Frequently Asked Questions
Sensors Capabilities
What is the range of SMATS sensors?
The Bluetooth and WiFi sensors range depends on the signal type, antenna type, and installation settings. The range for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Connected signals is around 300 meters, and Bluetooth Discoverable and Low Energy are around 150 meters. These ranges can be lowered by changing the antenna gain (hardware configuration). Alternatively, on iNode™, the far detections can be eliminated by filtering the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) thresholds.
The range for smartmicro radar sensors is up to 300m depending on placement.
How do the sensors communicate (to the cloud)?
Through the cellular network, Wi-Fi, or available LAN/fiber-optic networks.
What types of signals do the sensors detect?
- Wi-Fi device (any mode)
- Bluetooth Classic devices in discoverable mode
- Bluetooth Classic devices in connected mode
- Bluetooth Low Energy devices in advertising mode
- Vehicle count and classification when radar is used
Can you detect a specific vehicle in traffic?
Yes, if the vehicle has been tagged by a Bluetooth beacon and its MAC address has been registered on iNode.
smartmicro radar can detect and classify pedestrians, bikes, motorbikes, passenger cars, delivery and pick-up trucks, short trucks, and long trucks.
Can you differentiate between traffic lanes?
smartmicro radar sensors can differentiate between lanes when detecting different objects.
Sensor Physical Features
What power source options are available with the sensors?
There are three power source options available with TrafficXHub™:
- 110-220VAC- 12VDC External Power Supply
- Solar Power
- Power over Ethernet (PoE)
TrafficBox™:
- Portable batteries
Smartmicro Radar Sensors:
- 110-220VAC- 12VDC External Power Supply
What is the battery life of each sensor?
- TrafficXHub™: AGM or LiFePO : Solar panel system: 3 days on battery autonomy.
- TrafficBox™: Lithium-Ion up to 3 days.
- Radar Sensors: Solar Power System, 2 days on battery autonomy.
What are the differences between the sensors?
TrafficXHub™ and TrafficXHub™ Cabinet sensors are designed for permanent installation while TrafficBox™ is portable and can be moved between different projects and locations for travel time and origin-destination studies. However, the detection abilities remain the same throughout the line of SMATS sensors.
smartmicro radar sensors can be installed temporarily or permanently for collecting count, speed, and classification data or wrong-way, queue, or speed threshold detection.
Setup & Installation
Can the sensor installation process be done by customers?
The sensor installation process is easy and can be done by customers after training.
How long is the warranty period for the sensors?
One-year standard, but extended warranty can be purchased.
iNode Data Analytics
How does data get to 3rd party traffic management systems?
iNode™ data can be shared with 3rd party systems through the available REST API.
How are outliers are removed from the travel time data in iNode™?
iNode™ uses an advanced adaptive filtering algorithm to remove the outliers from the data. The algorithm performance has been tested in various conditions. To receive a whitepaper about this, please contact us.
Crowdsourced and Connected Car Data
Does the crowdsourced or connected car data need installing any physical sensor?
No, it doesn’t. Just by having access to the iNode™ platform, you can capture and analyze the crowdsourced data for almost any roadways.
If travel time data can be captured by iNode™ crowdsourced data, why do we need sensors?
- When the number of data-collection segments and the duration of data collection increases, the crowdsourced option can become more expensive than the sensors deployment option.
- Crowdsourced traffic data is not available for some road segments.
- Sensors work best for picking up Bluetooth signals for beacon tracking.
- The advanced analytics available with the Connected Car probe data such as Signal Performance Measures are not available with sensors or crowdsourced data.