People counting with Cisco Catalyst
Cisco Catalyst wireless access points and controllers already register how people move through a venue. Bumbee Labs reads that data, so most venues can measure footfall without new hardware. We filter, anonymise and aggregate the signals into visitor counts, dwell times and movement flows, and the results reach your dashboards and the API.
No new hardware: your existing Catalyst network does the sensing.
Trusted by
Why Cisco Catalyst + Bumbee Labs
-
No new hardware
Works with the Cisco Catalyst access points and wireless controllers you already operate.
-
Privacy-first
Signals are anonymised and aggregated from the start, so no individual is ever identified.
-
One platform
Counts, dwell times and movement patterns land in your Bumbee Labs dashboards and API.
-
Sustainable measurement
The measurement runs on the access points already in your Catalyst network, so no new devices are built, shipped or scrapped.
Getting started on your Catalyst network
-
Connect to your Catalyst network
Bumbee Labs ingests data from your Cisco Catalyst wireless environment: the access points and wireless LAN controllers (WLC) you already operate.
-
Filter & anonymise
Our engine filters out noise, then anonymises and aggregates what remains. Personal data is irrevocably deleted, so only statistics remain.
-
Process & calibrate
The signals become visitor counts, dwell times, zone correlations and movement flows, calibrated to your venue.
-
Deliver
Clean, anonymous metrics reach your dashboards and the API, ready for your BI tools. Standard metrics arrive the day after the visit.
What you measure with Cisco Catalyst
Wi-Fi is Bumbee Labs' whole-space method, strongest at covering entire venues and the journeys across them. Typical metrics from a Catalyst network:
- Visitor count (total) and unique visitors
- Dwell time, per zone and overall
- Visitor paths & flows between zones and between sites
- Zone data & correlation
- 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 Catalyst with cameras or 3D sensors. See the full method-by-method grid.
How does people counting work on a Cisco Catalyst wireless network?
Phones give off Wi-Fi signals as people move through a venue, and your Cisco Catalyst access points and controllers already pick them up. Bumbee Labs ingests that data, filters out noise, anonymises and aggregates it, then turns it into visitor counts, dwell times and movement patterns on your existing wireless network.
What you need to start: a Cisco Catalyst wireless environment (your access points and wireless LAN controllers, typically managed through Catalyst Center) and your permission for Bumbee Labs to connect to it. For most venues this needs no new hardware and no site visit, and the network runs as before.
Beyond visitor counting, the same Catalyst integration supports occupancy monitoring. The Crowd Alert add-on sends threshold alerts in near real time.
If you use Cisco Spaces instead, the Cisco Spaces people counting page covers the cloud-stream route. Wi-Fi people counting explains how the method keeps visitors anonymous.
Curious what this looks like for your venue?
Cisco Catalyst vs other counting methods
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 | Cisco Catalyst (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 |
| Built-in privacy protection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
- Full
- Partial
- Not available
Approved and validated
Data from your Cisco Catalyst network feeds the only footfall method in Europe approved by a data protection authority, with no personal data involved.
At Ray our motto is customer success, and we are excited about our partnership with Bumbee Labs. Complimenting the seamless Wireless provided by Ray, our customers will now be able to leverage the deep analytics provided by Bumbee Labs and take informed business decisions to aid their growth.
Frequently asked questions
Does Cisco Catalyst people counting need new hardware?
Usually not. The Cisco Catalyst access points and wireless LAN controllers you already run, typically managed through Catalyst Center, give Bumbee Labs the data it needs. Most venues can start counting on that existing network.
How does Bumbee Labs connect to Cisco Catalyst?
Bumbee Labs ingests data from your Catalyst wireless environment (the access points and wireless LAN controllers, WLC, you already operate) and turns it into anonymous footfall analytics.
How is this different from people counting with Cisco Spaces?
With Cisco Catalyst, Bumbee Labs connects to the on-prem access points and wireless LAN controllers (WLC) in your own environment. Cisco Spaces is the cloud route, and which one fits depends on how your Cisco estate is set up.
On a Cisco Catalyst network, do we need Cisco CMX, or does Bumbee Labs replace it?
Bumbee Labs works from the data your Cisco Catalyst network already produces (the access points and wireless LAN controllers, WLC, managed through Catalyst Center). You don't need to stand up a separate location-analytics product such as Cisco CMX (Connected Mobile Experiences) to get footfall analytics. If CMX is already part of your environment, book a demo and we'll confirm the right route for your setup.
Does Cisco Catalyst people counting identify individual visitors?
No. Bumbee Labs anonymises and aggregates the signals from your Catalyst access points and wireless LAN controllers from the start, and irrevocably deletes personal data. Only anonymous statistics remain, and nobody can be identified from them.
Is Cisco Catalyst people counting GDPR-compliant?
Yes. The personal data in the signals from your Catalyst access points and wireless LAN controllers (WLC) is deleted at source, leaving Bumbee Labs with aggregated statistics only. Those statistics come from a method that has been reviewed and approved by a European data protection authority.