The new-generation networked LED street lighting system is currently in the prototype stage on the campus of Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and has great potential for large-scale deployment in major cities (e.g., under negotiation in Chicago now) and the revolution of a critical community service. The pilot system consisting of 15 streetlights is operating on a wireless networking infrastructure (900 MHz ISM band) with cloud-based control to enable remote access and scheduling of lights. Compared to the traditional street lighting system, it not only reduces operating/maintenance/energy costs up to 75%, but also offers a new platform with APIs opening for many innovative smart city applications. Examples include utilization of streetlights as guiding signals for emergency evacuation, precise location indicators for ambulances during medical emergency incidents at night, or intelligent scheduling with real-time traffic/weather information for energy saving, and many more. While these potential new applications demonstrate great utility for the public, they also open up another avenue for malicious cyber attacks, such as denial of service or unauthorized control, posing potential threats to system security. Sufficient security evaluation of such types of new cyber-physical systems is essential towards a successful promotion of many new smart city applications.

Pilot Installation on IIT Campus	Architecture

Specific Aim 1: Developing and demonstrating innovative applications for public safety in the smart street lighting system.

Example application: Integration with the IIT campus 911 emergency call buttons to enable adjacent streetlights to flash as warning signals upon the activation of a 911-call button.


Specific Aim 2: An extensive cyber security evaluation of the IIT smart street lighting system.

Current Activities

• Control center security audit
• Communication protocol reverse engineering