Internet of Things: Smart Lighting Applications... | ARM Connected Community

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Chinese Version: NanoServices
This blog discusses how the ARM® Sensinode™ NanoService™ solution can be applied to address smart lighting
application use cases. The reader is strongly advised to review the NanoService white paper in order to have a
basic understanding of the NanoService solution.
Introduction
The NanoService solution leverages the power of the Web architecture for developing and deploying smart lighting
systems efficiently and securely. The NanoService solution consists of software for devices (endpoints in an M2M
or Internet of Things deployment), backend servers and Web applications that together form an end-to-end
platform.
The NanoService solution can be applied to virtually any smart lighting system where IP is utilized as part of the
access network. As an enabler for NanoService deployments, Sensinode has developed a set of Reference
Applications that may be used by NanoService customers. Our licensees receive full source code for this Lighting
reference application enabling them to kick-start their own applications development or quickly turn around internal
proof-of-concept projects.
Most existing smart lighting solutions are based on proprietary protocols that fall short on critical design criteria
such as robustness, security, future-proofing and scalability. Based entirely on open standards, Sensinode’s end-
to-end system solution delivers the following benefits:
1. Rapid Application Development – Through the use of a standard Web development environment
2. Robustness and Scalability – Field proven with the ability to scale to 1000 nodes per access point and
features such as clustering, load balancing and automatic failover
3. End-to-end Security – Utilizes the latest in security protocols such as TLS and DTLS for node authentication
and transport of application data
4. Future-proof – Standards-based solutions guarantee this technology will be around for the long haul
Sensinode’s NanoService solution can be leveraged to deploy smart lighting systems easily, efficiently, and
securely using RESTful Web services and Sensinode’s optimized M2M technology. REST stands for
REpresentational State Transfer, the de-facto way distributed systems on the Web communicate today. For a good
simple, explanation on REST, go here.
Smart Lighting Applications Powered By NanoServices
Posted by zinkyaw in Internet of Things on Aug 17, 2013 1:13:00 AM

Outdoor LightingOutdoor Lighting
Outdoor and public area lighting are popular application areas for M2M technologies due to the fact that smart
outdoor lighting can provide significant energy savings through remote monitoring, management and control.
Typical lighting systems in this category include street lighting systems, campus lighting, advertisements and
signage. These systems typically include four components:
1. Wireless connectivity (e.g. RF mesh using 6LoWPAN or Cellular) or wired (e.g. PLC) local area
communication to the lights being controlled,
2. Edge routers
3. Backend platform (e.g., NanoService)
4. Backend application used by the administrators of the lighting system
Figure 1. Outdoor Lighting Deployment Example
Figure 1 provides an example of a typical wireless outdoor lighting system using NanoStack, NanoRouter, and
NanoServices which includes line-powered lights, and battery-powered nodes such as motion sensors. Using
NanoServices, control algorithms such as automatic dimming at non-peak times can be implemented, and motion
sensors to reduce lighting when pedestrians or vehicles are not present can be integrated into the system.
Monitoring of lamp efficiency and automatic reporting of failed lamps could also be enabled for preventive
maintenance purposes. Integration with Google Maps facilitates network deployment planning. The light fixture

could also be integrated with other horizontal applications such as EV charging or grid communication.
The key benefits of deploying a smart outdoor wireless lighting system include:
Significant energy savings achieved by performing load shedding through remote commands issued by a
central system
Integration of sensors such as ambient light and occupancy sensors, which can further reduce the over-
illumination
Individual metering light fixtures, which gives the system owner the ability to validate the monthly electricity
bill; something that was not possible without remote monitoring capabilities or individually metered streetlights
The ability to remotely monitor the health of light fixtures, allowing system owners to more efficiently address
streetlight outages and maintain operational efficiency
When people think of outdoor lighting applications, they tend to think of just wireless outdoor street lighting. In fact,
outdoor lighting applications span across a wide segment range as shown in Table 1. The NanoService solution
can be used to address a wide range of outdoor lighting applications.
Segments Applications
Motorized City entrance, Roundabout, Bridge, Urban
tunnel, Highway tunnel, Road junction,
Motorway, Highway, Secondary road, Private
road
Non-motorized Pavement, Pedestrian crossing, Pedestrian
street, Underpass, Gallery, Pathway, Cycle
path
Residential Street, Pathway
Commercial Shopping center, Entertainment, Exhibition
center, Car park, Hotel, Business center
Leisure Square & piazza, Park & garden, Playground,
Marina, Theme park, Seaside
Signage Art, Monument, Ruin and remain, Water,
Landscape, Major structure
Transport Car park, Transport station, Tramway, Airport,
Service station
Sports and
Recreation
High-end stadia, Recreational facilities, Private
grounds
Table 1. Outdoor Lighting Applications Segments
Indoor LightingIndoor Lighting
Interest in deployment of indoor wireless lighting systems is also increasing as building owners look for ways to
decrease installation costs and realize energy cost savings. In those cases where wire cannot be pulled and a
retrofit installation is the only viable solution, wireless lighting systems are a very attractive option. In addition,
other building automation system components such as thermostats, HVAC controllers, temperature, and

occupancy sensors could be integrated into the overall system. Consequently, NanoServices can be leveraged to
deliver a truly smart building environment.
Figure 2. Indoor Lighting Deployment Example
Figure 2 shows an example of a typical wireless indoor lighting system that is powered by NanoServices.
Deployments typically include line-powered light nodes as well as battery-powered nodes such as sensors and
switches. Control algorithms such as automatic light shut-off through the use of schedules and motion sensors can
be implemented. The ability to integrate and utilize building schematics facilitates indoor network planning.
Sensinode System Software Components
Sensinode provides a complete suite of system software for smart lighting applications.

Node Software
Sensinode’s NanoStack™ 6LoWPAN software provides secure, end-to-end IPv6 connectivity optimized for smart
lighting applications. NanoStack is embedded in each light fixture and can form a self-healing and self-configurable
mesh network. Supported IEEE and IETF standards include 6LoWPAN (ND and RPL), IPv6, UDP, TCP, ICMPv6,
and 802.15.4. RF interface support includes 2.4GHz and sub-GHz on a variety of hardware platforms from Tier 1
semiconductor manufacturers. Table 2 shows the list of supported hardware platforms.
Frequency Vendor Chipset Type Development Platform
Sub-GHz Atmel ATxmega256A3BU +
AT86RF212B
MCU + Xcvr XMEGA-A3BU Xplained +
ATAVRRZ600
2.4 GHz Atmel ATMEGA256RFR2 SoC ATmega256RFR2-EK
Sub-GHz TI MSP430F5438A +
CC1101 +
CC1190 (optional PA)
MCU + Xcvr SmartRF TrxEB +
CC1101EM
(or CC1101+CC1190EM)
2.4 GHz ST Micro STM32W108 SoC STM32W-SK, STM32W-
EXT
Table 2. Supported Hardware Platforms
Developers can also embed the NanoService Device Library (NSDL) in end-points. NSDL allows each light fixture
to be easily controlled via a Web-based application (such as the Lighting Reference Application) deployed on top
of the Sensinode’s backend data management and applications development platform, (NanoServices), In this
scenario, each control on the light fixture (such as ON/OFF) is defined as an embedded Web resource that can be
controlled using simple REST APIs which are exposed by the NanoService Platform.
Figure 3 provides an example of how NanoServices employs CoAP to keep communications as lightweight and
efficient as possible between the light fixture and the backend application. This communication between the light
and the backend platform is secured with state-of-the-art, end-to-end application level security using eDTLS.

Figure 3. Example of Reading a Light Value
Access Point Software
Each lighting network uses an access point (or edge router) that allows it to connect seamlessly to a standard IP
network. Sensinode’s NanoRouter™ software provides seamless handling of routing packets between the
6LoWPAN and the IP network. The NanoRouter software is available as a C++ implementation running in a Linux
environment or an embedded C implementation running on Cortex M3/M4 processors.
Backend Software
Sensinode’s backend data management platform, the NanoService™ Platform, can be deployed in a private
server, in a virtualized data center or in the cloud. A Web application would be deployed on top of the NanoService
Platform to access the lighting controls via simple REST APIs. A Java SDK is provided to facilitate the
development of the Web application.
The NanoService Lighting Reference Application comes with source code that greatly facilitates the development
and deployment of smart lighting systems. This application is aimed at administrators of all kinds of outdoor lighting
systems. The application includes full Google Maps integration, a resource profile for lighting control, resource
monitoring and control interfaces, group management, and light schedule management.

Figure 4. Lighting Reference Application
The Lighting Reference Application as shown in Figure 4 provides the following functionality:
Endpoint View: Displays all endpoints and groups. In this view, the user can add/remove groups, add/remove
endpoints to/from a group. The search bar allows specific endpoints or groups to be found using its semantic
name (e.g. “light-001”). The Lighting Reference Application also allows you to perform group requests. For
example, turning on or off a particular group of lights. This can be done on the selected group or the group
name returned by the search result.
Events View: Allows the user to create notifications to the application when certain trigger conditions are met
(e.g. a light fixture failure).
Firmware View: Used for performing over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates to the endpoints or access point.
The user has to select the firmware binary, destination firmware server, firmware type and version. Clicking on
“Start update” will upload binaries to the firmware server. After the upload is finished the user can enable
endpoints to download firmware from the firmware server. This can be executed in either the node details
view or in the group actions view.
Schedules View: Allows schedules to be created that will automatically trigger certain node behavior. The
schedule can uploaded from an existing file or created with a web form.
In any smart lighting deployment, information about the health, performance, and topology of the network is vital
for keeping the system performing in top condition. Sensinode also provides a Network Management Reference
Application called NodeView that provides developers with an excellent starting point to build such network
diagnostic and monitoring applications into their deployment.

Summary
This blog examined how smart lighting systems could be deployed using Sensinode’s NanoServiceTM platform.
NanoServices is a solution that brings standardized, secure, and efficient IP and Web accessibility to M2M
deployments that use 6LoWPAN or other IP-based protocols or Cellular-based M2M connectivity. Since Web

applications built on the NanoService Platform use standard REST Web interfaces, application development is
greatly accelerated.
The Lighting Reference Application, provided as part of the NanoService Package greatly accelerates application
development by giving application developers a head start.
In summary, the Sensinode NanoService solution enables rapid, scalable and highly secure smart lighting
deployments.
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Tags: embedded, iot, internet_of_things, embedded_software, 6lowpan, m2m, lighting, coap, nanoservice, nanostack,
nanorouter
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8 Comments
Like (2)
Patrick Gribben Aug 18, 2013 11:31 AM
THanks for a detailed and thorough presentation of this area. I'm new to this area and I didn't find REST
defined. It is defined in your linked white paper but even there it is a long way down.
Like (1)
zinkyaw Aug 25, 2013 10:37 PM (in response to Patrick Gribben)
Thank you for your feedback Patrick. I've added a definition and link to a good explanation of REST at
the top.
Like (1)
Patrick Gribben Aug 18, 2013 9:51 PM
Why smart meters might not be so clever after all | Technology | The Observer This is scare-mongering but
John Naughton is a high-class scare mongerer whose points do need addressing.
zinkyaw Aug 25, 2013 11:00 PM (in response to Patrick Gribben)
Interesting article, thanks for sharing Patrick. I think DECC is taking the right steps as should other
countries going down the path of smart metering. As with any system, it is important that security be
factored into the system design up front to use security protocols that have been standardized in the
IETF. TLS and DTLS are the "gold standard" when it comes to Web security protocols. Sensinode
offers end-to-end security using its optimized DTLS security as part of the NanoService solution,
whereas other solutions are very weak in this area. They either rely on proprietary security
implementations which are vulnerable to security threats, or go with a well known global security key
that is shared by all nodes (very prone to brute force attacks). As discussed in the NanoService
Security white paper, the most robust form of security uses certificates. However, the process of key
generation is processing intensive, and can only be best serviced using a modern architecture, such

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Like (4)
as a Cortex-Mx. Nodes that have 8- or 16-bit processors will take 10s of seconds, even minutes,
whereas a node that uses a Cortex-Mx takes well under a second.
Like (2)
Patrick Gribben Aug 30, 2013 12:48 PM (in response to zinkyaw)
Thanks Zin. I'm looking for reassurance in this area and yours is a re-assuring one. It also
points out that Cortex processors are fast, which is good. When I work out how to do it I'll
mark your reply as helpful.@Zin Kyaw
Like (0)
Jacob Beningo Aug 30, 2013 4:47 PM (in response to Patrick Gribben)
Like (0)
nilson Mar 11, 2014 12:52 AM
Zin, is the firmware for the STM32W108 available? If yes, where can I find the NanoRouter library? Sorry if
these questions are not related to this post, if this is the case, could you point to me where to start looking for
these resources? Thanks a lot..
Like (1)
zinkyaw Mar 12, 2014 12:35 AM (in response to nilson)
Nilson, let's take this one to a separate thread, thanks. I will send you a separate e-mail on this topic.

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