City skyline at night with a sidewalk illuminated by streetlights and text on the left side of the image.

Next-Generation Street Lighting Systems

As cities and municipalities look to the future, smart lighting systems are a critical component of smart cities. TE offers reliable and innovative connectivity solutions that deliver increased functionality and capabilities in modern LED lighting applications.

Two-Node Architecture Delivers Added Functionality

Two-node architecture offers significant benefits for LED lighting systems, including greater control, cutting-edge functionality, and enhanced energy efficiency. With this advanced technology, creating smart city street lighting can become an asset that does more than simply light the patch of ground below it. With two-node architecture as the backbone of your infrastructure, the streetlighting industry is paving the way for smarter, more sustainable cities and optimized lighting performance.

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SMART CAPABILITIES

Added functionality creates a smart city - adaptive lighting, for motion sensing or traffic monitoring, and smart sensing, such as pollution and environmental monitoring.

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IMPROVED RELIABILITY

Sensing and alerts for maintenance issues, resulting in faster resolution of problems.

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INCREASED EFFICIENCY

Optimizes energy consumption by enabling precise control over individual lighting units. 

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INCREASED AFFORDABILITY

Controls, sensors and communications can be added on different budgetary cycles with simple city wide plug-in deployment.

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INTEROPERABILITY AND SCLABILITY

Modular nature future-proofs lighting infrastructures. Other functionalities can be added that go beyond lighting.

The Growing Importance of Two-Node Architecture in Street Lighting

Hear from TE Connectivity experts about two-node architecture technology and how it helps advance the lighting industry.

The Growing Importance of Two-Node Architecture in Street Lighting

Hear from TE Connectivity experts about two-node architecture technology and how it helps advance the lighting industry.

Zhaga Book 18 Standard

In 2010 Zhaga, a global lighting industry consortium, was formed to standardize LED component interfaces in luminaires. Recently, their mission has expanded to include interoperability of components. In partnership with The DALI Alliance, they have developed the D4i protocol and the Zhaga-D4i certification program for IoT-ready lighting fixtures. The Zhaga Book 18 Standard and the Zhaga-D4i certification was designed specifically for LED lighting and differs from ANSI C136.41 in that the PSU is incorporated into the luminaire instead of the photocontrol, either as part of the LED driver or separately. This simplifies the wiring of the lighting fixture’s control nodes, and the digital communication protocol allows for two-node architecture.

 

The two-node architecture incorporates an upward-facing node, to house a photocell or communication node, and a second node for motion or other sensor types for which a downward viewing angle is appropriate. The communication bus is designed specifically for the D4i protocol. The sensor nodes themselves are smaller and easier to seal against ingress from dust and precipitation. With a new generation of interchangeable drivers, Zhaga expands the capabilities of outdoor lighting fixtures to act as a platform for sensors and communication devices. In the future, we expect to see sensors for vehicles or pedestrian counting, traffic reporting, pollution detection, and other purposes.

CAD of Zhaga Book 18, Dual-Node Architecture

(1) Control Device – Zhaga-D4i Certified; (2) Zhaga Book 18 Interface; (3) Auxiliary Power; (4) Built-In Auxiliary Power Supply Unit (PSU); (5) LED Driver; (6) Light Emitting Diode (LED) Module; (7) D4i Communication Bus; (8) Zhaga Book 18 Interface; (9) Control Device – Zhaga-D4i Certified.

Zhaga/ANSI

Hybrid Two-Node Architecture

The hybrid two-node architecture leverages the dominance of ANSI C136.41 while taking advantage of the simplicity and open architecture of Zhaga-D4i. In this configuration, the upward-facing node is a photocontrol or communication node connected by a 7-pole ANSI C136.41 interface that does not switch the grid power to the LED driver. The downward-facing node is a sensor input device, such as a motion sensor. Both nodes and the entire luminaire are certified to Zhaga-D4i.

 

The ANSI C136.41 node can be powered from an auxiliary PSU, internal or external to the driver. The resulting light fixture design has simplified wiring and architecture and creates infrastructure to facilitate smart cities with Zhaga Book 18 sensors and digital communications protocol.

CAD of Zhaga/ANSI Hybrid 2-Node Architecture

(1) Control Device – Zhaga-D4i Certified; (2) Photodiode; (3) Wireless Communication to the Cloud; (4) Power Supply from Grid – Not Switched; (5) ANSI C136.41 Interface; (6) Auxiliary Power; (7) Built-In Auxiliary Power Supply Unit (PSU); (8) LED Driver; (9) Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Module; (10) D4i Communication Bus; (11) Zhaga Book 18 Interface; (12) Control Device – Zhaga-D4i Certified.

Authors

  • Jonathan Catchpole, Principal Systems Architect
  • Scott Hamilton, Sr. Manager, Product Management
  • Alexander Hunt III, Product Manager

 

What's Next in Street Lighting Standards?

TE’s Jonathan Catchpole and a Zhaga Consortium representative discuss about the future of street lighting, including market trends and the evolution of Book 18.

What's Next in Street Lighting Standards?

TE’s Jonathan Catchpole and a Zhaga Consortium representative discuss about the future of street lighting, including market trends and the evolution of Book 18.

Advancing Innovation in Street Lighting Control Nodes

TE engineer Alex King and system architect Jonathan Catchpole explain how our LUMAWISE Endurance N Enhanced Base can help you get your streetlighting control node to market faster, more reliably, and with fewer engineering resources.

Advancing Innovation in Street Lighting Control Nodes

TE engineer Alex King and system architect Jonathan Catchpole explain how our LUMAWISE Endurance N Enhanced Base can help you get your streetlighting control node to market faster, more reliably, and with fewer engineering resources.

Street Lighting Products

Solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of lighting OEMs and their customers — ensuring advanced capabilities, robust performance, and seamless integration.