The next-generation Smart City street light controller is designed to transform conventional street lighting into an intelligent, connected infrastructure, providing cities with the foundation for advanced urban lighting and energy management. Utilizing a self-configuring, self-healing, and secure RF Mesh network, this controller allows municipalities to upgrade their street lights with intelligent controls, turning each luminaire into a smart city connectivity hub. When paired with a compatible smart driver, the system delivers detailed system health analytics, precise power metering, and full support for asset management. The controller features a standardized Zhaga (Book 18) interface, enabling rapid installation and universal compatibility with a wide range of LED luminaires.
The controller operates as an RF-based street light controller, requiring a Gateway to facilitate communication with a central management system. The wireless mesh network is self-forming and self-healing, providing secure, real-time communication suitable for both small and large-scale installations. IEEE-regulated high encryption ensures that data transmitted across the network remains safe and reliable, while automatic Gateway connection simplifies setup and ensures continuous operational integrity.
Fully ENEC compliant, the controller is compatible with major smart city platforms via open standards and open APIs, ensuring seamless interoperability and eliminating vendor lock-in. The installation process is quick and tool-free thanks to the standardized Zhaga Book 18 interface, which allows the controller to be secured onto the luminaire using a simple twist-and-lock motion. The system supports multiple lighting control protocols including 0-10V, DALI, DALI 2.0, D4i, and SR, making it adaptable to virtually any street light or LED driver configuration.
The controller offers several advanced dimming and switching options, including twilight mode (photocell/ambient light sensor), adaptive lighting via motion sensors, time-based light scenes, autonomous operation, astronomical clock schedules, calendar-based control, emergency operation via dedicated apps, and centralized ambient light sensor control. By integrating with smart drivers, the controller provides powerful luminaire health monitoring, offering analytics such as driver temperature, input voltage, input power, input current, and power factor, enabling cities to proactively manage maintenance and extend asset life.
Interoperability is a key feature, allowing cities to select any Zhaga-compatible street light fixture and integrate multiple vendors within a single project. The controller supports integration with D4i or LSI-based motion sensors, enabling on-demand adaptive lighting. This creates safer roads for pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles, as real-time communication over the wireless mesh network triggers a “safe circle of light” that follows road users, enhancing public safety perception while significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint. Pairing motion sensors with the controller also enables heatmap generation in the central management software, allowing city planners to visualize road usage, identify high-traffic areas, and optimize lighting levels accordingly.
Cities can achieve up to 60% energy savings and CO2 reduction by automatically dimming street lights according to predefined schedules and adaptive control strategies. Maintenance costs can also be reduced by up to 60% through proactive alerts and notifications for faults, alarms, and outages. The system allows total control over the entire lighting infrastructure, enabling operators to monitor, manage, and adjust individual lights or groups of luminaires remotely, while reducing light pollution by dimming lights to a predefined low level during off-peak hours.
The controller is fully Zhaga compatible, adhering to the Book 18 standard for universal connectivity with all LED luminaires equipped with a standardized Zhaga socket. Installation is rapid and tool-free, ensuring a future-proof investment for municipalities. The system can be programmed via central management software, including Tvilight CityManager or third-party platforms, to create custom lighting schedules, adjust brightness levels, and implement adaptive or autonomous dimming strategies.
Advanced health monitoring, when combined with smart drivers such as Philips SR or Osram Dexal, provides actionable data on luminaire performance and the electric grid, supporting operators in fault detection, asset lifetime prediction, and budget planning. The controller also features an integrated ambient light sensor to automatically adjust brightness according to available natural light, and supports light-on-demand functionality when paired with low-voltage motion sensors, ensuring energy-efficient and responsive lighting for urban areas. Asset management capabilities allow cities to streamline operations and maintain optimal performance across the street lighting network.
Finally, the system supports over-the-air (OTA) updates, enabling software enhancements and security patches to be deployed quickly and securely across the network. With adaptive, autonomous, astro-clock, calendar-based, and central ALS-based dimming modes, this smart street lighting controller delivers an intelligent, future-ready solution that maximizes energy efficiency, reduces maintenance costs, and enhances public safety in urban environments.
https://tvilight.com/products/street-light-controller/zhaga-d4i-rf-mesh-street-light-controller-skylite_prime/
