{"id":11943,"date":"2022-11-14T15:32:41","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T14:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.terabee.com\/people-counting-with-lorawan-part-2\/"},"modified":"2025-10-27T09:48:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T08:48:36","slug":"people-counting-with-lorawan-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.terabee.com\/de\/people-counting-with-lorawan-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything to know about People Counting with LoRaWAN (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 2 of two articles based on Terabee’s recent webinar „An introduction to People Counting with LoRaWAN technology“, hosted by Baptiste Potier, Product Manager for Smart Buildings and Frederic Tabus, Market Intelligence Manager.<\/h1>\n

Considerations for Smart Building solutions<\/h2>\n

Desk occupancy sensors, occupancy sensors, indoor air quality sensors, and people counters are the four types of sensors used to understand space occupancy in Smart Buildings. However, as Frederic Tabus explains, each device type has its limitations.<\/p>\n

\u201cDesktop occupancy sensors typically require each desk to be equipped with a sensor. This can quickly turn into a massive sensor deployment.<\/p>\n

\u201cOccupancy sensors, on the other hand, typically require additional calibration and are not adapted to large rooms or spaces. In addition to this, RGB-based sensors introduce GDPR or privacy concerns,\u201d says Frederic Tabus.<\/p>\n

\u201cAir quality sensors suffer from accuracy and latency issues when used for occupancy monitoring, which limits the effective use of data for remedial action.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, for people counters, data from multiple devices must typically be aggregated in order to obtain occupancy metrics. People counters that rely on RGB or stereo vision raise GDPR and privacy concerns too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Battery vs. wired power<\/h2>\n

In many ways, LoRa technology goes hand-in-hand with battery-powered devices. Low power consumption rates coupled with long communication range means that the LoRaWAN communications protocol is perfect for sending infrequent data packets from battery-powered sensors across large areas, for example, in silo monitoring applications.<\/p>\n

However, while battery-powered devices can undoubtedly work well with LoRa, they may not be the best solution for occupancy monitoring in Smart Buildings.<\/p>\n

The primary reason is that occupancy monitoring in busy buildings requires constant monitoring and provides the best performance when data is transmitted frequently. In addition to this, mains power is readily available inside Smart Buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cMains-powered devices buy peace of mind,\u201d says Frederic Tabus. \u201cMains-powered sensors can work continuously and transmit data frequently without the risk of running out of power.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile putting a power wire may be more expensive in the short-term than installing a battery-operated device, keep in mind that organizing a battery replacement campaign for hundreds of devices can be extremely costly and complex to execute.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also an important environmental angle to consider. \u201cWe anticipate 500 million LoRa devices deployed in the field by 2025,\u201d explains Frederic Tabus. \u201cBut this is not without consequences. About 78 million batteries powering IoT devices will be used and thrown away globally every day by 2025 if nothing is done to improve their lifespan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Limiting battery-powered sensors\u2019 deployment is easy in a smart building setting.<\/p>\n

The lean sensing approach<\/h2>\n

When considering Smart Building sensor implementations, it\u2019s important to look at the big picture.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAsk yourself these questions,\u201d says Frederic Tabus. \u201cWhat do you need to measure? The occupancy of each desk, specific desks, or the overall workspace availability?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you\u2019ve determined your objective, we always recommend following the lean sensing approach. That is, once you know what you want to achieve, you minimize your points of measurement. In general, this means minimizing the number of devices to install.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lean sensing not only means lower expenditure on sensor hardware but also makes it easier to collect and process sensor data.<\/p>\n

Case study: monitoring workspace occupancy<\/h2>\n

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Terabee recently worked with the owner of a large office complex to install Smart Building solutions that would reduce expenses and maximize available space.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur customer was a property owner with multiple buildings of several floors each. Our goal was to reduce and optimize their real estate expenditure by making the most of their available space,\u201d says Baptiste Potier, Product Manager for Smart Buildings, Terabee.<\/p>\n

By monitoring meeting room and workplace occupancy, the customer also wanted to ensure a comfortable and productive environment for building occupants.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this case, there were several challenges to contend with; the building itself was difficult and costly to upgrade and contained very large open workspaces and meeting rooms. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cThis customer also had GDPR concerns from their employee union and customers \u2013 which means no RGB cameras. Here, we needed a solution that ensured there was no way for devices to be able to recognize individual people.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, the customer required that the implemented solution be separate from the existing IT infrastructure. \u201cThis is a common challenge of existing buildings where it\u2019s difficult to put Ethernet cables to every location,\u201d explains Baptiste Potier. \u201cHere, the chosen solution also needed to be integrated with the building\u2019s HVAC system, enabling heating and ventilation to be controlled in response to people counting data and thus reducing energy consumption and costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Terabee People Counting L-XL LoRa<\/h2>\n

\u201cIn this case, our People Counting L-XL LoRa device fulfilled all the different requirements of this application,\u201d says Baptiste Potier.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFirst, because the device uses LoRaWAN technology, it provides widespread, reliable, and cost-effective coverage for large spaces compared to other types of wireless technology. It also has secure and decoupled people counting data transmission, sidestepping any issues with IT networking and security.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mains-powered LoRa devices are highly reactive and provide up-to-the-minute data so that HVAC systems can react quickly for better energy savings.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother advantage of the Terabee People Counting L-XL LoRa in this application was that only two devices were required. By covering the two entrance\/exit points to each floor, we were able to gather all the insight needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, the People Counting L-XL LoRa offers a major advantage over other types of people counting technology. Using infrared ToF technology means completely anonymous people counting, avoiding any concerns around privacy and GDPR. (2)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Terabee People Counting L-XL LoRa is GDPR compliant by design. The 3D ToF sensor used makes it impossible to identify people,\u201d explains Baptiste Potier, but this doesn\u2019t hinder its performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite this, it has a typical accuracy of 98% even when monitoring crowded bi-directional traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Product benefits<\/h2>\n