CENT-R: the Rotterdam mast that organises the smart street

What it integrates

CENT-R is a multifunctional, modular mast. In addition to lighting, it can house electric vehicle charging, air quality, sound and weather sensors, cameras, a defibrillator, space for 5G antennas and a DC network powered by an uninterruptible system. Modules are changed according to what each street needs.

The first three masts were commissioned in January 2020 in the Veenoord car park, in the Reyeroord neighbourhood. The design was patented jointly by the City Council and the company Lightwell.

The network that connects it

In 2021 the Rotterdam network relied on Kerlink LoRaWAN gateways to form a free, public IoT network across the metropolitan area. According to the manufacturer, a well-placed gateway covers about 75 km².

Applying basic geometry, 75 km² is equivalent to a circle of radius r = √(75 / π) ≈ 4.9 km. In practice, buildings reduce that range in the centre and open terrain extends it on the outskirts, which is why the real deployment uses dozens of overlapping gateways.

Why it is a good IoT case

The lesson is not the sensor but the architecture: sensors → connectivity → mast → IoT network → data → platform → decision. Reusable infrastructure allows new use cases to be added without digging up the pavement each time. It applies as it stands to industrial estates, ports and large installations.