Overview

Vemcount's live occupancy feature tracks the real-time number of people currently inside a location. This article explains how the feature works, how to interpret the data, and how to troubleshoot common issues where live values appear inconsistent or incorrect.

How Live Occupancy Works

Live occupancy (also called "Visitors Inside" or "Real-Time Inside") is calculated by tracking the cumulative difference between IN and OUT counts since the start of the day or since the occupancy counter was last reset.

• Formula: Visitors Inside = Total IN − Total OUT (from opening time)

• The counter resets at the start of each business day based on the location's configured opening hours.

• Real-time data is typically refreshed every 1–5 minutes depending on the sensor model and network speed.

Setting a Maximum Occupancy Limit

Vemcount supports configuring a maximum occupancy threshold for a location. When the live count approaches or exceeds this threshold, alerts can be triggered. To configure or update the maximum occupancy for a location, submit a support ticket with the location name and the desired occupancy limit.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Live Count Does Not Match Physical Headcount

If the live occupancy figure appears significantly higher or lower than the actual number of people in the store:

• Check sensor accuracy: If the underlying IN/OUT counts are inaccurate, the live occupancy figure will be off by the same margin. Review the IN vs. OUT balance for the day in the Reports section.

• Check opening hours configuration: If the occupancy counter does not reset at the correct time, values can accumulate incorrectly. Verify the configured opening time matches the store's actual opening hours.

• Sensor counting outside hours: If sensors are still counting after the store closes (e.g. staff movement, cleaning), this inflates the live count the following day. Consider requesting an opening-hours adjustment or a staff exclusion zone.

• Multiple entrances: If the location has multiple entrances and one sensor is offline, IN counts will be underreported while OUT counts remain correct — or vice versa — causing an imbalanced live count.

Live Widget Shows 0 or Negative Values

A zero or negative live occupancy value usually means OUT counts have exceeded IN counts for the day. This can happen if:

• The occupancy counter did not reset at the correct opening time.

• One entrance is counting only exits but not entries (counting direction misconfigured).

• Data was manually adjusted without rebalancing the live counter.

Submit a support ticket with the location name and the date/time the issue was observed.

Live Values Not Updating in Real Time

If the live occupancy widget appears frozen or is updating very slowly:

• Check that the sensor is online (not showing as offline in the sensor list).

• Refresh the browser — some widgets require a manual refresh to show the latest value.

• Check your internet connection and whether the Vemcount platform is accessible.

• If the issue persists across multiple users, it may be a platform-side delay — contact support.

Live Data Inconsistent Between Vemcount and a Connected System

If your BI tool or connected platform shows different live figures than Vemcount:

• Confirm whether the connected system is pulling data via API or receiving a push export.

• Check the data refresh interval — your BI tool may be caching data and not reflecting the latest Vemcount values.

• Verify that both systems are using the same timezone.

• If the discrepancy is consistent (e.g. always off by the same amount), there may be a timezone or aggregation offset in the API query.

Occupancy Alerts & Notifications

Vemcount can be configured to send alerts when live occupancy exceeds a defined threshold. To set up or modify occupancy alerts for a location, contact support with:

• Location name and Vemcount URL

• The threshold value (e.g. alert when inside count exceeds 200)

• The notification method (email, in-platform alert)

• Recipient email addresses

Requesting an Occupancy Report

For historical occupancy analysis (e.g. peak times, dwell patterns, year-over-year comparison), use the Vemcount Reports section to export hourly data. For large date ranges or custom report formats, contact support with the location(s), date range, and required metrics.