Semtech Corporation, a leading global supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, announced its collaboration with CITiLIGHT, provider of smart lighting solutions for smart cities, for its VELOCITi™ LMS lighting management system. As street lights are fixed assets typically placed 40 to 50 meters apart from each other, VELOCITi LMS features Semtech’s LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN® standard to communicate large packets of data over a long range. Per CITiLIGHT, more than 1 million street lights have been automated with the smart lighting solution that have saved up to 1.29 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy in more than 100 cities.
“Safety is a critical part of any city. As we move toward smarter cities, our view of citizen safety also needs to evolve. This is where city street lighting plays an important role. The spots in the city that are dark or less brightly lit are the ones that are most vulnerable to crime and accidents, and VELOCITi LMS is a solution to this issue,” said Aman Chawla, CEO of CITiLIGHT. “Controlling street lighting is a unique challenge which entails work on both the hardware and network of the system. Semtech’s LoRa devices and LoRaWAN were the ideal solution for smart cities as the technology is able to solve both hardware and network needs due to each street light requiring to be metered, while accounting for additional data such as daylight, motion and temperature.”
The VELOCITi LMS system is able to keep street lights connected and monitored in real time, from anywhere on the globe, without any dependence on field personnel. Any commands given to the street lights, like change of lighting schedule or change in intensity, are executed within seconds as the system offers less than five second command latency and 0.5-1% accuracy on metered data according to CITiLIGHT. Semtech’s LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard complement the street light system as the technology can support larger data packets based on a city’s needs and communication over a long range.
“Real-time analytics are aiding in the growth of smart cities,” said Marc Pégulu, vice president of IoT product marketing and strategy for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group. “Semtech’s LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard are adding intelligence and networking to street lighting that is creating better and more sustainable smart cities. This, in turn, creates a smarter planet that also improves lives of citizens globally through the reduction in energy usage.”