As cities grow and evolve, the demand for smarter, cost-efficient management of critical infrastructure at-scale is critical.
Street and area lighting has become the standard physical platform for deploying infrastructure management sensors, meters, and controls. Smart lighting solutions not only improve visibility and safety but also offer substantial economic and environmental benefits. In this post, we will explore the basics of smart lighting and introduce Tondo’s innovative solutions that are transforming urban lighting systems worldwide.
What is Smart Lighting?
Smart lighting refers to advanced lighting systems that use intelligent technology to manage and control street and area lights. These systems can automatically monitor lighting levels based on real-time conditions, reducing energy consumption while optimizing the delivery of standards-based lighting safely. Smart lighting is the most common entry-point for modern smart cities, providing a platform for integrating various smart technologies and applications.
The Importance of Smart Lighting for Cities
- Improved Safety: Smart lighting optimizes visibility for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists, reducing the risk of accidents and improving overall public safety.
- Cost Savings: By minimizing energy use and reducing maintenance needs, smart lighting systems can significantly lower operational costs.
- Environmental Benefits: Smart lighting reduces energy consumption, leading to lower greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to sustainability goals.
- Data and Insights: Tondo’s Smart Lighting systems collect valuable data that can be used to improve urban planning and infrastructure management.
Introducing Tondo’s Smart Lighting Solutions
Tondo Smart Ltd. is at the forefront of smart lighting innovation, offering a range of products designed to transform urban lighting infrastructure. Here’s a closer look at Tondo’s key solutions:
Tondo Edge IQ
The Edge IQ Controller is the heart of Tondo’s smart lighting system. This fully-integrated lighting control device for on-fixture or in-pole installation offers:
- Advanced Lighting Control: Supports dual auto-sensing 0-10V and DALI-2 lighting control standards, ensuring consistent and efficient lighting.
- Connectivity: Features built-in Bluetooth Mesh® and a secure private LTE cellular network, eliminating the need for external gateways and providing a fully-managed network that relieves cities of the need to manage the complexity of these enabling technologies.
- Energy Efficiency: Can save up to 55% on total lighting operating costs through automated dimming and adaptive lighting.
- Robust Security: Equipped with automated, advanced hardware-based cybersecurity, including hardware-based Root of Trust and Secure Boot.
Tondo Cabinet IQ
Tondo’s Cabinet IQ transforms legacy lighting control cabinets into smart city-enabled platforms, installed easily into existing lighting control cabinets. It offers:
- Energy Management: Provides billing-grade electricity metering and advanced energy quality monitoring.
- Versatile Control: Supports relay, digital, and analog control, ideal for areas where wireless connectivity may be impaired.
- Enhanced Insights: Combines data from Edge IQ for comprehensive analysis and anomaly detection such as electricity theft and wire theft from roadway and area lighting infrastructure.
Tondo Cloud IQ
Cloud IQ is Tondo’s centralized management platform that unifies all smart city assets. Key features include:
- Real-Time Monitoring: Offers a single pane of glass for monitoring the health and operations of all connected devices.
- AI-Powered Analytics: Uses deep learning AI to provide actionable insights and automate control of smart city infrastructure without adding a burden of technology management to city operations.
- Scalability: Designed to grow with the city, supporting the seamless addition of new technologies and devices.
Case Study: The Netivei Smart Highway Project
To illustrate the impact of Tondo’s smart lighting solutions, let’s look at a real-world example. Netivei Israel, Israel’s national transport infrastructure company, implemented Tondo’s Edge IQ controllers across its 5,000+ mile road network for the world’s largest Smart Highway that will eventually surpass 200,000 fixtures. This project achieved:
- Live Monitoring: Continuous 24/7 monitoring of the electricity grid and lighting infrastructure.
- Cost Savings: Netivei realized 50% reduction in energy and operational costs, and over $250,000 in additional annual savings from identifying electricity theft.
- Environmental Benefits: Adaptive lighting in nature reserves minimized environmental disruption.
- Adaptive Lighting: In parking lots located in nature reserves, Tondo’s system uses motion sensors to adjust lighting levels, providing necessary illumination without disturbing the natural ecosystem.
- Flood Sensor Integration: Tondo’s system integrates flood sensors in rivers, alerting relevant authorities and activating safety measures like flashing lights and closing road gates during flood conditions.
- AI-Based Alerts: The system uses AI to detect and alert authorities about electricity theft, a common issue on Israel’s roads. Each Tondo controller has an embedded security component with a unique encryption key for enhanced security.
“Our plan in this project is to switch all light fixtures from the current lighting apparatus to Smart LEDs. Netivei Israel’s current electricity bill totals NIS 70 million annually. After converting the light fixtures, we will pay about 50% less.”
Erez Siksik, Deputy VP Operations and Maintenance, Netivei Israel
Smart lighting is a game-changer for urban infrastructure, offering numerous benefits in terms of safety, cost savings, and environmental impact. Tondo’s Edge IQ, Cabinet IQ, and Cloud IQ solutions are leading the way in transforming city lighting systems into intelligent, efficient, and sustainable networks. Netivei Israel’s success story highlights the practical benefits and key innovations of Tondo’s technology. Stay tuned for our next blog post, where we will dive deeper into the economic benefits of smart lighting.
Interested in learning more about how smart lighting can benefit your city? Contact Tondo today to explore our cutting-edge solutions and start your journey toward a smarter, brighter future.
