Simple Choices, Better Cities: How Schréder EXEDRA Works for Everyone
More and more people worldwide live, work and relax in cities. By 2050, two out of every three people are likely to be living in cities, according to the United Nations. This means that around 2.5 billion people could be added to urban areas by the middle of the century; they deserve effective infrastructure and systems for everyday living.
Providing these services is a multi-faceted task. Diverse stakeholders including local governments, private companies and housing providers need to meet citizens’ expectations. Using a Central Management System (CMS) for infrastructure needs such as lighting, connectivity, and traffic systems offers energy savings, optimised light levels, and reduced maintenance time and costs.
At Schréder, we created Schréder EXEDRA to be Simple, Modular, Automation-driven, Resilient and Trustable – as every option on the market should be. In this blog, we explain how Schréder EXEDRA is simple and intuitive for everyone who uses it. Just like smartphones, users can get the results they want - smoothly functioning smart lighting systems - without worrying about what’s inside the box.
Why Simple?
Smart street lighting systems represent a technological leap in urban infrastructure management. Beyond their primary function of lighting streets, they streamline operations and maximise efficiency. Schréder EXEDRA facilitates collaboration between stakeholders: if the mayor's office, the maintenance contractor and the resident’s association can all understand how the systems are managed, problems are easier and quicker to resolve.
Schréder EXEDRA is easy to deploy and brings immediate benefits to asset management and maintenance. It is simple, right from the start. Plug-and-play components simplify the set-up process and reduce the need for specialised technical skills. Once an asset is installed, it’s connected.
Furthermore, it is easy to scale, allowing growing cities to keep pace with demographic changes. Auto-commissioning, monitoring and reporting means that interventions can be anticipated and quickly resolved. The system is interoperable, so that existing assets can be brought on board with minimal effort. And open standards and protocols create an architecture that interacts seamlessly with third-party software and hardware solutions.
Quick, Smart, Adaptive
One of the most attractive features of Schréder EXEDRA is how easy it is to set up. Automated commissioning and design means that assets are immediately integrated into the system, without manual intervention. In addition, a robust automation engine enables city managers to streamline operations and automate repetitive tasks through custom routines and rules.
With Schréder EXEDRA, basic luminaire data is automatically retrieved and updated via RFID technology or the ZD4i ecosystem. This is just the start of an easy working relationship: with direct access to every single street light in a system, asset management is straightforward for the entire lifespan of the unit. And that means every asset: we work with smart city consortiums to ensure our systems are interoperable. In a world where sustainability matters, cities should aim to get the most out of their infrastructure.
If the local authorities have already installed connected-ready luminaires with either Zhaga or NEMA nodes, the auto-inventory feature is activated. By simply connecting them to Schréder EXEDRA, data on location, wattage, optics and so on will be uploaded. This is just one advantage of installing connected-ready luminaires.
Separately, auto-commissioning automates the process of adding street lights and assets, as well as testing their configuration. With Schréder EXEDRA, if the installation is successful, the luminaires will switch on and off, and then dim to show everything is working.
These two factors simplify the installation of a public lighting system. Automation can also be used to keep things simple by configuring dimming schedules and profiles, setting custom groups of luminaires and remote monitoring.
New Systems for Old Cities: Going Smart in Poland
Wloclawek is one of the oldest cities in Poland. With its historical monuments, museums and parks, the local authorities wanted a future as impressive as its past. As part of the city’s action plan to improve public infrastructure, the local authorities decided to convert to LED lighting and install Schréder EXEDRA. More than 2,400 connected luminaires now adorn the city, improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, while significantly reducing energy consumption.
Automated inventory and monitoring makes asset management effortless. Data is accessible from anywhere, providing insight for continuous improvement of the lighting network. The system automatically detects faults and triggers alarms for rapid intervention. And a mobile version allows authorities to check status on the move, ensuring operational efficiency.
The results are simple to interpret: Wloclawek has recorded energy savings of over 40% and maintenance savings of 16%. And the installation of Schréder EXEDRA has saved time as well as money, because the system can provide additional information about the faults detected so that teams can arrive on site with the right parts and tools.
Wloclawek’s journey is a shining example of how the use of smart technology can create a safer, more efficient and sustainable future for a city. And with simplicity at its heart, they can easily scale up the system as their proud history of growth continues.
Powerful Platforms, Simple Structures
In a world where smartphones are common, people expect an intuitive user interface. Swipe, click and scroll have replaced typed commands. Schréder EXEDRA is as easy to access as a mobile app, with a simple, uncluttered, interface. This provides real-time monitoring, with instant access to the status of each connected luminaire. Schréder EXEDRA shows teams exactly where problems are occurring so that faults can be fixed quickly. It also has an inventory management system so that spare parts are listed, reducing downtime.
Users can set alarms, create tickets for specific luminaires and assign them to maintenance operators - ensuring clear, effective communication between all those involved in resolving the problem. All parties involved are provided with easily accessible data, such as geolocation (map view), and an ID or QR code search tool to make it easy to work on faulty luminaires and maximise the efficiency of the field team.
The collection and analysis of data over time enables predictive maintenance, where potential issues are identified before they lead to failures. This strategic approach extends the lifespan of assets, maximises uptime, and further curtails intervention costs – helping cities achieve circular economy targets.
At a system level, Schréder EXEDRA runs on Microsoft Azure, removing the stress of setting up a proprietary cloud. Instead of finding space, buying servers and setting up an entire IT infrastructure, commercial cloud solutions offer greater resilience, stronger cybersecurity protections and lower costs compared to building a proprietary hosting architecture. It empowers city managers to streamline operations and remove another expense from their balance sheet.
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Keep it simple, Cities
Cities should work for everyone, and everyone who works for a city should be able to get the most out of its lighting infrastructure. Schréder EXEDRA gives you the power to manage the city, simply: today, and also after a decade or more of growth.
Investing in a CMS offers a compelling value proposition. Simplifying daily operations reduces the need for manual intervention, improves operational efficiency and optimises asset management. Switching to Schréder EXEDRA will not only enhance the urban environment, but also contribute to the overall well-being of residents through smarter and more sustainable cities.
A simple, automated system seamlessly accommodates network expansions and changes. Smart street lighting systems represent a paradigm shift, delivering operational efficiency, accurate decision-making and significant savings that go beyond the limitations of traditional methods – and Schréder EXEDRA is the simple choice for a smart future.
About the writer
Passionate about IT from a young age, Robert has worked in the IT industry for over 20 years, holding a variety of positions in Operations Management and International Sales. He joined Schréder this year, bringing his expertise in supporting digital transformation and scaling up existing lighting infrastructure to help cities address their challenges and make the transition to smart technology.
Connect with Robert on LinkedIn.