Using Technology for people counting

A

A3@MBB

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Hallo fellow MyBroadband members

As the title says, I want to employ technology to count people who visit our business premises each day. Ideally I would prefer a automated daily reporting functionality on top of it.

After some research it came out that a strategically placed IP camera (dedicated people counter camera) seems to be the best option as its the most accurate, unobtrusive and easily deployable.

Has anyone installed such a technology before in the Cape Winelands that I can tap into their knowledge and learn from their faults? I'm worried that the hardware will not live up to expectation and will have shortcomings.
My IT guys (contracted supplier) are a bit out of their depth on this one and I don't want to be their guiney pig/test site.
We currently have CCTV & NVR installed and they intend to just expand on the current system.

Any advise, actual experience or alternative suggestions will be appreciated.
 
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Why go as complex as camera's? Simple infrared beams by the entrance/exit that can count the number of people passing in which direction.
 
gamer16 said:
Why go as complex as camera's? Simple infrared beams by the entrance/exit that can count the number of people passing in which direction.
Click to expand...
Yes, that option was looked at.
Positives: Cheap solution, inconspicuous
Negatives: less accurate in counts (double counting as in same person walking in and out and later again & undercounting = people walking in pairs through entrance)

What I did not mention is that I would like the results to only reflect "unique" visitors on a day. My main problem is staff walking in and out all day.
 
Raspberry Pi Zero that sniffs for BT HW addresses/Wifi MAC addresses and logs it to a database.

You can filter out the repeat results (staff etc.) and get a good indication of the comings and goings of most people, provided they have a smartphone with their Wifi and/or Bluetooth turned on (doesn't even need to be connected).

You may not have 100% accurate results but I have seen this done before with great results.

Some reading on the subject: https://frdmtoplay.com/counting-wireless-devices-on-a-raspberry-pi-with-tcpdump/
 
A3@MBB said:
Yes, that option was looked at.
Positives: Cheap solution, inconspicuous
Negatives: less accurate in counts (double counting as in same person walking in and out and later again & undercounting = people walking in pairs through entrance)

What I did not mention is that I would like the results to only reflect "unique" visitors on a day. My main problem is staff walking in and out all day.
Click to expand...

Hmm

You know what would work best? a man with a ticker in his hand. Loads of them to be had cheaply, they flock from the country next door.
 
PhireSide said:
Raspberry Pi Zero that sniffs for BT HW addresses/Wifi MAC addresses and logs it to a database.

You can filter out the repeat results (staff etc.) and get a good indication of the comings and goings of most people, provided they have a smartphone with their Wifi and/or Bluetooth turned on (doesn't even need to be connected).

You may not have 100% accurate results but I have seen this done before with great results.

Some reading on the subject: https://frdmtoplay.com/counting-wireless-devices-on-a-raspberry-pi-with-tcpdump/
Click to expand...
Nice, I like this idea.
We offer free WiFi ;) , so its a good suggestion to investigate further.
 
Turnstyle for entrance and exit, have another one for employees if need be to keep the counts accurate.

Edit,

Also, how is a camera supposed to count unique people? Does it have face recognition or something fancy?
 
gamer16 said:
Hmm

You know what would work best? a man with a ticker in his hand. Loads of them to be had cheaply, they flock from the country next door.
Click to expand...
Minimum wage in hospitality are currently R3 384.71 p.m. I'll pay off the camera in less than a year and will not sit with strikes or a disgruntled employee.:p
 
Scooby_Doo said:
Turnstyle for entrance and exit, have another one for employees if need be to keep the counts accurate.

Edit,

Also, how is a camera supposed to count unique people? Does it have face recognition or something fancy?
Click to expand...
yes, facial recognition.
and no, turnstiles definitively not an option for us. Marketing manager will get a stroke if I even mention it:X3:
 
gamer16 said:
Hmm

You know what would work best? a man with a ticker in his hand. Loads of them to be had cheaply, they flock from the country next door.
Click to expand...
Yea was thinking this.

Or have each customer write their name on a register.

Or review video footage at 12x speed and count all the customers.

Or a stick across the door way connected to a bell. When the bell rings, a casual worker shouts across the shop to another casual at the back who then comes out and verify, and then shouts to a 3rd casual who writes it down on a scrap paper. At the end of the day you hope you have accurate results.


Edit : @gamer16 I agree with your idea. I just got lost in the moment and wrote a bunch of kak
Not mocking you though.
 
Ares1000101 said:
Yea was thinking this.

Or have each customer write their name on a register.

Or review video footage at 12x speed and count all the customers.

Or a stick across the door way connected to a bell. When the bell rings, a casual worker shouts across the shop to another casual at the back who then comes out and verify, and then shouts to a 3rd casual who writes it down on a scrap paper. At the end of the day you hope you have accurate results.


Edit : @gamer16 I agree with your idea. I just got lost in the moment and wrote a bunch of kak
Not mocking you though.
Click to expand...

Haha no worries
 
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