Without reliable occupancy data, decisions about real estate, floor layouts, energy usage, and workplace strategy are based on assumption rather than fact. GoBright’s WiFi Occupancy Measurement Solution solves this, quickly and at a substantial lower costs then using sensors. Using your building’s existing WiFi infrastructure, the platform delivers real-time insight into how every floor and building is actually occupied; with AI-generated trend reports available within the first week of implementation.
WHAT IS WIFI OCCUPANCY MEASUREMENT?
WiFi occupancy uses a building’s existing WiFi network to detect the presence of devices; such as smartphones and laptops, and translate that into real-time insights about how spaces are being used. It shows which areas of a building are occupied, how often, and by how many people. Because no additional hardware is required, it is a fast, cost-effective way to understand occupancy patterns across an entire building or campus. All device data is anonymised at source, making the solution fully GDPR compliant by design.
WHY DO YOU NEED WIFI OCCUPANCY MEASUREMENT?
While facility managers receive complaints about insufficient workspace, more than half of the available workspaces in the same building often remain unused at the same time. The problem is not a shortage of space; it is a lack of visibility into how that space is actually being used.
GoBright’s WiFi Occupancy Measurement Solution addresses this directly. Using your building’s existing WiFi infrastructure, it delivers real-time insight into how every floor and building is occupied. No sensors to install. No additional hardware. Just clear, actionable data from the WiFi infrastructure you already have.
This solution is part of GoBright’s broader occupancy measurement solution. For organisations requiring granular, location-level detail, WiFi occupancy can be combined with GoBright’s desk and room sensors. Based on the type of insights you need, we advise and provide the right combination. AI-generated occupancy reports can be configured across total building, per building, per floor, and per user group.
GoBright complete Occupancy Solution brings together booking data, sensor data, and now WiFi-based occupancy data to give organisations the most complete picture of workplace usage available.
HOW DOES WIFI OCCUPANCY WORK?
Using your building’s existing WiFi network via a secure API integration; typically, a VPN connection to the location engine of your WiFi system; implementation takes around one week and requires no physical installation.
Once connected, the platform detects the presence of WiFi-enabled devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets, and uses this data to build a continuous, anonymous picture of occupancy across the building. Data is processed in real time and presented through a dashboard accessible to facilities managers, workplace teams, and real estate decision-makers.
AI algorithms run continuously in the background, identifying patterns, flagging anomalies, and generating automated trend reports. These AI-generated reports include clear graphics and accompanying explanatory text, making insights easy to understand and act upon. After just one month of data collection, AI-powered trend analysis becomes available, with most organisations seeing meaningful insights within weeks.
WHAT INSIGHTS DOES IT DELIVER?
GoBright WiFi Occupancy measurement provides a range of data views and reports, all accessible through the dashboard:
- Real-time space availability: live view of which areas, floors, and zones are occupied right now.
- Group-level analytics: understand how different teams, departments, or user groups move through and use the building.
- AI trend reports: weekly or on-demand reports identifying usage patterns, occupancy shifts, and long-term trends.
- Neighbourhood and floor analysis: occupancy rates by zone, useful for floor planning and space redesign.
- Density and spread: understand whether spaces are overcrowded or underused at any given time.
- Retention data: how long users stay in specific areas, helping optimise zone design.
- Portfolio comparisons: compare occupancy across multiple buildings or campuses.
The platform is GDPR-compliant by design. Data is anonymised, and no personal data is stored or reported.
PRACTICAL OCCUPANCY PILOT?
One of the most practical applications is the occupancy pilot. Organisations planning an office move, a building redesign, or a decision to scale their real estate footprint up or down can use the platform to gather solid utilisation evidence first.
Because no hardware is needed, a pilot can start within a week. The data gathered gives real estate and facilities teams the confidence to make major decisions based on reality, not estimates.
THE ROI OF WIFI AND SENSOR BASED OCCUPANCY
The combination of WiFi-based occupancy measurement and GoBright’s sensor technology offers something no single approach can match building-wide visibility and desk/room-level precision, working together.
WiFi analytics give you the broad picture; fast. Which floors are busy? Which buildings are consistently under capacity? How does usage shift across the week or season? Sensors then add the granular layer: which specific desks are occupied, which meeting rooms run over their bookings, and where usage differs from bookings data.
Together, the two approaches give organisations the evidence to:
- Reduce real estate costs by identifying and consolidating underused space.
- Design better workplaces based on how people actually behave, not how planners assumed they would.
- Lower the CO₂ footprint of the building by aligning energy, cleaning, and facilities to actual occupancy.
- Improve the employee experience by removing the frustration of overcrowded zones or hard-to-find space.
- Support hybrid working strategies with data on how often, when, and how different groups use the office.
For organisations managing large corporate estates or multi-building campuses, the ability to understand utilisation at scale — without a hardware rollout — is a significant operational advantage.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Our Smart Workplace Experts can show you the feature in action and help you get started.
