stronger Sentinel evidence.
Existing PlugStream balancing
Best for simple charger groups where one CT is enough and reliable internet connectivity is available.
- Single CT input
- Cloud-assisted balancing
- Master/slave charger behaviour where supported
- Good fit for straightforward sites
Flow-enhanced sites
Best for installations that need a richer local energy picture or a more resilient measurement layer.
- Up to four CT inputs
- Wireless CT placement
- Grid, solar, storage and EV visibility
- RS485 integrations where supported
- Sentinel-ready event evidence
Decision guide
When should you add Flow?
Not every PlugStream installation needs Flow. It is designed for sites where the charger needs more site context than a simple single-CT setup can provide.
Flow is usually optional when:
- The installation is simple.
- Only one CT is needed.
- The charger is close to the measurement point.
- Internet connectivity is reliable.
- No additional site energy integrations are required.
- Cloud-assisted charger balancing is enough for the site.
Flow is worth adding when:
- The CT needs to be fitted away from the charger.
- The site has solar or storage to monitor.
- More than one circuit or phase needs measurement.
- RS485 meter or inverter data is useful.
- Support teams need better local evidence.
- The site needs a stronger local measurement layer.
Before and after
Without Flow, the charger only sees part of the picture.
Flow turns a charger-only view into a site energy view, giving installers, customers and support teams a clearer operating picture.
Without Flow
- CT cable routes can become awkward or untidy.
- Chargers may be limited conservatively to avoid overload.
- Solar, storage and EV behaviour can be difficult to correlate where those readings are not available.
- Simple charger groups may only have the context available from one CT and the cloud balancing route.
- Support teams may lack the local timeline needed to diagnose issues.
With Flow
- CTs can be placed where the measurement matters.
- Compatible chargers can use richer site context where supported.
- The app can show a clearer grid, solar, storage and EV energy picture where configured.
- PlugStream Cloud and Sentinel receive more useful site evidence.
- Sentinel can show what happened before, during and after an event.
Homes and solar installs
For homes: see grid, solar, storage and EV charging in one site view.
A charger only sees part of the installation. Flow helps the PlugStream system understand the wider site: grid import/export, solar generation, storage flow where configured, EV charging load and other key circuits where CTs are fitted.
That means better app visibility, easier installation options and a foundation for solar-aware and tariff-aware charging.
Flow is designed for load management, energy visibility and site diagnostics. It is not positioned as revenue-grade metering.
Monitor grid import and export.
Add solar generation visibility.
See EV charging load in context.
Place CTs away from the charger where needed.
Support wireless CT layouts.
Connect local energy readings to PlugStream Cloud and Sentinel.
Put CTs where the measurement matters.
Not every charger is installed next to the useful measurement point. Flow helps installers place CTs at the incomer or board and still deliver live site data to PlugStream.
Consumer unit / meter. CTs at incomer. DIN-mounted Flow. Local site data. No long CT cable run.
Long CT cable run
Long CT cables are harder to install, more visible and can be affected by electrical noise.
CTs stay where the measurement matters
Flow keeps measurement close to the electrical source and sends local site data into the PlugStream system.
Key benefits
- Wireless CT connection
- Faster, cleaner installation
- No visible CT cable runs
- More reliable measurement
- Data sent to PlugStream Cloud and Sentinel
See the full site energy picture.
Flow brings grid import/export, solar generation, storage context where configured and EV charging load into one site view.
Existing PlugStream site balancing.
For simple multi-charger sites, PlugStream can already use a single CT and cloud-assisted balancing when internet connectivity is reliable.
Flow-enhanced load management.
Flow adds extra CT inputs, three-phase monitoring, RS485 integration and richer local evidence for PlugStream Cloud and Sentinel.
Load management
Add local site intelligence to PlugStream load management.
EV charging can be one of the largest loads on a home or small commercial supply. Flow extends PlugStream load management with more CT inputs, local measurements, three-phase visibility, RS485 integrations and better support evidence.
Reduce the risk of nuisance trips.
Avoid permanently underusing the available supply.
Support import-limit control where configured.
Support solar surplus and tariff-aware charging where enabled.
Give installers a clearer way to validate the setup before handover.
Load management behaviour depends on site design, compatible PlugStream firmware and the selected software plan.
Commercial site intelligence
For commercial sites: add richer local site intelligence.
Commercial charging sites often need more than a charger-only view. Flow adds local measurement points, wireless CT options, RS485 integrations and support evidence so PlugStream Cloud and Sentinel can understand more of what is happening on site.
Where supported, compatible PlugStream chargers can use Flow-enhanced site data to improve load-management decisions and reporting. For simple sites, existing cloud-assisted balancing may already be enough.
Add extra measurement points beyond a single charger CT.
Place CTs where the electrical data is most useful.
Bring compatible RS485 meters or inverters into the site view.
Improve PlugStream Cloud energy metrics and reporting.
Give Sentinel better evidence for support timelines.
Enhance charger coordination where supported by firmware and software plan.
Flow reports relevant site, charger and event information to PlugStream Cloud and Sentinel, giving commercial teams a clearer view of what happened on site.
Commercial Flow features may require compatible charger firmware, PlugStream Flow Link hardware and the appropriate PlugStream Cloud software plan.
Sentinel Bridge
Explain slow charging, stopped charging and site faults with evidence.
Flow can record the local timeline around a charging event: CT readings, site load, charger state, local limits, wireless signal health and control decisions.
That gives installers and support teams a better answer than asking the customer to wait and see if it happens again.
Sentinel Bridge features may depend on the selected PlugStream Cloud software plan.
Explore PlugStream SentinelLocal telemetry buffer
Offline event replay
Control decision log
CT health and polarity checks
Wireless link health
Commissioning evidence
Support snapshot
Fault and control timeline
Flow roles
One hardware platform. Several practical roles.
PlugStream Flow is designed as a flexible PlugStream edge device. The same hardware can support different roles depending on the site design, charger compatibility and selected software plan.
Flow CT
Put CTs where the measurement matters, without relying on long CT cable runs back to the charger.
Flow Energy
See grid, solar, storage flow where configured and EV charging in one site energy view.
Flow Resilience
Add a more resilient local measurement layer and stronger event evidence for support and diagnostics.
Flow Integrations
Bring compatible RS485 meters or inverters into the PlugStream system.
Flow Site Intelligence
Adds richer local measurements, RS485 integrations and Sentinel-ready evidence to sites that need more context than a single charger CT can provide.
System design
How Flow connects the system.
Flow uses the right communication path for each job. CTs and compatible meters build the local site energy picture. PlugStream Cloud receives telemetry and reporting data. Sentinel receives evidence that helps explain site behaviour during support events.
| Link | Role |
|---|---|
| CT clamps to Flow | Local energy measurement |
| Flow to compatible PlugStream charge points | Site data and supported control context where enabled |
| Flow to PlugStream Cloud | Telemetry, reporting and site energy metrics |
| Flow to Sentinel | Support evidence, event history and diagnostics |
| Flow to meters / inverters | RS485 integration where supported |
| Flow to mobile / installer app | BLE / Wi-Fi commissioning |
Flow does not replace every PlugStream load-management mode. It extends the local site energy picture where one charger CT and cloud-only logic are not enough.
Software roles
Choose the hardware kit by the site. Choose the software features by what Flow needs to do.
A simple domestic install may only need energy monitoring and wireless CT visibility. A commercial site may need richer load-management context, Sentinel diagnostics and advanced site policies.
| Feature | Flow CT | Flow Energy | Flow + Sentinel | Flow Site Intelligence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 CT monitoring | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Wireless CT placement | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Live app energy view | Basic | Included | Included | Included |
| Grid / solar / storage / EV visibility | Optional | Included | Included | Included |
| Three-phase or multi-circuit monitoring | Optional / where supported | Where supported | Where supported | Where supported |
| RS485 integrations | Optional / where supported | Optional / where supported | Where supported | Where supported |
| PlugStream Cloud reporting | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Sentinel event history | Not included | Optional | Included | Included |
| Support snapshot | Not included | Optional | Included | Included |
| Enhanced load-management context | Not included | Where supported | Where supported | Where supported |
Final feature availability depends on hardware compatibility, firmware version, site design and the selected PlugStream Cloud software plan.
Specification
Product specification for PlugStream Flow.
These are the technical details that matter when specifying Flow commercially: CT coverage, local wireless link, app visibility, Sentinel Bridge, commercial control and commissioning checks.
| Product type | Powered PlugStream Flow energy monitor, wireless CT platform and local site intelligence layer |
|---|---|
| CT coverage | Up to four CT channels for grid, solar, storage, charger group, distribution or auxiliary load roles |
| Wireless link | PlugStream local wireless link for compatible CT and charge point use cases |
| RS485 | RS485/Modbus support for compatible meters, inverters or site equipment where implemented |
| Wi-Fi / BLE | Wi-Fi for PlugStream Cloud connectivity and BLE/Wi-Fi workflows for commissioning |
| Domestic role | Energy monitoring, app visibility and wireless CT support |
| Commercial role | Richer local site measurements, support evidence and enhanced load-management context where supported |
| Sentinel Bridge | Optional software feature for local telemetry buffer, diagnostics, support snapshots and event timelines |
| App visibility | PlugStream app views for live energy usage, EV charging load, import/export context, reports and alerts |
| Installer checks | CT roles, polarity, signal health, stale-data alerts, local link pairing and commissioning evidence |
| Metering note | Designed for load management, energy visibility and site diagnostics; not positioned as revenue-grade metering |
Package options
Flow packages for simple or complex charging sites.
Choose Flow when the installation needs more than a single charger CT and basic cloud-assisted balancing. PlugStream helps confirm the right number of charger links, CT roles and software features during design review.
PlugStream Flow 1-Chargepoint Kit
PS-FLOW-KIT-1
£199 ex VAT
Hardware kit price.
PlugStream Flow sensing node with 1 PlugStream Flow Link for one compatible charger participating in the Flow system.
One compatible charger participating in the Flow system.
PlugStream Flow 2-Chargepoint Kit
PS-FLOW-KIT-2
£249 ex VAT
Hardware kit price.
PlugStream Flow sensing node with 2 PlugStream Flow Links for two compatible chargers participating in the same Flow system.
Two compatible chargers participating in the same Flow system.
PlugStream Flow 3-Chargepoint Kit
PS-FLOW-KIT-3
£299 ex VAT
Hardware kit price.
PlugStream Flow sensing node with 3 PlugStream Flow Links for three compatible chargers participating in the same Flow system.
Three compatible chargers participating in the same Flow system.
PlugStream Flow 4-Chargepoint Kit
PS-FLOW-KIT-4
£349 ex VAT
Hardware kit price.
PlugStream Flow sensing node with 4 PlugStream Flow Links for four compatible chargers participating in the same Flow system.
Four compatible chargers participating in the same Flow system.
Hardware kit count and software plan are separate decisions. PlugStream confirms the correct Flow package, Flow Link count and software features during quote or design review.
View the orderable Flow LinkPlugStream app
Energy data customers and support teams can actually use.
Flow turns local measurements and charger behaviour into clearer app views, support timelines and commissioning records.
Live Site Energy
Show current import/export, EV charging load, solar generation and total site demand where the site configuration supports those views.
Charger Behaviour
Show when Flow is monitoring, limiting, pausing or providing additional site context to compatible PlugStream chargers where supported.
Reports and Alerts
Surface usage history, site energy reports, stale-data alerts, wireless link health, CT role issues and Sentinel support events.
Commissioning Evidence
Help installers validate CT direction, signal health, charger pairing and site policy configuration before handover.
Next step
Plan a PlugStream Flow energy system.
Tell us how many chargers the site has, where the CTs need to go and whether the installation includes solar, storage or additional metering. PlugStream will help define the right Flow hardware, charger links and software plan.