postsensors

Postsensors are sensor systems designed to be deployed on vertical posts such as utility poles, signposts, and fencing to monitor structural condition and environmental factors affecting the posts. They are used in civil infrastructure, utilities, and smart-city projects to track movement, tilt, strain, moisture, temperature, and other indicators of asset health.

A typical postsensor setup combines inertial sensors (accelerometers and sometimes gyroscopes) to detect movement or tilt, strain gauges to measure bending or load, and environmental sensors for temperature, humidity, or corrosion indicators. Data are often transmitted wirelessly via low-power networks such as LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, or cellular links, and may be processed at the edge to reduce bandwidth. Power is usually supplied by batteries and/or solar panels, with some systems designed for energy harvesting and long-life operation in harsh outdoor environments.

Applications include monitoring utility poles and street furniture for structural integrity, improving maintenance planning for telecom and electrical networks, supporting traffic and urban management, and protecting agricultural fencing or irrigation installations. Postsensors contribute to asset management by enabling early fault detection, reducing outages, and extending service life through data-driven maintenance.

Implementation considerations encompass secure and reliable attachment to posts, proper sensor placement, calibration and drift management, durability under weather exposure, data security and privacy, and interoperability with existing asset-management or SCADA systems. While the concept is widely adopted in smart infrastructure, there is no single universal standard, and implementations vary by manufacturer and project requirements.