# What is this thing being installed on this street light? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 24, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-being-installed-on-this-street-light/593941 "2011-08-24T19:44:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-being-installed-on-this-street-light/593941/1 "2011-08-24T19:44:10Z")
I noticed this guy installing…[whatever this is](http://i.imgur.com/c6t6r.png)…on a lamp post in Chicago. I looked up and down the street and did not see any other lamp posts with this on it. What is that thing (black cylinder on the top of the post)? Notice the substantial control boxes that seem to be a part of this too. ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-being-installed-on-this-street-light/593941/2 "2011-08-24T20:10:29Z")
Dude, why didn’t you ask him? My best guess (which is nothing more than a WAG) is that it’s either something for citywide WiFi service (tried that in my neighborhood, didn’t work well) or maybe cell phone related? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-being-installed-on-this-street-light/593941/3 "2011-08-24T20:17:15Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > Dude, why didn’t you ask him? Probably didn’t want to risk getting flashy-thingied[.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119654/combined) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-being-installed-on-this-street-light/593941/4 "2011-08-24T20:28:17Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > Dude, why didn’t you ask him? If you noticed he was in cherry picker about 20 feet above my head. It is a busy street with people passing all the time. Didn’t want to be the loony busybody guy shouting at the workman asking what he was doing. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-being-installed-on-this-street-light/593941/5 "2011-08-24T20:30:45Z")
Camera maybe? Chicago is supposed to have one of the highest levels of surveillance cameras in the country. The other guess about a cell phone or Internet is probably good too. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-being-installed-on-this-street-light/593941/6 "2011-08-24T20:43:02Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > If you noticed he was in cherry picker about 20 feet above my head. It is a busy street with people passing all the time. Didn’t want to be the loony busybody guy shouting at the workman asking what he was doing. Dumb and elementary question perhaps…was there a logo or anything on the truck? That could narrow it down some. The thing on the very top looks like a transfomer, the square box-like thing, maybe a camera? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-being-installed-on-this-street-light/593941/7 "2011-08-24T21:07:40Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Dumb and elementary question perhaps…was there a logo or anything on the truck? That could narrow it down some. Actually no, there wasn’t. Was a plain, white truck. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-being-installed-on-this-street-light/593941/8 "2011-08-24T21:25:07Z")
It’s a [AT&T wireless hotspot](http://www.ospmag.com/issue/article/The-City-of-Big-Broadband-Shoulders) for cell phone access. (DAS) > [@](#): > > Beyond adding spectrum to traditional cell sites, AT&T is also adding newly deployed Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) in high wireless use areas, such as densely populated business districts, high use neighborhoods, and festival areas, where traditional cell towers are not feasible. (See Figure 1.)