Product comparison: 3D people counter for retail

Date: 08/06/2024

People counters are important to retail. Among the different types of people counters, video-based 3D people counters provide detailed depth information and allow more accurate counts. This article gives an overview of 3D people counters and does a product comparison on available solutions in the market to help users with the selection process.

What is people counter

People counters are devices that count the number of people passing through a given point. People counters play an important role in industries where people counting is needed, chief among them transportation, hospitality and retail. There are different types of people counters based on the technology used. Some examples include:

TOF people counters: These devices emit near-infrared beams and count the people in the environment by analyzing signals that bounce back. TOF counters have the advantage of privacy protection as no images of people are captured or analyzed.

Wi-Fi people counters: These counters analyze the number of Wi-Fi connection requests sent from people’s smart devices in a given area. Accuracy is a main challenge, considering the technology assumes all people are carrying smart devices.

3D people counters: These counters use stereoscopic cameras that consist of two lenses. This way, better depth details can be provided, enabling the counter to filter out children, baby strollers, carts and other nuisances to give a more accurate count.

Why retailers need people counters

Retailers can use data provided by people counters to improve their business operation. People counters have certain functions such as: bi-directional counting, which counts the number of people going in and out of the store; occupancy estimation, which measures the number of people currently in a given area; and queuing analysis, which measures how many people are in a line. Armed with this data, retailers can examine the effectiveness of their marketing, staffing and floor layout efforts and make improvements accordingly.

Advantages of 3D people counters

As mentioned earlier, 3D people counters use three-dimensional video technology. A 3D people counter typically consists of two or more lenses to capture images from slightly different angles. Unlike conventional 2D people counters, 3D people counters provide more depth information and create a more accurate representation of the environment, thus adding accuracy to people counting.

Product comparison

Having provided an overview on 3D people counters, we now do a product comparison on four products. They are Axis’s P8815-2 3D people counter, Hikvision’s DS-2CD6825G0/C-IVS people counter, EATACSENS’s 3D Precision Sensor PC5 and Teledyne FLIR Brickstream 3D Gen 2.

AXIS P8815-2 3D People Counter

Axis’ P8815-2 3D People Counter combines stereoscopic imaging with 3D analytics for reliable people counting. The device employs two sensors generating a 3D depth map for real-time counting of people passing through a pre-defined area, and is ideal for counting people in challenging conditions where there are shadows, strong sunlight, glares, or high volumes of foot traffic. The people counting data can be used to help the user identify peak visitor times, allocate staff optimally, and evaluate site performance.

Hikvision DS-2CD6825G0/C-I(S)(B)

The Hikvision DS-2CD6825G0/C-I(S)(B) is a 2-megapixel, network-based people counting camera used to monitor levels of people entering and exiting buildings, whether for footfall analysis or for crowd control. The 2mm fixed lens provides a horizontal FOV of 104°, making it easy to cover doorways at ceiling height, while the built-in supplement IR lighting covers a range of up to 6 meters, allowing a soft illumination without overexposing the objects in close proximity. With a rating of IP67, the device is weather-resistant, therefore becoming a suitable option for various indoor and outdoor applications.

EATACSENS PC5 3D Precision Sensor

EATACSENS’s PC5 3D Precision Sensor uses the 3D stereo vision technology that permits accurate people counting, with reliability and efficiency prioritized in every function of the device. With the device, the user can improve conversion rates by using data provided by the sensor; monitor KPIs such as footfall, zone dwell time and conversions per customer; keep track of all customers throughout the store; and optimize product placement and store layout. Data privacy is protected, as data is only transmitted in text format without any kind of personally identifiable information.

Teledyne FLIR Brickstream 3D Gen 2

The Brickstream 3D Gen 2 by Teledyne FLIR features cutting-edge intelligent counting, increased coverage, integrated mounting and backward compatibility to help analytics service providers deploy value-added people counting and tracking solutions. With the addition of the Employee Filtering feature, personnel movements are counted separately, providing more accurate counts. For installers, the Brickstream 3D Gen 2 supports an integrated surface mount and wide range of mounting heights with only 2 lens options for easier inventory management and deployment.

Key Features Comparison

Features	Axis	Hikvision	EATACSENS	Teledyne FLIR
Image sensor	1/2.9” progressive scan RGB CMOS	1/2.7" Progressive Scan CMOS	1/4"CMOS Sensor	N/A
Resolution	1920x1080 HDTV 1080p to 160x90	2560 × 1440	640*400@25fps	N/A
Counting area coverage	Up to 400 x 225cm	N/A	Up to 550 cm	N/A
Network protocols	IPv4, IPv6, USGv6, ICMPv4/v6, HTTP, HTTP/2	TCP/IP, ICMP, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, DHCP, DNS	IPv4, TCP, UDP, DHCP, RTP, RTSP, DNS	TCP/IP, DHCP, HTTP Proxy, HTTP, SMTP, FTP, HTTPS
Bi-directional counting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Filtering by height or other parameters	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Other functions/ features	Estimating occupancy, tailgating detection, wrong-way passage detection	Supports real-time uploading and uploading by statistic cycle	Built-in storage (EMMC), supports offline storage, supports automatic network replenishment, supports POE	Supports tilt on both the X and Y axis, supports up to 32 metric collection zones per sensor, employee filtering
Operating temperature range	0 °C to 50 °C	-30 °C to 60 °C	N/A	0 °C to 45 °C
Dimensions	168 x 78 x 30 mm	168 × 61 × 36 mm	135.2 x 65 x 43.3 mm	59 x 162 x 40.5 mm
Weight	450 g	340 g	0.3 kg (Package included)	0.25 kg
Client	AXIS Camera Station, VMS from Axis Application Development Partners available	iVMS-4200, Hik-Connect	N/A	N/A