An arc fault protective wiring device disposed in an electrical distribution system is disclosed, the device including a pulse frequency digitizer, the pulse frequency digitizer being configured to receive a plurality of pulses, each pulse being representative of an instance that the derivative of the current through a neutral conductor exceeds a first predetermined threshold, the pulse frequency digitizer further being configured to produce a digital signal, the digital signal being representative of the instances at which a frequency of the plurality of pulses exceeds a predetermined threshold; and at least one processor configured to trigger a trip mechanism to electrically decouple a line terminal from a load terminal based, at least in part, on the digital signal.