EvolvePlus Blog
How Battery-Powered USB People Counters Deliver Reliable Footfall Insights Anywhere
No Power, No 4G Connection — No Problem!
Accurate visitor counting is a critical input for operational planning, facility cleaning schedules, and business intelligence across sectors, including tourism, facilities management and urban planning. Yet many sites — outdoor entrances, public pathways, remote facilities, temporary installations, or public toilets — lack stable mains power and network connectivity. Traditionally, this has limited the deployment of people counting systems that rely on fixed wiring or cellular data.
Enter the USB People Counters from EvolvePlus — a battery-powered, fully standalone people counting solution designed for environments where no mains power, no local network, and no 4G connection are available. Its simplicity, portability and robust data handling make it ideal for indoor and outdoor footfall measurement irrespective of site infrastructure.
Power and Connectivity Freedom
Unlike conventional people counters that require power outlets or network access, the USB People Counter operates entirely on battery power. This removes barriers associated with mains power installation, particularly in:
- Outdoor walkways, parks and trails
- Public toilets and amenity blocks
- Construction sites and pop-up events
- Remote visitor attractions
This battery independence ensures you can deploy reliable footfall measurement virtually anywhere, without costly civil or electrical works. It also eliminates ongoing power costs and significantly reduces installation complexity.
Simple, Infrared-Based Counting Technology
The USB People Counter utilises a pair of infrared transmitter and receiver sensors. An invisible beam is projected between the two devices, and each time a person crosses that beam, it increments the internal counter — allowing for accurate counting of entrance and exit movements.
This infrared approach is proven, reliable, and unobtrusive, providing solid performance even in non-controlled exterior environments where other sensing technologies may struggle.
Built-In Storage — No Network Required
One of the key strengths of the USB People Counter is its internal memory, which stores detailed hourly footfall statistics for up to 40 days without any external communications link. This makes it especially valuable for sites where neither local Wi-Fi nor 4G connectivity is available or reliable.
Organisations can install a counter and let it run autonomously, collecting precise footfall data over extended periods without human intervention. There are no data charges, no cellular plans to maintain, and no dependency on local IT infrastructure.
Effortless Data Transfer With a USB Stick
At a time of your choosing, you can physically retrieve the stored data using a standard USB memory stick. The process is straightforward:
- Plug a USB stick into the People Counter via the supplied adapter cable.
- The counter dumps its stored hourly data to the USB device.
- Take the USB stick to your office or computer to upload to the free or premium cloud account.
This workflow means no network configuration, no router setup, no SIM cards — just simple, dependable data access.
Cloud Dashboard & Analytics
Once the data is transferred to your computer, you can upload it to the cloud dashboard. From the dashboard, you can:
- View footfall analytics by hour, day, week or month
- Generate visual reports and charts
- Download datasets in Excel format for further analysis, reporting or integration with business intelligence tools
The cloud dashboard is available in two editions:
- Free edition - supporting importing from the USB people counters, 90 days of history and basic exporting of data to Excel
- Premium edition - as per the Free edition, together with additional dashboard visualisations, expanded Excel exports (e.g. 15 minute intervals), 3+ years of history, status alerts and creation of people counter groups (e.g. different locations)
The cloud dashboard turns raw count figures into actionable insights, enabling better decision-making around cleaning schedules, staff rostering, hours of operation, and marketing effectiveness and more.
Why USB People Counters Are Ideal for Challenging Environments
The specific combination of features makes these devices uniquely suited for locations where traditional, connected people counters simply won’t work:
- No infrastructure dependency: Battery power and local storage remove the need for power outlets or networks.
- Durable, lightweight and portable: Easy to install and relocate as needs change.
- Autonomous data collection: Continuous hourly logging up to 40 days without supervision.
- Flexible data workflow: Manual upload with USB stick and remote cloud analytics.
- Low total cost of ownership: No ongoing connectivity or maintenance fees.
These attributes make the USB People Counter an excellent solution for organisations that need accurate, reliable footfall data but operate in remote, temporary, or infrastructure-limited environments.
