Campus Occupancy Sensor Buying Guide: Privacy-First, Camera-Free Solutions

How camera-free thermal sensors compare to other technologies

Camera-based sensors

• Pros: High fidelity, can support many analytics types.
• Cons: Privacy concerns, regulatory hurdles, community resistance.

Thermal, camera-free sensors

• Pros: Good people-counting accuracy without images; privacy-friendly; resilient across lighting conditions.
• Cons: May be less precise in very dense crowds or when distinguishing overlapping bodies at extreme ranges.

PIR motion sensors

• Pros: Low cost, simple presence detection.
• Cons: Poor at headcounts and long-range coverage; susceptible to false triggers from HVAC drafts.

CO2 sensors

• Pros: Useful for ventilation optimization and relative occupancy trends.
• Cons: Lagging indicator, affected by room volume and ventilation; not good for instant headcount.

Wi‑Fi/BLE device sensing

• Pros: Non-intrusive and leverages existing infrastructure.
• Cons: Biased by device carriage rates, MAC randomization, privacy concerns, and variable accuracy.

For many campus applications, thermal camera-free sensors strike a strong balance of accuracy and privacy.

Questions to ask vendors

When shortlisting vendors, ask direct, measurable questions:

• Does the system capture or store any images or video?
• Is raw sensor data processed on-device or sent to cloud unfiltered?
• What accuracy (e.g., ±X people) and coverage do you guarantee for classrooms, lecture halls, and corridors?
• Can your platform integrate with our BMS, scheduling system, and analytics stack? Which protocols/APIs are supported?
• What are the power and network requirements? Do sensors support PoE?
• How are data retention, access controls, and audit logs handled?
• What compliance certifications or experience do you have (FERPA, GDPR, etc.)?
• What are installation, licensing, and ongoing subscription costs?
• What support, training, and warranty terms do you provide? Are pilot programs available?
• Can we own raw data, and what export options exist?

Pilot and deployment best practices

• Start small: Run pilots in 5–20 representative spaces (classrooms, study rooms, labs) to validate accuracy and use cases.
• Define success metrics: Accuracy thresholds, integration outcomes, energy savings targets, and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Involve privacy, IT, and facilities early: Conduct privacy impact assessments and ensure network and security requirements are addressed.
• Test edge cases: High-density events, physical partitions, very high ceilings, and multi-zone rooms.
• Plan for signage and communication: Even camera-free systems benefit from transparency—explain what is being measured and why.
• Validate integrations: Confirm data flows to BMS, booking platforms, and analytics tools before scaling.

Cost and ROI considerations

Costs typically include:

• Hardware unit price and mounting accessories.
• Installation labor, cabling, or wall/ceiling work.
• Software licensing or subscription fees for analytics and APIs.
• Integration services and custom connector development.
• Ongoing maintenance, replacement, and support.

Potential savings and returns:

• HVAC and lighting energy reductions.
• Lower cleaning and operations costs through demand-driven scheduling.
• Better room utilization enabling space consolidation.
• Improved service levels for students and staff.

Estimate ROI by modeling energy savings and operational efficiencies against total cost of ownership over 3–5 years. Use pilot data to refine projections.

Maintenance and lifecycle management

• Firmware and security updates: Ensure vendor supports secure update mechanisms and timely patches.
• Calibration and validation: Schedule periodic checks to confirm accuracy, especially after physical changes to spaces.
• Monitoring: Use centralized dashboards to flag sensor failures and coverage gaps.
• Replacement cycle: Include expected sensor lifespan and spare inventory in procurement planning.

Procurement checklist

• Privacy: No image capture; clear data governance policies.
• Accuracy: Vendor-provided performance metrics for your room types.
• Integrations: APIs and connectors for BMS and scheduling.
• Deployment: Power/network plan and clear installation scope.
• Pilot: Trial period with measurable KPIs.
• Support: SLAs, warranty, and training offerings.
• Cost transparency: Hardware, install, subscription, and integration costs outlined.
• References: Campus or enterprise deployments and case studies.

Final recommendations

• Start with a targeted pilot that reflects your campus’s variety of spaces.
• Require explicit privacy assurances: no image capture, on-device processing where possible, and clear retention policies.
• Focus on integration and real-time capabilities if you plan to use data for HVAC control or emergency management.
• Use pilot results to build a phased rollout plan that balances cost, benefit, and campus stakeholder acceptance.

Choosing the right privacy-first, camera-free occupancy solution helps campuses unlock operational efficiencies and improved services while respecting the privacy and trust of students, faculty, and staff.

Why consider Butlr

Butlr is an AI technology company specializing in privacy-first people sensing and spatial intelligence for buildings. Their core offering is a thermal, camera-free sensing platform that detects heat signatures to provide occupancy counts and aggregated spatial metrics without capturing images. For more information, see butlr.com.