Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get a better handle on how many people are actually coming into my cafe. You know, not just sales numbers, but actual foot traffic. I figured a system to count people coming in and out would be super useful. Here’s how I went about setting it up.
The Initial Idea
First, I thought about what I really needed. I wanted something simple, reliable, and, let’s be honest, not crazy expensive. I also didn’t want to be messing around with complicated installations. The basic idea was to count people as they entered and exited, and then somehow get that data in a way that was easy to understand.
Picking the Hardware
I did some digging around. My first thought, I needed some kind of sensor. After considering the location on the door and power outlets, I chose a simple infrared beam sensor. It’s basically a little gadget that shoots an invisible beam across the doorway. When someone walks through, it breaks the beam, and that’s how it counts.
- Sensor:Simple infrared sensor, easy to install on the door frame.
- Counter:I paired the infrared sensor with the simplest digital counter.
Putting It All Together
Mounting the sensor was pretty straightforward. I just stuck it on the door frame, making sure the beam was at a good height to catch people walking through. It took a little fiddling to get it aligned just right, but nothing too major. After that, all I need to do is remember to record the counter manually.
First Results & What’s Next
I’ve been running this setup for a couple days. Manually record the counters, calculate the total number, compare with other factors. It’s pretty cool to see the actual numbers. I can start to see patterns, like which hours are busiest and how many people are actually coming in, not just buying something.
It’s a simple start, but it’s already giving me some solid data. And honestly, that’s exactly what I was aiming for.