People counting with ArubaOS & ALE
ArubaOS and the Aruba Location Engine (ALE) already work out where devices are. Bumbee Labs takes that location data the final mile: anonymous footfall counts, dwell times and movement patterns.
No new hardware. ArubaOS and ALE provide the signals; we provide the analytics.
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Why ArubaOS & ALE + Bumbee Labs
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No new hardware
Reads from your ArubaOS access points and the Aruba Location Engine (ALE).
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Privacy-first
Location signals are anonymised and aggregated into statistics. Nobody is identified.
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One platform
Dwell, movement and counts are delivered through Bumbee Labs dashboards and the open API.
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Sustainable by design
Reading location data ALE already produces adds zero hardware: nothing manufactured, nothing to retire.
Getting started with ArubaOS & ALE
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Connect to the Aruba Location Engine
ALE already computes device positions on your ArubaOS network. Bumbee Labs reads that location data, taking it the final mile, with no new box on site.
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Filter & anonymise
The location signals are filtered for noise, then anonymised and aggregated. Personal data is irrevocably deleted, leaving only statistics.
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Process & calibrate
What remains becomes visitor counts, dwell times, zone correlations and movement flows, calibrated to your venue.
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Deliver
Clean, anonymous metrics arrive in real time through your dashboards and the API, ready for your BI tools.
What you measure with ArubaOS & ALE
Wi-Fi is Bumbee Labs' whole-space method, strongest at covering entire venues and the journeys across them. Typical metrics from an ArubaOS / ALE deployment:
- Visitor count (total) and unique visitors
- Dwell time, per zone and overall
- Visitor paths & flows between zones and between sites
- Zone data & correlation, and anchor positions
- Passers-by and capture rate (passing → entering)
- Peaks & lows and long-run trends
For exact line-crossing in/out and live occupancy at a specific door, pair ALE with cameras or 3D sensors. See the full method-by-method grid.
Footfall analytics with ArubaOS and ALE
The Aruba Location Engine already works out where devices are. Bumbee Labs takes that location data the final mile: anonymised, aggregated and converted into visitor counts, dwell times and movement patterns, delivered in real time without a single new box on site. Whether your estate is badged Aruba or HPE Aruba Networking, the route is the same: Bumbee Labs reads the location data ArubaOS and ALE already produce.
What you need to start: an ArubaOS network with the Aruba Location Engine (ALE), and permission to connect Bumbee Labs to it. No new hardware, no site visit, no change to how your network runs.
The same integration supports real-time occupancy monitoring for venues where live capacity matters, so location data you generated for connectivity now sizes staffing and tests every layout change.
Cloud-managed instead? See people counting with Aruba Central, or read about Wi-Fi people counting to understand the method.
ArubaOS / ALE vs other counting methods
Every method has a sweet spot. Wi-Fi covers whole spaces and the journeys across them; pair it with cameras or cellular where you need point precision or wide-area catchment.
| Capability | ArubaOS / ALE (Wi-Fi) | Camera & 3D | Cellular |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-space coverage | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Exact in/out at a door | Partial | Yes | No |
| Real-time occupancy | Partial | Yes | No |
| Paths & flows between zones | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Dwell time | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Catchment / origin | No | No | Yes |
| Uses your existing hardware | Yes | No | Yes |
| Privacy-first by design | Yes | Yes | Yes |
- Full
- Partial
- Not available
Curious what this looks like for your venue?
Compliant where it counts
ALE data is processed by the only footfall method in Europe approved by a data protection authority, with no personal data kept and no privacy risk taken.
Telia's partnership with Bumbee Labs is important for us to expand our business. It allows us to develop our use cases for location and movement insights to be even more granular. By combining our anonymized and aggregated mobile network data with Bumbee Labs solution of GDPR-safe Wi-Fi probe data, we ensure that the collection of data follows the strictest guidelines of GDPR compliance all the way.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to install new hardware?
No. Bumbee Labs reads from your ArubaOS access points and the Aruba Location Engine you already run, so there is nothing to mount or cable.
Do we need ALE running, or is ArubaOS alone enough?
Bumbee Labs reads location data from the Aruba Location Engine (ALE) on your ArubaOS network. If you're unsure whether ALE is configured in your environment, book a demo and we'll confirm what's already in place and what, if anything, needs enabling.
What's the difference from Aruba Central?
ArubaOS / ALE is the on-prem route, reading location data from the Aruba Location Engine. Aruba Central is cloud-managed. Both feed the same Bumbee Labs platform; the right route depends on how your Aruba network is managed.
Does it identify individual visitors?
No. Location signals are anonymised and aggregated, and personal data is irrevocably deleted, so only anonymous statistics remain. No individual can be identified.
Is it GDPR-compliant?
Yes. Personal data is deleted at source, leaving only aggregated statistics, and the underlying method was reviewed and approved by a European data protection authority.