Sigfox Parking Slot Tracking system:Working,Benefits,Limitations,Solution Providers

Introduction : Urban centres around the world are becoming increasingly congested, and one of the most visible symptoms of this congestion is the frustrating, time wasting hunt for a free parking space for vehicle drivers.

Traditional parking management approaches such as signage, enforcement officers, fixed payment booths have been used till now. These methods often lack real time visibility, scalability or cost efficiency.

In Sigfox based parking slot tracking, occupancy sensors of different types such as In-ground or Surface mount are installed at parking slot as per size of the vehicles. These sensors are connected via Sigfox’s 0G network. Operators can gain real time knowledge of which slots are free, which are occupied and how long vehicles stay parked.

Sigfox Parking Slot Tracking System Architecture & Working

The system consists of parking slot sensor device, Sigfox Base station/Gateway, Backend/Cloud platform & user/application layer. The system allows detection of whether individual parking slots (off-street, on-street, gated lots, etc.) are occupied or free.

Following points describe working of the system.

• Parking sensors installed on parking space detect presence/absense of vehicle. detection can use magnetic sensors, radar or combination for better accuracy. The sensor is battery powered or designed for outdoor specifications. The sensor sends small data payload to sigfox network using sigfox radio module attached with it.
• The sigfox network (Base Station/Gateway) sends received data to backend or cloud platform.
• The received sensor data is decoded and analyzed and used by parking apps or dashboards.
• Users can see real time parking availability via mobile app or web app or signage.

Advantages of Sigfox Parking Slot Tracking System

Following are some of the benefits of Sigfox Parking Slot Tracking System.

1. Sigfox Sensors can often last many years on battery due to less power consumption.
2. Sigfox Base Stations can cover large areas which helps in street parking or remote lots.
3. Cost effective hardware, less communication costs and lower maintenance.
4. Drivers can see empty slots. Parking managers can track utilization, congestion, overstaying etc.
5. Helps in reducing parking time for drivers and reducing traffic around parking spaces.

Disadvantages of Sigfox Parking Slot Tracking

Following are some of the limitations or challenges of Sigfox Parking Slot Tracking.

1. Sensors are exposed to theft or vandalism. Requires appropriate physical design and secure communication.
2. In-ground or flush installation is complex. It requires civil works (e.g. cutting, embedding, sealing) and will increase cost.

Key Solutions provider

Conclusion: Because the sigfox system sends only small messages infrequently, it requires minimal energy, enabling battery powered devices with long lifespans. This makes deployments cost effective and sustainable, especially over large areas or in settings with limited infrastructure.