Mini Interior 1.0 Parking Sensor

Mini Interior 1.0 Parking Sensor – LoRaWAN indoor detection, 3.6V battery, IP68 compact sensor

The Mini Interior 1.0 is designed for municipal parking engineers and city IoT integrators as a compact, low‑maintenance IoT parking sensor for sheltered and semi‑sheltered parking (garages, basements, covered lots). It combines a 3‑axis magnetometer with a nanoradar front end and an advanced detection algorithm to maximise detection reliability while keeping power consumption low. The combined detection method, mechanical casing and power specification are documented in the product datasheet.

Key value propositions:

• High detection reliability for indoor environments where GPS / video may be impractical — triple sensing with autocalibration reduces false positives.
• Compact form factor and IP68 one‑piece casing for easy deployment in reserved or residential bays. easy installation
• Tight integration with backend tools such as DOTA monitoring and the city parking guidance system for enforcement, navigation and analytics.

Standards and regulatory context

Below is a concise regulatory and standards table to check when specifying Mini Interior 1.0 for tenders.

Practical note: the LoRaWAN specification and certification materials describe regional parameter updates and the certification test toolchain used to verify end‑devices; always reference LoRa Alliance resources when planning certification.

Types and SKUs

Mini and Standard families overview:

• Mini Interior (1.0)

  • Purpose: indoor / sheltered bays, residential garages, basement stacks.
  • Detection: 3‑axis magnetometer + nanoradar (self‑calibrating). self-calibrating parking sensor
  • Power: built‑in 3.6 V, 3.6 Ah primary cell (Mini 1.0). See battery calculator for profile estimates.
  • Network: LoRaWAN connectivity variant; NB‑IoT SKU available where required. nb-iot parking sensor

• Mini Exterior (1.0) — similar energy profile but casing tuned to IP68/IK10.

• Standard On‑surface / In‑ground (2.0) — larger battery options (14–19 Ah) and multi‑network choices (LoRaWAN / NB‑IoT / LTE‑M).

Quick spec (summary)

Notes: estimate battery years using the vendor battery calculator (clientzone) as lifetime depends on SR/DR profile, SF / ADR and event rate.

System components (typical deployment)

A turn‑key Mini Interior 1.0 deployment contains:

• The IoT parking sensor (Mini Interior 1.0).
• Indoor LoRaWAN connectivity gateway(s) — for basements you may prefer a commercial indoor gateway such as the Kerlink Wirnet iFemtoCell.
• Central backend (DOTA monitoring) for device management, logs and analytics.
• City front‑end for driver navigation, enforcement and reservations (integrates with the parking guidance system).
• Optional: IoT permit card for permit workflows, led parking guidance display or flip-dot parking display for driver guidance.
• Installation accessories and foundations (adhesives, anchors). easy installation

Integration notes:

• Sensors publish occupancy events to DOTA monitoring where analytics and enforcement logic run. Use private APN and private APN security patterns for telco integration.
• For indoor basements or stacked parking, increase gateway density and test RF with a site survey. indoor parking sensor

How to install, commission and validate (HowTo summary)

1. Project survey: map slots, check RSSI for LoRa/NB‑IoT and note large metallic surfaces. easy installation
2. Choose network: LoRaWAN vs NB‑IoT based on gateway coverage and OPEX; run sample telemetry through the battery calculator. LoRaWAN connectivity NB‑IoT connectivity
3. Mark slot centreline per installation manual and placement diagrams.
4. Mount sensor using authorised adhesive/fixings; keep sensor level and parallel to parking angle.
5. Commission & autocalibrate: after power‑up the unit runs autocalibration for the magnetometer and verifies radar baseline — confirm occupancy events in DOTA monitoring.
6. Network tuning: set SF / ADR, uplink cadence and OTA params; verify using the Kerlink/LoRa server logs.
7. QA & field validation: camera‑assisted sampling of 100+ events for acceptance.
8. Integrate to the parking guidance system and enforcement modules.
9. Set sensor health thresholds (RSSI, battery) and schedule spot checks after heavy maintenance (ploughing, flooding). sensor health monitoring

(Full installation steps and diagrams are in the installation manual.)

Maintenance and performance considerations

• Battery & lifecycle: Mini 1.0 uses a 3.6 V, 3.6 Ah primary cell for the Mini SKU — compute expected years with the vendor battery calculator for your reporting profile. battery life 10+ years
• Environmental: the onboard nanoradar is affected by standing water, snow and debris; coverage of the radar window can reduce detection accuracy (vendor disclaimers list accuracy impacts).
• Mechanical robustness: rated IP68 and IK10 for the casing design, but in heavy‑load outdoor areas prefer on‑surface or in‑ground units.
• Remote diagnostics & OTA: use OTA firmware update workflows via DOTA for logs and rolling updates; pilot updates on a limited batch first.

Key takeaway from the Pardubice 2021 pilot
Deployments: 3,676 SPOTXL NBIOT sensors (deployed 2020‑09‑28). Internal project data record shows zivotnost_dni = 1904 (≈ 5.2 years of measured operation to date) — treat this as an operational datapoint when estimating lifecycle risk and logistics for large fleets.

Quick operational note — Peristeri debug (Jun 2025)
200 flashed SPOTXL NBIOT sensors deployed 2025‑06‑03 with zivotnost_dni = 195 (early lifecycle telemetry). Use early‑deployment telemetry to tune reporting cadence and ADR settings.

(These project datapoints come from internal project references and should be validated against the procurement dataset.)

Current trends and procurement guidance

Triple‑sensing (magnetometer + nanoradar + self‑calibration) and smarter edge algorithms are the baseline for class‑A parking sensors. Fleet management is focusing on health telemetry, secure private APN security and robust OTA channels. Procurement should prioritise vendors with transparent battery calculators, documented RF/safety test reports and a clear OTA & diagnostics strategy. See the EU "State of European Smart Cities" report for context on city‑scale deployments and replication of successful pilots.

Local policy examples (planning & mobility) help frame procurement cycles; for example, Graz's Mobility Plan 2040 shows how cities link parking and mobility changes to longer‑term urban goals.

Standards & certification: align procurement requirements with the current LoRaWAN specification and certification pipeline; LoRa Alliance resources describe regional parameters and certification tooling used to validate end‑devices.

Frequently asked questions

1. What is Mini Interior 1.0 Parking Sensor?
   The Mini Interior 1.0 is a compact LoRaWAN‑connected occupancy sensor that uses a 3‑axis magnetometer plus a nanoradar to detect vehicle presence in indoor or sheltered parking spaces. See the datasheet for detailed electrical and mechanical specs.

2. How is the Mini Interior installed and commissioned?
   Installation is a 9‑step process (survey, network decision, marking, mount, autocalibration, tuning, QA, backend integration, monitoring). Follow the installation guide and run camera‑assisted acceptance tests.

3. What battery life can I expect?
   Battery life depends on uplink profile (event vs heartbeat), SF/ADR and reporting cadence — use the vendor battery calculator for realistic estimates.

4. How accurate is the sensor?
   The product family documents lab and field validation; combined magnetometer + radar algorithms with autocalibration offer high single‑slot detection reliability in tested scenarios — vendors recommend 100+ event validation.

5. Can Mini Interior be used outdoors?
   It is optimised for indoor/sheltered environments; for exposed roadside use on‑surface or in‑ground standard models. Confirm IP/IK and mechanical test reports for outdoor use.

6. Which approvals should procurement verify?
   Verify RF compliance (EN 300 220), safety (EN 62368‑1), CE / RED and any operator approvals. Request the exact test reports for the SKU you plan to buy.

References

• Pardubice 2021 — carpark_id: 165 — 3,676 sensors (SPOTXL NBIOT). Deployed: 2020‑09‑28. zivotnost_dni: 1904. (Pardubice, Czech Republic)
• RSM Bus Turistici — carpark_id: 256 — 606 sensors (SPOTXL NBIOT). Deployed: 2021‑11‑26. zivotnost_dni: 1480. (Roma Capitale, Italy)
• CWAY virtual car park no. 5 — carpark_id: 813 — 507 sensors (SPOTXL NBIOT). Deployed: 2023‑10‑19. zivotnost_dni: 788. (Portugal)
• Kiel Virtual Parking 1 — carpark_id: 336 — 326 sensors (OTHER, SPOTXL LORA, SPOTXL NBIOT). Deployed: 2022‑08‑03. zivotnost_dni: 1230. (Germany)
• Chiesi HQ White — carpark_id: 532 — 297 sensors (SPOT MINI, SPOTXL LORA). Deployed: 2024‑03‑05. zivotnost_dni: 650. (Parma, Italy)
• Skypark 4 Residential Underground Parking — carpark_id: 712 — 221 sensors (SPOT MINI). Deployed: 2023‑10‑03. zivotnost_dni: 804. (Bratislava, Slovakia)

(Full project dataset available from internal references supplied with this article.)

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Author Bio

Ing. Peter Kovács — Technical freelance writer

Ing. Peter Kovács is a senior technical writer specialising in smart‑city infrastructure. He produces procurement‑grade content for municipal parking engineers, city IoT integrators and tender teams, combining field test protocols, datasheet analysis and practical deployment templates.

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This article is based on the official Mini 1.0 datasheet, installation manual and Fleximodo test reports; always request the latest SKU‑specific reports before procurement.