Internet of lamps for future ubiquitous communications: Integrated sensing, hybrid interconnection, and intelligent illumination

The ubiquitous deployment and restricted consumption are the requirements restricting the development of Internet of Things. Thus, a promising technology named Internet of Lamps (IoL) is discussed in this paper to address these challenges. Compared with other communication networks, the remarkable advantage of IoL is that it can make full use of the existing lighting networks with sufficient power supply. The lamps can be connected to the Internet through wired power line communication and/or wireless communication, while the integration of integrated sensing, hybrid interconnection, and intelligent illumination is realized. In this paper, the IoL is discussed from three aspects including sensing layer, network layer, and application layer, realizing the comprehensive upgrade based on the conventional communication and illumination systems. Meanwhile, several novel technologies of IoL are discussed based on the requirements of sensing, communication, and control, which have put forward practical solutions to the issues faced by IoL. Moreover, the challenges and opportunities for IoL are highlighted from various parts of the system structure, so as to provide future insights and potential trends for researchers in this field.