Open standards, Smart urban lighting
The infrastructure cities already have is the infrastructure they need for sensors
Quick summary
Municipal street lighting already reaches every corner of a city, running on power around the clock – which makes it one of the most overlooked pieces of infrastructure for smart city IoT deployment. Lusety’s Lightwave controllers turn that existing lighting grid into a data transmission backbone, carrying traffic sensors, cameras, air quality sensors, and EV charging data through the same network that already manages the luminaires. Cities that add sensors this way skip a second infrastructure project and a second installation budget, since the poles, power, and connectivity are already there. The TALQ protocol lets these systems exchange data with other city platforms without a custom integration for every new device, so the network can grow without integration costs growing with it. For system integrators, this turns IoT sensor deployment from a standalone infrastructure sale into a feature bundled with any lighting modernisation contract.
The data problem cities are trying to solve
Cities moving toward data-driven planning need sensors everywhere: traffic flow, air quality, pedestrian counts, energy use. Each of these decisions – green course targets, energy efficiency programmes, road infrastructure upgrades – depends on data collected from devices spread across the city.
The question is not whether to install sensors. It is where to power them and how to get their data back to a central database.
One option is battery-powered sensors. Batteries need servicing, and servicing a city-wide sensor network on a recurring basis costs money indefinitely.
Why the lighting grid is the answer
Every city already has a lighting electricity grid. It is powered around the clock, spread across the entire municipality, and built to reach places nothing else does – residential streets, intersections, bridges, parks.
Poles sit every 30 metres at 6-8 metres height. That spacing and height is close to the optimal position for radio transmission and sensor coverage: high enough to avoid obstructions, close enough together to keep signal strong between nodes.
This grid exists purely to power luminaires. Once a lighting management system like Lusety’s is installed, the same grid becomes available as a data transmission network. The controllers that already regulate luminaire intensity can also carry data from other connected devices.
For a city, this means two outcomes from one investment: managed street lighting and a ready-made IoT backbone. No second infrastructure project. No second installation budget.
What can connect to it
Once the Lusety network is in place, several device types can run through it:
- Traffic sensors – data transmitted through the same Lightwave controllers already managing the lights
- Cameras – powered from the same electrical grid, no separate cabling required
- Air quality sensors – Lusety is integrating these into the platform, with availability expected in the coming year
- EV charging stations – already deployed on the same lighting grid in live projects, drawing power from the existing infrastructure rather than a new connection
How the technical connection works
Devices connect to a Lusety network through one of two paths.
The first is via server: the device carries its own SIM card and communicates directly with the Lusety server, feeding data into infrastructure that already exists.
The second is via the Zhaga socket: the device connects to the physical Zhaga port on the luminaire and communicates over DALI, supporting up to 64 devices per node. Data passes through the lighting management system’s own controllers before reaching the servers.
Both paths avoid building a parallel network just to move sensor data.
On top of this, the TALQ protocol standardises city-level data exchange. When manufacturers follow TALQ, their systems can talk to each other without a custom integration built for every new device or vendor. That removes a recurring cost that would otherwise show up on every new sensor deployment.
The cost argument
The core saving is simple: no separate infrastructure project for each new sensor type. The city uses what it already has.
For system integrators, this changes how an IoT deployment gets sold. Instead of pitching cameras, air quality sensors or EV charging as separate infrastructure projects with their own installation and power budgets, they can be bundled into a lighting modernisation contract that already covers the grid, the poles and the connectivity.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What sensors can connect to a Lusety street lighting network?
Traffic sensors, cameras, air quality sensors and EV charging stations can all connect to the same lighting grid once a Lusety management system is installed. Air quality sensors are being integrated into the platform, with availability expected in the coming year.
2. Does the city need separate connectivity (SIM cards, LoRaWAN) for each sensor?
No. Devices connect either through a Zhaga socket on the luminaire, using DALI to communicate with up to 64 devices per node, or via their own SIM card directly to the Lusety server. Neither path requires a dedicated connectivity project per sensor type.
3. What is TALQ and why does it matter for smart city integration?
TALQ is a city-level data exchange protocol. When manufacturers build to the same TALQ standard, different systems can communicate without a custom integration for every new device or vendor, which reduces integration cost as a smart city deployment grows.
4. Can existing street lighting infrastructure be used or does it need to be replaced?
The existing electrical grid stays in place. Installing a Lusety lighting management system unlocks that grid for data transmission alongside its existing role of powering luminaires. Replacement is only required at the luminaire level if it lacks a Zhaga socket.
5. How does Lusety’s system handle data from multiple sensor types simultaneously?
Each sensor type transmits through the same Lightwave controllers and Zhaga connections already carrying luminaire control data, with TALQ used for exchanging that data with other city systems. Multiple sensor types run on the same backbone rather than requiring parallel networks.
Conclusions: street lighting as the smart city IoT backbone
Street lighting is the one piece of city infrastructure that already has power, coverage, and the right physical placement for IoT sensors. Turning an existing lighting network into a data backbone removes the biggest cost barrier to smart city sensor deployment: building a second infrastructure just to power and connect them.
Key takeaways:
- Street lighting grids already provide 24/7 power and city-wide coverage, spaced at heights and distances well suited to sensor and radio placement.
- A Lusety lighting management system turns this existing grid into a data transmission backbone without any additional infrastructure project.
- Traffic sensors, cameras, air quality sensors, and EV charging stations can all run through the same network and controllers that manage the lights.
- Devices connect either via their own SIM card direct to the server, or via the Zhaga socket using DALI, supporting up to 64 devices per node.
- The TALQ protocol lets different manufacturers’ systems exchange data without a custom integration for every new device or vendor.
- For system integrators, this makes IoT sensor deployment a bundled feature of a lighting contract rather than a separate infrastructure sale.
Learn more
Do you have questions about turning your street lighting network into a smart city IoT backbone? We’d be happy to discuss how this fits your municipality or project.
Email us: info@lusety.com
Call us: +370 649 912 22