A people counter answers one question: how many people walked through this door, and in which direction? The answer drives cleaning rotas, ventilation, staffing and, in retail, the conversion rate. The sensor you need depends on three things: how wide the entrance is, how high the ceiling is, and how close to exact the count has to be. Prices in our range run from €47.90 for a storefront beam to €987.39 for a high-mount stereo camera, so the choice matters.
The Four Ways a Sensor Counts People
Every counter on the market uses one of four methods. They differ in what they can see, and that sets their accuracy ceiling.
1. Infrared beam (breakbeam or reflective)
A beam crosses the doorway at roughly hip height. Each time something interrupts it, the counter adds one, and two beams side by side give direction. It's the cheapest method and runs for years on batteries, but two people walking through shoulder to shoulder can register as one. The Milesight VS360 uses a master and node pair facing each other. The VS361 is a reflective beam for storefronts with an adjustable 1 to 9 m range.
2. PIR and thermopile
These read body heat from the ceiling. A dual-PIR counter such as the VS350 detects which way someone moves through a passage up to 3.1 m wide. A thermopile array, as in the VS351, sees a low-resolution heat map, which separates people better than PIR. The VS351 adds a radar so the thermopile only wakes when something moves, which is how it stays on batteries.
3. Time-of-Flight (ToF)
A ToF sensor measures how long light takes to bounce back and builds a depth map of the area under it. Heads and shoulders stand out clearly from bags, trolleys and shadows. The VS135 mounts at 2.0 to 6.5 m and comes in LoRaWAN, 4G and PoE versions. The VS133-P can stitch up to four units into one detection area for wide entrances.
4. Stereo vision
Two lenses work like human eyes and judge depth from the difference between them. The AI runs on the device and only counts leave it. Stereo vision copes with the hardest scenes: crowds, groups, children next to adults, and staff walking in and out all day. The VS125 can exclude staff who wear a dedicated lanyard, and it ships in PoE, 4G and LoRaWAN variants. For atriums and airports, the VS126 counts from 6 to 15 m.
Accuracy, Mounting and Price Side by Side
| Counter | Technology | Mounting | Rated accuracy | Power / link | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VS361 | Reflective IR beam | Wall, 0.7 to 1.2 m | Not stated | PoE | €47.90 |
| VS350 | Dual PIR | Ceiling 2 to 3 m, passage up to 3.1 m | Not stated | Battery, LoRaWAN | €89.92 |
| VS360 | IR breakbeam pair | Both sides of the door | Not stated | Battery, LoRaWAN | €151.26 |
| VS351 | Thermopile + radar | Ceiling | Not stated | Battery, LoRaWAN | €165.55 |
| imbuildings IB010 | Horizontal IR beam | Doorways up to 8 m wide | Not stated | AA batteries, LoRaWAN | €234.45 |
| VS125 | Stereo vision + AI | Ceiling | Up to 99.8% | PoE, 4G or LoRaWAN | €405.04 |
| VS133-P | ToF + AI | Ceiling, up to 4 stitched | Up to 99.8% | PoE | €586.55 |
| VS135 | ToF + AI | Ceiling 2.0 to 6.5 m | Up to 99.8% | LoRaWAN, 4G or PoE | €635.29 |
| VS126 | Stereo vision + AI | Ceiling 6 to 15 m | Up to 99.8% | PoE or 4G | €987.39 |
Prices excl. VAT, starting price per model, checked October 2026. Accuracy figures are the manufacturer's ratings under recommended mounting.
Starting price by counter (€, excl. VAT)
How Much Does a People Counting Sensor Cost?
Budget €50 to €170 per entrance for beam, PIR and thermopile counters, and €400 to €1,000 for ToF and stereo vision. The hardware price is only part of it. Battery LoRaWAN counters need a gateway within range but no cabling, so a ten-door office can be live in an afternoon. PoE counters need a network cable to each ceiling point, and in an existing building that cable run can cost more than the sensor.
The cheaper methods are less precise in crowds, and for many jobs that doesn't matter. A washroom you want cleaned after every 50 visits does not need 99.8% accuracy. A shopping centre that sets rent or bonuses by footfall does.
Which Counter for Which Job
| Situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Washroom or meeting room door | VS350 or VS360 | Battery powered, no cabling, cheap enough to fit every door |
| Office entrance, moderate traffic | VS351 | Thermopile separates people better than PIR and still runs on batteries |
| Wide doorway in a library or gym | imbuildings IB010 | The beam covers up to 8 m |
| Shop entrance where conversion rate matters | VS125 or VS135 | Handles staff, groups and children; rated up to 99.8% |
| Mall atrium, airport, stadium concourse | VS126 | Mounts at 6 to 15 m, where other counters can't see properly |
| Pavement traffic past a shop window | VS361 | Counts passers-by, which gives you the window-to-door conversion |
Do People Counters Fall Under GDPR?
A counter that never forms an image of a person, such as an IR beam, PIR or thermopile sensor, records only how many times something crossed a line. That number isn't personal data. ToF sensors build a depth map with no colour image. Stereo vision counters do process images, but on the device, and they send out only counts. GDPR defines personal data as information relating to an identifiable person (Article 4(1)), and an anonymous count does not identify anyone.
Installation Mistakes That Ruin the Count
- Mounting too low or too high. Every ceiling counter has a rated height range. Outside it, the field of view shrinks or people blur together.
- Counting in the wrong place. Put the counting line just inside the door, not where people stop to look at a display or wait for a lift.
- Forgetting staff. Shop staff may cross the entrance 200 times a day. Use lanyard filtering on the VS125 or VS133-P, or subtract a measured baseline.
- No gateway coverage. A LoRaWAN counter in a basement corridor needs a gateway that reaches it. Check the signal before you mount ten of them. Our LoRaWAN deployment guide covers coverage planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most accurate people counting sensor?
Time-of-Flight and stereo vision counters are the most accurate types. Milesight rates the VS125, VS133-P, VS135 and VS126 at up to 99.8% when mounted within their recommended height. Beam and PIR counters are accurate for single-file traffic but can miss people walking side by side.
How much does a people counting sensor cost?
At shopioT, counters start at €47.90 excl. VAT for the VS361 storefront beam. Battery LoRaWAN counters for doors and passages cost €90 to €235. AI counters using ToF or stereo vision cost €405 to €987. Add a LoRaWAN gateway if you don't already have one.
Can a people counter run on batteries?
Yes. The VS350, VS351, VS360 and imbuildings counters run on batteries and send data over LoRaWAN. Milesight rates the VS350 at about 9.7 years on two ER14505 cells with a 10-minute reporting interval. ToF and stereo vision counters need PoE or a DC supply.
What is the difference between occupancy sensing and people counting?
An occupancy sensor tells you whether a space is in use, such as a desk or a meeting room. A people counter counts how many people cross an entrance and in which direction. You can estimate room occupancy from in and out counts, but desk sensors are cheaper when you need desk-level data.
Do I need a gateway for a LoRaWAN people counter?
Yes. A LoRaWAN counter sends its counts to a gateway, which forwards them to a network server and your dashboard. One indoor gateway usually covers a mid-sized building. The VS125, VS133-P and VS126 can also report over Ethernet or 4G with no gateway.
Start With the Doorway, Not the Sensor
Measure the entrance width and ceiling height, then decide how exact the count needs to be. Those two numbers narrow nine counters down to one or two. Most buildings end up with a mix: cheap battery counters on washrooms and meeting rooms, and one or two AI counters on the main entrance, where the number feeds a business decision.
Choosing Counters for a Whole Building?
shopioT is the webstore of CyRIC IoT, an official Milesight distributor. Our team can match each entrance to the right counter and pre-configure the LoRaWAN keys before shipping.
Sources
- Milesight product documentation for the VS125, VS126, VS133-P, VS135, VS350, VS351, VS360 and VS361, as summarised on each shopioT product page (October 2026)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Article 4