Web-Controlled Smart Street Light Fault Detection System Using ESP32 and IoT

Street lighting is a public-safety service and a large part of municipal energy use, yet faults such as burnt-out lamps and cut wires are still found mainly through night patrols or complaints from residents. Lamps can also stay lit in daylight when a timer or switch fails. This paper presents the design of a web-controlled smart street light fault detection system based on the Internet of Things. Each pole carries an ESP32 or NodeMCU node with a Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) for switching the lamp from ambient light, an ACS712 sensor for measuring the load current, and a relay for remote switching. The firmware compares the commanded relay state with the measured current to separate open-circuit faults (blown lamp or broken wire) from overcurrent faults (short circuit). Readings are sent over MQTT or HTTP to a Node.js or Flask back end with a MySQL or PostgreSQL database, and a responsive web dashboard shows the status of each pole, raises fault alerts, and lets operators override zones remotely. The system is intended to reduce manual patrolling, shorten the time taken to respond to faults, and cut daytime energy waste. A plan for evaluating the prototype is also given.