Nanoradar Technology

Nanoradar Technology – radar-based parking sensor, nanoradar parking sensor & 60 GHz mmWave radar

Perex

Nanoradar Technology (above‑ground mmWave radar sensors) offers a pragmatic, low‑impact alternative to buried magnetometers for many smart‑parking use cases. This guide explains why cities and integrators choose radar‑based parking sensors, how to specify them, how they are installed and tuned, plus procurement and maintenance checks you should require in any tender.

Why Nanoradar Technology Matters in Smart Parking

Nanoradar provides a number of operational advantages for municipal parking programmes and private carpark operators:

Reliable occupancy detection across vehicle types and plate layouts — useful when you combine fleet and public parking signals with camera ground truth for verification; see real‑time parking occupancy.
Non‑intrusive above‑ground installation reduces pavement cuts, excavation and lane closures — consider a surface‑mounted parking sensor for rapid rollouts.
Works for both static slot occupancy and moving‑vehicle detection (useful for enforcement and park‑assist) — the sensor family is covered under nanoradar technology procurement items.
Improved resilience where magnetic noise or ground moisture makes geomagnetic sensors unreliable — look at interference resistance attributes during vendor evaluation.
Edge processing and hybrid fusion cut backhaul costs and improve multi‑target discrimination — vendors are shipping devices with edge‑computing capabilities and hybrid magnetometer + radar fusion such as dual‑detection magnetometer + nanoradar.

Vendor materials for combined radar + magnetometer nodes report detection performance above 99% when devices are installed and tuned per vendor guidance. For procurement, require raw validation logs (camera/ANPR ground truth) for an objective acceptance test.

Standards and Regulatory Context

Regulatory and radio standards determine allowable bands, EMC/EMI test procedures and device certification that procurement teams must check when specifying Nanoradar Technology. Important checks: radio regional parameters, RED/ETSI compliance in EU, and FCC rules for unlicensed use in the U.S.

ETSI EN 300 220 family — relevant for short‑range devices and many LPWAN sub‑GHz radios used alongside radar nodes. Confirm test reports that show radiated emissions and receiver blocking limits per EN 300 220 test procedures. See ETSI guidance on SRD harmonized standards. (mdpi.com)
FCC Part 15 & Part 2 (USA) — mmWave modules and unlicensed devices must meet local power and spurious emission rules; verify the applicable CFR sections for your state/jurisdiction. (c3dna.com)
LoRaWAN regional parameters / certification — if you choose LoRaWAN backhaul, confirm device LoRaWAN regional parameters match your network (RP2 updates reduce time‑on‑air and can improve battery life and network capacity). The LoRa Alliance published RP updates and related news in 2025; require LoRaWAN certification evidence when a vendor claims multi‑region support. (lora-alliance.org)

Procurement note: always request the radio firmware tuning and the certificate package (radiated emission report, receiver blocking test, and EMC/EMI reports) for every model you plan to buy. For large installations request test articles for your local regulatory lab or independent test body.

Types of Nanoradar Technology (how to choose)

Municipal deployments use several radar architectures. Choose by bay geometry, lane density and environmental constraints:

Surface‑mount short‑range FMCW (60 GHz mmWave) — narrow to medium beam; good for single‑slot surface installations where a surface‑mounted parking sensor is preferred.
Shaped‑beam barrier radar — wide shaped beam for lane/entry control (useful for carpark entrance gating and anti‑smash detection).
Wide‑FOV automotive modules (76–79 GHz) — large fan beams for park‑assist inside vehicles; consider only where automotive‑grade modules are certified.
Ultra‑short‑range AOP modules — tiny antenna‑on‑package modules used for close‑range park‑assist; see mini exterior sensors and compact parking sensor options.

Measurement modes: many nanoradar devices use FMCW waveforms for range and Doppler extraction; some simpler presence modes use time‑of‑flight for reduced processing. When comparing datasheets look for: multi‑target discrimination, lateral beam angle and per‑target placement accuracy (meter‑level lateral, sub‑meter longitudinal specs are common).

System Components (what a production node includes)

A mature nanoradar parking node will typically include:

Radar transceiver head (FMCW mmWave front end) — the core millimeter‑wave vehicle detection element.
Magnetometer module (optional) for hybrid fusion and autocalibration.
Low‑power MCU + edge DSP for target classification — look for intelligent firmware and edge AI capability.
Comms modem: LoRaWAN, NB‑IoT or LTE‑M; choose the modem profile that gives the best balance of coverage and power. See NB‑IoT parking sensor and LoRaWAN connectivity.
Power: battery pack options (3.6V Li‑SOCl2 or LiFePO4) sized for expected battery life; require embedded coulombmeter & daily battery telemetry (see long battery life).
Environmental enclosure: IP68 ingress protection and IK10 impact resistance for street deployments. See IP68 ingress protection and IK10 impact resistance.
Cloud/backend: telemetry, black‑box logs and FOTA capability (look for firmware‑over‑the‑air and dota monitoring).

Operational features to require in RFP: provisioning workflow, remote tune/OTA, black‑box export for the first 7–14 days of trial, and embedded battery health monitoring (sensor health monitoring).

How Nanoradar Technology is Installed / Measured / Implemented — Step‑by‑Step

Site survey and slot classification — capture bay dimensions, curb geometry and likely freeze/snow accumulation zones. Use GIS or photo survey and map to your parking‑space detection asset list.
Select sensor type — choose between surface‑mounted parking sensor, outdoor parking sensor or shaped‑beam modules according to lane width and multi‑target risk.
Mechanical alignment — mount using vendor bracket and set the beam so the main lobe intersects the bay centroid; reduce lateral spillover into neighbors by adjusting the detection range and beam angle.
Provision comms and power — configure LoRaWAN/NB‑IoT profile and private APN settings when required; verify NB‑IoT or LoRaWAN connectivity parameters.
Initial autocalibration — run the vendor autocalibration routine; capture baseline signatures for empty and occupied states.
Sensitivity & anti‑interference tuning — set anti‑jamming and hold‑time parameters to balance detection vs battery life.
FOTA to production firmware — enable black‑box logging for the first 7–14 days and lock telemetry for acceptance testing. Ensure firmware‑over‑the‑air is enabled and tested.
Trial validation — compare device logs with camera/ANPR ground truth for at least 7–14 days to validate >99% detection claims and to tune reporting cadence.
Handover & maintenance schedule — document periodic health checks, battery‑replacement forecasts and a firmware maintenance window via your backend (DOTA monitoring).

Practical installation tip: always validate the first 50–100 nodes with camera/ANPR ground truth before large scale roll‑out; require vendors to hand over raw black‑box logs for independent validation.

Maintenance and Performance Considerations

Battery monitoring: require an embedded coulombmeter and daily battery telemetry; avoid vendor battery claims without the stated reporting cadence and temperature assumptions.
Firmware management: mandatory FOTA for adaptability and anti‑jamming firmware patches; require a signed firmware chain and rollback capability (firmware‑over‑the‑air).
Environmental resilience: insist on IP68 and IK10 enclosures and vendor cold‑climate test reports if you expect operation below 0 °C (cold‑weather performance).
RF interference: mmWave sensors avoid magnetic noise but can suffer RF collisions — include RF coexistence and channel use in the tender (for LoRaWAN, require evidence of regional parameter conformance).
False positives in high‑turnover bays: use hybrid fusion (radar + magnetometer) and conservative hold times during acceptance testing; map transient events to camera ground truth to tune hold timers.

Practical tip: ask for EN 300 220 lab reports (radiated emission & receiver blocking) when deploying many LoRaWAN or sub‑GHz radios in the same area; compliant test results reduce the risk of large‑scale radio collisions and receiver desensitisation.

Key Takeaway from a cold‑climate pilot (vendor‑reported, Q1 2025)

In an early Q1 2025 cold‑climate field trial reported by the vendor, a small fleet of hybrid radar + magnetometer nodes operated through a sub‑zero week with continuous uptime and no immediate battery replacements required. Those results are vendor data and should be validated against black‑box coulombmeter logs and battery‑voltage traces before procurement acceptance. For device environmental specs see the product datasheet and battery operating range requirements (vendor test reports are mandatory during procurement).

Procurement checklist (practical)

Require: radiated emissions & receiver blocking test reports (EN / FCC)

Require: battery‑life calculator with temperature derating and reporting cadence

Require: black‑box logging for first 14 days and export on request

Require: signed FOTA chain, rollback and security (private APN or VPN)

Require: field acceptance against camera/ANPR ground truth (7–14 days)

Current Trends & Short‑Term Roadmap (2025)

Hardware and systems trends in 2025: higher‑frequency mmWave modules, tighter beamforming and smaller antenna‑on‑package (AOP) modules for ultra‑short range park‑assist. Edge AI classification reduces backhaul by sending events rather than raw target vectors; cloud‑managed fleets with robust FOTA and black‑box diagnostics are now procurement minimums for multi‑year pilots.

LoRaWAN regional parameter updates in 2025 (RP2‑1.0.5) changed data rates and improved device time‑on‑air efficiency — this is material to procurement when LoRaWAN backhaul is selected. See LoRa Alliance updates for RP2 changes and device certification guidance. (lora-alliance.org)

The EU Smart Cities programs continue to emphasise replicable, low‑cost sensors and rigorous pilot validation; the Smart Cities Marketplace and related State of European Smart Cities reports are useful references when drafting procurement criteria for city‑scale pilots. (smart-cities-marketplace.ec.europa.eu)

Summary

Nanoradar Technology is a practical, non‑intrusive route to accurate parking occupancy and park‑assist functions. In most urban pilots a hybrid radar + magnetometer approach gives the best trade‑off between detection accuracy and battery life. For tenders, always require EMC/radio test reports, black‑box logs, temperature‑derated battery forecasts and a firm FOTA plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Nanoradar Technology?
Nanoradar Technology is an above‑ground radar sensing approach that uses millimeter‑wave transceivers (FMCW or time‑of‑flight) to detect vehicle presence, motion and classification for smart parking and park‑assist use cases. See nanoradar technology.
How is Nanoradar Technology installed and validated?
Installation follows a site survey, selection of sensor type, mechanical alignment for beam angle, autocalibration and a trial period with black‑box logging to validate detection accuracy and battery consumption. See the step‑by‑step section above and autocalibration.
How does nanoradar compare to magnetometer sensors?
Magnetometers work well when buried and for very low power standby; nanoradar is above‑ground, non‑magnetic and better at wide bays, multi‑target scenarios and when ground conditions are poor. Hybrid devices combine strengths of both (see dual‑detection magnetometer + nanoradar).
What are best practices for surface‑mount installation?
Use a vendor bracket, set the beam to intersect the bay centroid, run autocalibration and validate 7–14 days against camera or ANPR ground truth. Check easy installation guidelines.
How long do batteries last in the field?
Vendor claims vary. Typical calculators and vendor literature show multi‑year lifetimes (some vendors claim >8 years under light‑turnover and mild climates). Always require battery‑life forecasts with your reporting cadence and cold‑temperature derating assumptions. See long battery life.
Are radar parking sensors affected by snow, ice and temperature extremes?
High‑quality sensors with IP68 enclosures and temperature‑stable electronics are designed to function through snow and ice — but procurement teams must request cold‑climate test reports and field logs to confirm real‑world endurance (see cold weather performance).

Optimize Your Parking Operation with Nanoradar Technology

Pilot a representative set of surface‑mount nodes across a winter season, verify battery and detection performance versus camera/ANPR ground truth, then scale with a firmware management and maintenance plan. Fleximodo supports end‑to‑end pilots with device health dashboards, battery forecasting and black‑box exports for independent acceptance.

References

Below are short summaries of selected Fleximodo project references (public/internal project list provided). These summaries highlight real deployments where radar + magnetometer or NB‑IoT nodes were used; project dates and counts are taken from internal deployment records.

Pardubice 2021 — 3,676 SPOTXL NB‑IoT sensors; deployed 2020‑09‑28; long field life reported in vendor telemetry (enterprise city pilot, Czech Republic).
Henkel underground parking (Bratislava) — 172 SPOT MINI sensors installed 2023‑12‑18 for indoor/underground validation of radar+magnetometer mini nodes.
Chiesi HQ White (Parma) — 297 sensors (SPOT MINI + SPOTXL LoRa) deployed 2024‑03‑05; used for mixed indoor/outdoor coverage and camera cross‑validation.
Skypark 4 (Bratislava) — 221 SPOT MINI nodes (residential underground) deployed 2023‑10‑03, used to validate underground radar performance.
Peristeri debug — 200 flashed sensors (Peristeri, Greece) — flagged for firmware debug and acceptance tests in 2025‑06‑03.
Vic‑en‑Bigorre (France) — 220 SPOTXL NB‑IoT nodes deployed 2025‑08‑11 (early 2025 regional deployment data).

If you need a CSV / download of the full project list sliced by sensor type and deployment date, I can export a table of these reference rows and map them to recommended deployment templates.

Author Bio

Ing. Peter Kovács — Senior technical writer and smart‑city infrastructure specialist. Peter produces operational guidance, procurement templates and field test protocols for municipal parking programmes and integrators. He focuses on vendor test validation, battery‑life forecasting and acceptance testing for large tenders.

Contact & credentials: available on the company author page and procurement dossier on request.