A 20-Year Veteran's Reflection: The Tragic State of Street Light Monitoring Software

Recently, many of our clients and partners have been telling me that our street light monitoring software doesn't deliver a great experience — often comparing it unfavorably to competitors' products. Today, as a 20-plus-year veteran of this industry with a master's degree in computer science from a top-211 university, and someone who has always worked on the front lines of software R&D, I want to share an honest look at the real state of software platforms in the street light monitoring industry.

I started in software development from day one of my career. Over more than two decades, I've evolved alongside the industry's technology stack — from VB to C#, C++, Java, and now AI-assisted programming. System architectures have progressed from the earliest client-server models to browser-based architectures, and now to the mainstream microservices architecture with front-end/back-end separation. Over the years, I've led the development of systems for all three major telecom carriers in China, and built countless small applications and mobile apps. The amount of code I've written is beyond counting. In my view, pure software development is actually the most fundamental and simplest thing in this industry. But when it comes to the software development of the street light monitoring sector specifically — it fills me with genuine sorrow and heartache.

Software Has Zero Perceived Value

In the street light monitoring industry, the value of software has been severely underestimated — to the point where it's essentially considered worthless. The moment you mention to a client that the software for this procurement carries a fee of 1,000 yuan, they immediately explode with anger, accusing you of taking advantage of their lack of market knowledge. They'll demand to know: who else in this industry charges for software? Who doesn't give it away for free?

And they're right — giving software away for free is indeed the universal norm in this industry. I myself have never charged a client a single yuan for software. Sometimes we even have to purchase the servers ourselves. But you simply cannot complete a street light monitoring project without a software platform. Caught in this contradiction, we had no choice but to pause the development of our own platform — our technology stack remains frozen at pre-2016 levels. Left with no other option, we turned to open-source software to meet project requirements. Today, aside from a few small custom systems where we do charge for development, most of our business revolves around the open-source ecosystem.

The Industry's Software Reality

Let me be direct about the current state of software across the street light monitoring industry. I can't say 100%, but the vast majority of systems are deeply disappointing. Most practitioners in this space essentially copy and clone open-source systems, hire a designer to create a few polished login screens, data dashboards, or so-called "big data visualization" interfaces. Everyone pours their energy into superficial aesthetics — yet nobody is willing to sit down and truly think through the underlying logic and system architecture to do proper planning and design.

In today's hyper-competitive, race-to-the-bottom environment, which company can actually afford to maintain a professional software development team? Everyone knows that software is a service — quality software requires a dedicated team continuously iterating, upgrading, and refining. Good software has no finish line; it's always on the path of improvement. All of this requires sustained capital and human investment.

But wool comes from the sheep's back — where is that sustained investment supposed to come from? Do developers not need salaries? Can they survive on nothing but the north wind? The end result is always one of two outcomes: either the company outsources the software to a small team for initial development and never updates or upgrades it again, leaving the system permanently frozen in its initial state; or, like us, they reluctantly turn to free open-source systems that barely meet basic project requirements.

A Heartfelt Hope for the Future

Finally, I want to share my genuine hope: that one day, a truly professional software company will emerge that focuses deeply on street light monitoring and operations system development — building a mature, stable, and professional system with open APIs that can seamlessly integrate controllers from any manufacturer. I would be perfectly willing to pay for such a system.

Instead of what we have now: every company building its own barely-passable system, just trying to get by and close the project. Street light monitoring is a niche industry that has long lacked standards and been mired in chaos. In my 20-plus years in this field, I've seen too many people rush in with a quick-buck mentality, make their money, and leave just as fast. That's the prevailing mindset among many practitioners today.

Perhaps in a few years, looking back at this industry, those who have truly persevered will be few and far between. But it is precisely those who stay and hold firm who are the real pillars holding up the development of the street light monitoring industry. I sincerely hope this industry can soon emerge from its chaos and enter a phase of healthy growth. And I hope that all those who remain committed to this field will find a bright future ahead.