Key considerations when choosing room occupancy sensors
However, it is essential to consider a few key factors when choosing a room occupancy sensor to ensure it is suitable for your space. This blog post will outline those factors and why they are necessary.
Room occupancy sensors
With the rise of smart buildings and related technologies, room occupancy detectors are becoming more commonplace. They provide a range of benefits, especially helping you to understand more about how your space is being used and what you can do to make it more employee-friendly and energy efficient. Occupancy sensing helps to provide accurate data on, for example, how many people are in a meeting room or what desks are available at a given time (vacancy sensors), all of which help with space utilization and planning.
To ensure the sensor you choose meets your business requirements or personal preferences, let us consider some key factors before purchasing one.
Accuracy
It is important to know that the occupancy sensors being used are accurate and can provide you with the data you need when you need it. The best people counting systems offer high accuracy in the region of 95%+ with the capability to filter out incorrect data and static objects so the focus remains on people walking through the sensors in both directions
Communication protocol
Everyone has different device requirements, thus it is crucial that people counting solutions are primed for integration into existing systems. You may need a range of communication protocol options, including Ethernet, PoE or WiFi connectivity. Additionally, smart devices are increasingly set up for integration into LoRaWAN infrastructures, which circumvents the need to connect to the end user’s network at all.
Data transmission integrity and simplicity of integration is central to the decision making process when selecting new people counting devices. Some solutions come with embedded web GUI enabling direct data integration to the Cloud and servers via HTTP or MQTT. This allows data to be displayed on a dedicated IoT portal for visual and real-time occupancy or sent to a third party or web server.
Compliance
Privacy concerns arise when people think of cameras and sensors being installed in certain places. However, many new generation people counting systems are GDPR compliant by design. Such counting devices acquire non-intrusive depth image data, which means that any information obtained will not help identify a person. These systems typically work via infrared Time-of-Flight rather than using a camera, meaning that the data received cannot identify people, and anyone who passes through the sensor remains anonymous.
Entrance size
Whether you want to monitor a meeting room or a university, a range of people counting systems are available for you to choose from. Larger entrances will require optimisation to ensure counting accuracy, given that some anonymised systems may fail to differentiate between occupants in close proximity to one another.
A lack of optimization for heavy foot traffic through a wider field of view could reduce accuracy. A dedicated system for large indoor entrance monitoring, People Counting L-XL from Terabee, is the ideal solution for congress centers, hotels, universities and similar buildings. Alternatively, the People Counting M is more suitable for smaller spaces like single doorways and narrow passages.
Firmware updates
Keeping your device running smoothly is key to receiving accurate data. The Terabee devices for room occupancy monitoring can be managed both on-site and remotely. You can also receive support for firmware updates via the Device Management Services, reducing the time needed to check for updates.
Installation
Terabee’s People Counting systems have been designed with an easy installation process in mind. They are lightweight, compact and can be installed onto a ceiling or over an entrance/exit as easily as fitting a smoke detector. The LoRaWAN-enabled model, People Counting L-XL LoRa, removes the need for Ethernet cable connections should you wish to operate wirelessly and independently of the in-house IT system. This also reduces installation costs.
Light conditions
Lighting can be critical for preserving the integrity of occupancy data, however, infrared Time-of-Flight sensors, like those offered by Terabee, work effectively in low-light conditions. They are often used as sensors to support cost and energy-saving plans, as lights can be turned on when someone enters a room and off when everyone has left
People counting systems with Terabee
Terabee offers a range of room occupancy sensor solutions.
The People Counting L-XL and People Counting M devices support a range of business applications and are optimized for larger and smaller entrances, respectively.
In addition to design and manufacturing the devices, to help you make the most of your people counting system, Terabee provides a range of professional services including:
- Professional services
- Support and maintenance services
- An IoT platform
If you would like to learn how to deploy room occupancy sensing solutions in your facility, contact a member of the Terabee team today.
