Municipal On‑Street Parking
Real‑time occupancy detection to guide drivers, reduce circling, and improve traffic flow.
Overview
About Smart Parking
The Battery-Operated Parking Management Sensor utilizes advanced technologies such as NB-IoT or LPWAN (e.g., LoRaWAN) to detect the occupancy and vacancy of parking spaces both indoors and outdoors. This system employs battery-operated parking sensors placed in individual parking spaces to monitor their availability in real-time. When a vehicle occupies or vacates a parking space, the sensors transmit data wirelessly to a centralized control system via NB-IoT or LPWAN communication networks.
The control system processes this data and updates the parking status information, which can be accessed by drivers through various channels such as a mobile app or large display screens located at strategic points within the parking facility or nearby areas.
Where it’s deployed
Applications & Use Cases
Real-world environments where Smart Parking delivers measurable operational value.
Disability Parking Spaces
Monitors accessible bays and alerts for misuse to ensure availability for authorized users.
EV Charging Parking Spaces
Detects presence at charging bays to prevent ICE‑ing and enforce fair, time‑limited usage.
Unauthorized / No‑Parking Zones
Identifies illegal parking in restricted areas and triggers instant alerts for enforcement.
Solution architecture diagram
How Smart Parking works, from sensor to cloud platform
Each bay is instrumented individually, so occupancy is measured at the source rather than estimated from entry and exit counts. Sensors are battery operated and fitted without trenching or cabling per bay.
01
In the parking bay
Field devices and placementBay occupancy sensor
Vehicle present or bay free, with event time
- Placement
- Surface mounted or flush fitted in the bay
- Power
- Battery, multi year
ANPR camera
Plate read at entry, exit and enforcement points
- Placement
- Gate, lane or barrier pole
- Power
- Mains with PoE
Zone guidance display
Free bay counts shown to drivers per level or zone
- Placement
- Entrance and decision points
- Power
- Mains
02
Wireless connectivity
Low power wide area networkLoRaWAN or NB-IoT
Bay sensors send a short message on each change of state and a periodic heartbeat. The radio choice is made per site, with underground decks verified during survey.
Gateways and network server
Gateways on poles, facades or inside car park structures forward frames to the network server, which decodes payloads, removes duplicates from overlapping gateways and buffers during backhaul loss.
03
Cloud platform
Storage, rules and reportingPlatform services
Device management, secure ingestion, time series storage, rules and alerting, role based access and open interfaces for integration with the systems already in use.
- Live occupancy per bay, zone, level and site
- Duration of stay, turnover and peak hour analysis
- Overstay, illegal bay and no payment flags for enforcement
- Guidance feeds to displays, apps and payment platforms
- Sensor battery and signal health per device
04
Who acts on the data
Operations and reportingParking operations
Live board of occupancy and enforcement events by zone.
Drivers and citizens
Availability published to apps, signage and wayfinding services.
Municipality and owner
Revenue, utilisation and compliance reporting per district or asset.
What it does
Key Features
Engineered for real-world municipal and operator deployments — built to scale.
Easy installation and dismantling
Our parking sensor offers easy installation and dismantling, providing a hassle-free solution for parking management. With a user-friendly design and straightforward mounting process, it can be effortlessly installed in various parking environments, whether indoor or outdoor.
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Supports NB-IoT or LoRaWAN
Our parking sensor is equipped with versatile connectivity options, supporting both NB-IoT and LoRaWAN protocols. This dual-support ensures compatibility with a wide range of IoT networks, offering flexibility and scalability in deployment.
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Long Life Time
Our parking sensor is engineered for longevity, boasting an extended lifespan powered by a robust 38Ah battery. With this high-capacity battery, the sensor can operate reliably for an extended period, minimizing the frequency of battery replacements and ensuring continuous functionality.
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Advance Sensing Module
Our parking sensor utilizes advanced detection modules, including Earth Magnet and mmWave pulse radar technology, to ensure accurate and reliable detection of parking space occupancy.
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Real-Time Reporting
Our parking sensor provides instant, real-time reporting of parking space availability to drivers through intuitive interfaces such as mobile apps or display screens. With timely updates on vacant spaces, drivers can navigate efficiently and find parking quickly, minimizing congestion and enhancing the overall parking experience
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Questions
Smart Parking questions we are asked most
- How does a smart parking sensor detect a vehicle?
- A sensor fitted in or on each bay detects the presence of a vehicle and reports the change of state with a time stamp. Because measurement happens per bay, occupancy is known bay by bay rather than estimated from entry and exit counts at a barrier.
- Does smart parking work in underground car parks?
- Yes. Radio coverage inside decks and basements is verified with test devices during the survey, and gateway placement is adjusted before bulk installation. NB-IoT is used where operator coverage already reaches the structure.
- Can the occupancy data feed an existing payment or app platform?
- Yes. Occupancy, availability and enforcement events are published through open APIs and MQTT feeds, so existing payment platforms, guidance signage and mobile applications can consume the same verified data.
Related reading: Smart City solutions, wireless technologies and smart cities industry page.
Smart City Specialist
Plan your Smart Parking deployment
Talk to our smart-city architects about pilots, integration, and operations.