Lake Macquarie Council is hosting a hardware-based hackathon for businesses to test and create LoRaWAN sensors that can use the Zhaga receptacle; a new, standardised sensor receptacle for street lights.

Lake Macquarie City Council’s Smart Cities Lead, Claire Chaikin-Bryan, is excited to see what sensors can be developed.

“We’re looking for sensors from the routine to those that push the boundaries of what is possible, and we’re interested to hear from businesses and developers in NSW to help us take our smart city vision forward and come up with some really amazing ideas,” Ms Chaikin-Bryan said.

“Participating in the Hackathon is a great opportunity for businesses as the Zhaga receptacle is now emerging as an option being offered by the electricity distributors that own most of the street lights in Australia.

“We’ve had some wonderful support from TE Connectivity, who have provided Zhaga Book 18 receptacles and sensor enclosures for Hackathon participants, as well as Next Energy and Ausgrid. We’re looking forward to a great event.”

In the lead up to the Hackathon in June, the Lake Macquarie Council is running an online information session on 28 May. Attendees can find out more and book at eventbrite.com.au/e/zhaga-sensors-lake-hack-information-session-tickets

Important dates for the Zhaga Sensors @ Lake Hack: