The core mission is to provide facility managers with accurate, real-time people counting data. This data is the key to everything from optimizing energy consumption and improving space utilization to enhancing security and streamlining cleaning schedules. But collecting and transmitting data presents a significant challenge: how do you reliably network hundreds of devices throughout a massive, complex structure without getting entangled in corporate IT infrastructure?
For Terabee, the answer is unambiguously LoRaWAN. While traditional hardwired networks are often perceived as too expensive, Wi-Fi can be unreliable. LoRaWAN has proven to be the true game-changer for deploying IoT solutions in buildings. Here is why Terabee has built dedicated solutions and why our clients are today reaping the benefits.
Coverage, Simplicity, and Independence
Deploying any new technology in an existing building can be complex. LoRaWAN addresses the three biggest hurdles: reliable signal, easy installation, and IT integration.
- Robust Coverage
While a single LoRaWAN gateway has immense range in open air, in complex structures filled with steel and dense concrete, a multi-gateway approach is essential for bulletproof reliability. Multi-gateway sounds easy but is certainly not a snapshot, as WiFi would be in terms of signal repeaters placement. From Terabee’s direct experience in large office buildings, we have established a best practice of installing gateways in smart locations so that everything is ensured to work. This strategy creates a robust and redundant network, ensuring every deployed sensor has a clear, strong connection to the network. - Simplified Installation
Terabee’s people counting sensors require power, but LoRaWAN eliminates the need for data cables (i.e. Ethernet). This is a massive advantage as usually power is available in every room and/or every roof but data cables need to reach switches. And even where power is not available, running a single power line is far simpler and cheaper than running Ethernet to every sensor location, avoiding the need for expensive network switches and complex cabling. - Independence from Corporate IT
This is perhaps the most significant operational benefit. Terabee LoRaWAN gateways can use a built-in cellular (4G/LTE) connection to send data directly to the cloud. This means that the entire people-counting infrastructure operates independently of the client’s internal network. There is no need to request access to Wi-Fi, negotiate firewall rule changes, or wait for busy IT teams to provide Ethernet ports. This independent approach drastically speeds up deployment from weeks to days and gives corporate IT teams peace of mind knowing the sensor network is completely separate from their sensitive internal systems.
Scalability and Cost-Effectiveness
When a client wants to trial our people counting solutions, they often start small with a proof of concept. LoRaWAN is perfectly suited for this „start small, scale fast“ approach.
A client can begin with just one gateway and a handful of Terabee sensors. As the value of the solution is perceived, and the client decides to expand, the network is easily scaled by adding more sensors, and eventually gateways, as needed. The cost of a few cellular-enabled gateways is trivial compared to the labor, material, and administrative costs of a fully wired infrastructure integrated into a corporate network.
For Terabee, LoRaWAN provides the perfect combination of range, reliability, and deployment freedom. It allows to focus on what we do best, providing high-quality sensors and actionable data by relying on a powerful network backbone that brings the promise of smart building to life, without the usual delays.
LoRa Infrastructure as a Service
Beyond sensors, Terabee provides dedicated LoRa Infrastructure as a support and maintenance service, ensuring robust coverage, simplified deployment, and full independence from corporate IT systems. This end-to-end approach makes it possible to implement people-counting solutions that are both scalable and cost-effective. More information on this service is available here: LoRa infrastructure.
The Author: Krzysztof Zurad, a leading LoRaWAN ambassador (or guru), lives and breathes the future of IoT. A true geek at heart, his passion for new technologies extends from designing complex networks to embracing the latest advancements in sustainable innovation.
