Bridge 129 Srl is a smart city and infrastructure integrator in Reggio Emilia, northern Italy. In March 2025 it took delivery of a Fleximodo On-Surface Adaptor, the housing that lets a standard parking sensor sit on top of existing paving instead of being drilled into it.
Many Italian parking areas sit on stone setts, cobbles or other protected surfaces where coring a hole is not permitted. An integrator working in those areas needs a way to install sensors that leaves the surface intact.
How the project developed
March 2025: surface mounting hardware delivered. Bridge 129 received an On-Surface Adaptor for use with the Fleximodo Sensor Standard. The adaptor is a shallow housing fixed to the surface with adhesive or anchors that do not go into the sub-base. It works with both the LoRaWAN and NB-IoT versions of the sensor, and it can be removed later without leaving a hole.
Next phase: installation on site.
How on-surface mounting compares with in-ground
The sensor inside the adaptor is the same Sensor Standard used in flush installs. It detects vehicles with a magnetometer combined with radar, and Fleximodo quotes 99.96% detection accuracy for it. Firmware applies automatic temperature compensation. That matters more above ground, where the housing sees the full swing between summer sun and winter frost on the paving.
What changes is the installation work:
| In-ground | On-surface adaptor | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface work | Core drilling and resin fill | Adhesive or surface anchors |
| Reversible | No, the hole remains | Yes, removable |
| Suits protected paving | Rarely | Yes |
| Visible on the bay | Flush with the surface | Low housing on the surface |
Lessons for similar sites
- Check the surface before choosing the sensor. Heritage paving, waterproof membranes over car park decks and ducts close to the surface all rule out drilling. Decide on the mounting before the layout is fixed.
- Keep one sensor model across mixed sites. Because the adaptor holds the standard sensor, an integrator can fit drilled and surface-mounted bays in the same project and manage them in one platform.
- Use surface mounting for pilots. A removable install lets a city test sensor positions and move them after reviewing the data, without repairing the road.
The same adaptor approach is used in Berlin for mobility hubs, described in the Multiguide case study. Another Italian integrator project is covered in Vicenza. Product details are on the IoT parking sensor page.
Takeaway: where the paving cannot be drilled, a surface adaptor lets the same sensor go in and come out again without leaving a mark.