Implementation of a Non-Invasive, Low-Cost Method for Detecting and Measuring Faulty Streetlights

Abstract

The implementation of low-cost detection methods for defective streetlights is proposed in this paper. The street lighting might keep people from getting hurt in car accidents. However, it takes a lot of work to keep streetlights in good working order. In most communities, residents or electrical inspectors from the local government report defective streetlights (FSLs). Several studies have looked into whether or not streetlights should be equipped with sensing and networking capabilities. The condition of a streetlight can be remotely monitored and automatically reported using Wi-Fi, ZigBee, power line communication (PLC), or GPRS thanks to these capabilities. However, the addition of sensing and networking modules to each streetlight is required by these methods, which significantly increases costs and delays the system's implementation. A practical solution is required to detect FSLs at a low cost and with minimal human labor. Poorly lit roads encourage car accidents and crime. Faulty streetlights (FSLs) must be promptly identified and reported to the appropriate authorities in order to maintain road safety. Currently, people mostly rely on electrical assessors to check streetlamps on a regular basis, which can cause long and unnecessary delays before repairs can be made. Recent research has focused on the inclusion of a networking capability, such as a wireless sensor network, on street light poles to enable real-time status reports. However, implementing a smart system that would incorporate network modules and sensors into each streetlight would be costly; As a result, putting this system into place quickly would be nearly impossible. Our noninvasive approach to detecting defective lights that we propose in this paper is the Hitchhiker, a piece of specialized equipment that could be installed on vehicles and would collect information about the intensity of streetlights. To accommodate this system, no modifications would be required to the conventional streetlights.