Frequently Asked Questions
Below you’ll find answers to our most commonly asked questions. If you don’t find the answer you are looking for, please contact us.
AVUITY Overview
Are AVUITY products proprietary?
Yes! The VuAI is 100% designed by AVUITY and manufactured in Cleveland, Ohio. The AVUITY employee experience application was designed and engineered by our team here in Cincinnati, Ohio.
What is AVUITY’s history?
AVUITY was started as part of an architecture and design firm in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2012 to measure the effectiveness of office design. Since then, we have emerged as an independent technology business in 2018, have continuously improved our product offering and built a global client base of customers ranging from the Fortune 50 to local Cincinnati businesses.
Where are AVUITY products being used?
AVUITY’s products are used in 25 countries over 6 continents.
Can I talk to one of your current customers about how they use the system?
Of course! Just let us know what questions you are looking to answer with the AVUITY platform and we would be happy to connect you with the perfect person.
Does AVUITY just send me a dashboard? I don’t need another dashboard.
No! AVUITY was started as part of an architecture firm and we pride ourselves on customer service. We are here to help you understand your data, make decisions with it and integrate the data into other parts of your building management.
We have dashboard fatigue too; we promise not to contribute to yours.
Does the AVUITY platform/data integrate into my Building Management Software?
Yes. We are an API first company and make it very easy for other systems to ingest our data. Specially, we offer 3 APIs for easy access to our data including a Historical Data API, Real-Time API, and a Hardware API.
AVUITY Sensors
What is the use case for an AVUITY sensor?
Our customers use the product to understand how employees interact with office space. This understanding allows for improved decision-making around space design, utilization, and maintenance.
From this understanding of space usage, we have helped customers build dynamic cleaning schedules, run space studies on furniture layouts, understand the efficiency of HVAC systems, provide desk availability in real-time, and much more.
What metrics are reported by the VuAI sensor?
The VuAI reports occupancy and utilization of space as well as environmental factors including temperature, light levels, noise levels, and humidity.
How does the VuAI sensor work?
To detect occupancy, the VuAI uses a passive infrared sensor to detect motion, which then triggers the optical sensor to take a reading of the space. Following this initial reading, the sensor will take a reading on a specific, customizable, polling interval until such a time that there is no longer occupancy. The sensor will go back to sleep until the passive infrared sensor detects motion again.
The VuAI sensor can collect environmental data on a polling interval of your choosing, regardless of whether or not there is occupancy in a specific space.
Does AVUITY track or retain any Personally Identifiable Information?
Absolutely not. We take privacy incredibly seriously and there is never any personally identifiable information transmitted or reported by AVUITY. Our platform is FCC compliant in the United States as well as GDPR compliant in Europe.
Do AVUITY sensors only monitor office space?
No! We have sensors monitoring everything from drive-throughs to amenity spaces in multi-family housing and even retail locations.
What about measuring air quality?
Currently, we do not collect CO2, however, this is something AVUITY is actively investigating and looking to add to the product in the near future.
Who installs the sensor? Are they difficult to install?
We have preferred install partners that have installed AVUITY sensors for several years across geographies. Most customers choose this option, though others have their own preferred vendor, with whom we are happy to coordinate.
The sensors are very easy to install. Because the sensors are battery-powered, there is no cabling required. Depending on the type of ceiling we can put the sensors directly into a drop ceiling or hang them from a fixture box. Over the last 10 years, we have seen countless ceiling types and crazy lighting fixtures, and we have always found a way to make our sensors work with the aesthetic.
What is the coverage area of a VuAI sensor?
On a 9’ ceiling the VuAI has a range of 608 sq. ft.. On a 12’ ceiling, the VuAI has a range of 1075 sq. ft.
Can the AVUITY platform ingest data from my other technology systems (i.e., a desk booking application)?
Yes! As long as that system makes its data available for export. We are happy to integrate via an API, but we can also use a simple CSV export to help customers compare booking vs. utilization metrics. We would also be happy to talk to you about the proprietary AVUITY employee experience application that natively integrates desk booking data into the AVUITY platform.
How long do the batteries last?
Battery life depends on activity and the polling interval set for the sensor. Depending on your data needs, each AVUITY sensor can be programmed to pull data at any interval you choose. With a short, 1-minute interval, batteries will need to be changed approximately every 2 years, while a longer polling interval of 5-minutes results in batteries needing to be changed approximately every 10 years. Most customers choose a 2-minute polling interval and batteries need to be changed approximately every 4 years.
Who monitors the status of the hardware?
You as the client have access to a report in VuSpace that shows sensor health for every sensor deployed in your portfolio. Additionally, AVUITY actively monitors the sensor status. We even integrate into your facilities team and automatically send maintenance tickets for sensor maintenance or replacing batteries.
AVUITY Employee Experience Application
What are the key features of the AVUITY application?
The AVUITY app helps employees return to the office. The application is focused on space booking, real-time occupancy, and promoting community in the office.
The application allows any space to be booked, with full search functionality across available floors/buildings, space type/features, and amenities. Employees can easily see real-time availability (either through booking data only or if paired with sensors, true real-time occupancy). The app also boasts a Community feature that allows employees to follow (double opt-in) team members and easily collaborate in the office.
Does the AVUITY application integrate with Office 365 and G Suite?
Yes! We are fully integrated with your existing calendar platforms.
How many people use the AVUITY employee experience app?
There are hundreds of thousands of employees using the AVUITY application around the globe.
Is the AVUITY app available in languages other than English?
Yes! The AVUITY app is currently available in 9 different languages and we are adding more all the time.
Can the AVUITY app use my company’s colors and branding?
Of course. We Are happy to fit any aesthetic to allow your employees one seamless experience. We are also happy to keep it simple and use the AVUITY branding.
If we don’t use AVUITY’s desk booking solution can we integrate data from our current solution to populate reports in VuSpace?
Absolutely, if the data is formatted to fit our file structure, we can ingest your desk booking data to populate reports from our sensor data. Though we would love to tell you more about how the AVUITY app could benefit your application.