A method for identifying an electrical device connected to a mains grid is provided, the method comprising measuring at least one electrical characteristic on the mains grid with a sensor connected to a socket of the mains grid; comparing the at least one electrical characteristic with a plurality of stored candidate electrical characteristics each corresponding to one of a plurality of candidate electrical devices; and identifying the electrical device based on the stored candidate electrical characteristic that is closest to the at least one electrical characteristic. A corresponding system and a corresponding sensor are provided as well.