What is the difference between motion sensors and occupancy sensors?
What is the difference between motion sensors and occupancy sensors?
Motion sensors detect movement in a space, while occupancy sensors determine whether a space is actively being used—even if no one is moving.
Motion sensors typically use infrared or ultrasonic technology to sense activity like walking or shifting. In contrast, occupancy sensors are designed to measure presence, often through more advanced technologies like depth sensing, radar or thermal imaging and can accurately count the number of people in a room, even when they’re sitting still.
Motion sensors: Quick overview
- Technology: Passive infrared (PIR), ultrasonic
- Function: Detects motion or heat changes
- Pros: Low cost, simple to install
- Cons: Cannot detect stationary people, high false positive rate
- Use case: Triggering lights or HVAC systems based on movement
Occupancy sensors: Quick overview
- Technology: Depth sensing, radar, thermal imaging
- Function: Measures presence and counts people
- Pros: Accurate data on space usage, real-time analytics, privacy-safe options available
- Cons: Higher cost
- Use case: Space utilization analytics, real estate planning, employee experience optimization
Why It Matters
If you're trying to understand how and how often a space is used—not just whether someone walked through it—a motion sensor won’t cut it. You need a true occupancy sensor to make decisions about space efficiency, real estate planning or return-to-office strategy.
Summary
Motion sensors detect movement. Occupancy sensors detect presence and count people—even when they’re not moving. For accurate workplace analytics, occupancy sensors provide the detailed insights that motion sensors can’t.
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How do I improve the employee experience with workplace analytics?
You can improve the employee experience by using workplace analytics and occupancy sensors to design better spaces, support hybrid work, and make data-driven decisions that align with how people actually use your office.
Workplace analytics helps you understand how your environment supports (or hinders) focus, collaboration, well-being, and productivity—all of which directly impact engagement and retention.
What are the advantages of occupancy sensors?
Occupancy sensors provide real-time, accurate insights into how spaces are used—helping companies reduce costs, improve office design, and make better business decisions.
They eliminate guesswork from space planning and empower workplace, facilities, and real estate teams to optimize every square foot.
What are effective workplace strategies for the return to office?
The most effective return-to-office (RTO) strategies combine clear policy, human-centered flexibility, data-driven decisions, and office designs that employees actually want to use.
RTO success isn’t just about mandating a presence—it’s about building a workplace that drives collaboration, morale, and performance.
How do I know if my office space is being wasted?
You can tell if your office space is being wasted by measuring how often each space is used—and occupancy sensors provide the real-time data you need to find out.
If desks, meeting rooms, or entire floors are consistently empty or underutilized, that’s space (and money) going to waste. Tools like Density’s Waffle and Atlas help companies assess usage accurately so they can cut costs and improve the workplace experience.