Workplace Occupancy Sensor Solution: Step-by-Step CRE Deployment Guide

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This guide walks corporate real estate (CRE) and facilities teams through a practical, step-by-step deployment of a workplace occupancy sensor solution. It is written for CRE managers, facility operators, IT teams, and consultants who want clear, actionable guidance to plan, pilot, and scale occupancy sensing across offices, retail floors, or mixed-use spaces. Carrefouruae is running the Butlr CRE 4December Campaign to gather insights related to CRE keywords and use cases; this guide aligns with that campaign’s goals while remaining vendor-agnostic.

Why occupancy sensing matters for CRE

Occupancy sensors detect presence or count people to measure space usage. For CRE (Corporate Real Estate) these insights enable smarter space planning, optimized costs, better workplace experiences, and energy savings.

Improve space utilization and reduce wasted real estate
Measure peak demand and reassign space accordingly
Drive energy efficiency by aligning HVAC/lighting to real occupancy
Support hybrid work policies with real-time desk/room availability
Prove outcomes to stakeholders with data-driven reporting

Definitions

Occupancy sensor: a device that detects human presence or counts people in a given area.
CRE: Corporate Real Estate — the strategic management of a company’s property portfolio.

Phase 1 — Align objectives and stakeholders

Start by setting clear, measurable goals. Successful deployments begin with alignment.

Identify business objectives (reduce real estate expense, validate hybrid policy, optimize cleaning/maintenance)
Assemble stakeholders: CRE, facilities, IT, privacy/legal, HR, and workplace experience
Define success metrics (utilization rate, peak density, desks per occupant, energy reduction)
Set a budget range and timeline for pilot and rollout

Deliverable: a one-page objectives brief with KPIs and stakeholder roles.

Phase 2 — Baseline assessment and site survey

Understand current usage and the physical environment before choosing technology.

Checklist for site survey

Map floor plates, room types (open office, meeting rooms, lounges), and occupancy expectations
Measure ceiling height, lighting conditions, HVAC zones, and mounting points
Catalog network availability (Ethernet, Wi‑Fi, LoRaWAN, Zigbee) and power sources
Note privacy-sensitive areas and regulatory requirements

Deliverable: annotated floor plans and a deployment constraints list.

Phase 3 — Choose sensor types and system architecture

Match sensor technology to use cases and environmental constraints.

Common sensor technologies

Passive Infrared (PIR): detects motion and presence; low cost; good for binary occupied/unoccupied status
Thermal/Imaging: provides presence patterns and approximate counts without facial recognition; better in large open areas
Stereo vision / depth sensors: accurate people counting; needs careful privacy handling and mounting
Radar/ultrasonic: works in challenging light and can detect direction of movement
CO2 and environmental sensors: infer occupancy indirectly; useful when combined with direct sensors

Architecture choices

Edge processing vs cloud: edge reduces raw data transfer and privacy exposure; cloud enables centralized analytics
Wired vs wireless network: wired supports high-throughput sensors; wireless reduces installation cost but needs coverage planning
Integration layer: plan for APIs or standard protocols (BACnet, MQTT) to connect with BMS and analytics platforms

Vendor note: Butlr and similar providers offer people-counting sensors tailored for CRE analytics. Evaluate vendors against your privacy, accuracy, and integration requirements.

Phase 4 — Privacy, security, and compliance

Address privacy and security from day one; this builds trust and reduces legal risk.

Best practices

Prefer anonymized or non-image-based sensors where possible
Minimize data retention and store only aggregated metrics used for KPIs
Encrypt data in transit and at rest; use secure authentication for APIs
Conduct a privacy impact assessment with legal/compliance teams
Publish signage and employee communications explaining purpose and data handling

Deliverable: privacy and security checklist signed off by legal/IT.

Phase 5 — Pilot design and execution

A pilot validates technical choices and business value before large-scale rollout.

Pilot scope recommendations

Choose 1–3 representative floors or zones (open-plan area, meeting rooms, cafeteria)
Run the pilot long enough to capture week/weekend and seasonal patterns (4–8 weeks typical)
Deploy a mix of sensor types if different zones have different needs
Integrate pilot data with analytics tools and generate initial dashboards tied to KPIs

Pilot success criteria

Sensor accuracy within agreed tolerance (e.g., ±10–15% for counts)
Reliable data transmission and ingestion
Actionable insights produced for decision-makers

Phase 6 — Mounting, placement, and installation best practices

Proper placement ensures accuracy and minimizes maintenance.

Guidelines

Mount sensors at manufacturer-recommended heights; avoid obstructions (lights, vents, structural columns)
Use overhead placements for people-counting in aisles and doorways; wall-mounted options work for small rooms
Avoid pointing sensors directly at reflective surfaces or windows that can cause false positives
Label and map each sensor to floor plans for asset management and troubleshooting

Logistics

Coordinate with facilities for access, lifts, and safety permits
Plan for concurrent network and power provisioning

Phase 7 — Integration with building systems and analytics

To maximize value, connect occupancy data to other systems.

Common integrations

Building Management System (BMS) for HVAC and lighting automation
Space and workplace management platforms for desk/room booking
Cleaning and operations workflows to enable demand-driven staffing
Business intelligence for long-term portfolio strategy

Data strategy

Stream aggregated metrics into dashboards and automated reports
Keep raw sensor output separate and restricted to technical teams
Use standardized schemas to enable cross-site rollups

Phase 8 — Testing, calibration, and QA

Thorough testing reduces false readings and operational disruption.

Testing checklist

Validate sensor coverage using walkthroughs and test counts
Compare sensor readings to manual observations for calibration
Stress-test network throughput and data retention under peak loads
Verify failover and offline behavior (local caching, queuing)

Document issues, root causes, and fixes as part of deployment knowledge base.

Phase 9 — Rollout, change management, and training

Scale methodically and bring people along.

Rollout tips

Use learnings from the pilot to refine sensor selection and placement standards
Implement rollout in phases by building or floor to maintain quality control
Train facilities, helpdesk, and workplace teams on monitoring, troubleshooting, and interpreting dashboards
Communicate benefits to employees and provide opt-out or privacy contact points

Phase 10 — Operations, maintenance, and lifecycle

A plan for ongoing health ensures sustained value.

Operational items

Monitor sensor health and uptime; set alerts for offline devices
Schedule periodic recalibration and firmware updates
Maintain an asset register with serial numbers, installation dates, and warranties
Plan for sensor refresh cycles (typically 3–7 years depending on hardware)

Cost considerations

Balance upfront hardware costs with long-term staffing and energy savings
Factor in integration and analytics subscription fees

Measuring success and reporting ROI

Translate data into business outcomes to justify the program.

Key metrics

Utilization rate (per room, per floor, per desk)
Peak density and congestion patterns
Space savings realized (sq ft reduction or reallocation)
Energy savings tied to occupancy-based control
Employee satisfaction or experience improvements

Reporting cadence

Operational dashboards: daily/weekly for facilities teams
Strategic reports: monthly/quarterly for CRE leadership showing trends, cost avoidance, and portfolio-level decisions

Final checklist before you sign off

Objectives and KPIs approved by stakeholders
Privacy and security sign-off from legal/IT
Pilot completed with validated accuracy and integrations
Installation standards and asset inventory in place
Training materials and communication plan ready
Maintenance and replacement strategy defined

A successful workplace occupancy sensor deployment combines clear CRE objectives, careful site planning, privacy-conscious technology choices, and phased execution. Use pilot learnings to standardize installation and integrations so data reliably drives portfolio decisions. Carrefouruae’s Butlr CRE 4December Campaign highlights the importance of CRE-focused data initiatives — by following these steps, CRE teams can unlock measurable space, cost, and experience improvements across their portfolios.