Ready to have the streetlights spying on you?
Just one more hideout for Big
Brother.
Just changing the bulb - eh?
Sunrise Technologies’ new BrownBetty system creates a mesh network for communications between ground-based sensor and control devices and the Internet.
By taking advantage of the existing streetlight infrastructure with its high elevation poles and clean line of sight, BrownBetty dramatically lowers the cost of backhaul communications while enabling applications that were previously not practical or affordable.
For utilities, these could include automatic meter reading, time-of-use metering, advanced metering infrastructure, remote water meter reading, remote electric meter disconnect, fault indication, distribution automation, and utility GPS mapping. Other applications include Homeland Security sensor monitoring, peak period load shedding, vehicle tracking, advanced parking meters, storm drain blockage monitoring, water flow monitoring, home/business heating oil tank monitoring, and bridge stress monitoring, among many others. [Yes, I added the emphasis]
The system gets its curious name from Brown Betty, the horse used by Paul Revere in his famous ride to alert the Minuteman in Lexington and Concord of the British Army’s approach.
Your streetlight will probably be able to tell the coppers if you peed behind a nearby bush.
Posted: Mon - May 5, 2008 at 09:38 AM