Heatmap & Analytics

Heatmap & Analytics

The Heatmap feature visualizes presence patterns over time, showing you where people spend the most time in a room. Use this data to optimize zone placement and understand room usage.

Note: Heatmap is available for Everything Presence Lite (EPL) and Everything Presence Pro devices.

Accessing the Heatmap

  1. From the Live Dashboard, click the menu icon (☰)

  2. Select Heatmap


Understanding the Heatmap

Color Scale

The heatmap uses colors to show presence intensity:

Color

Meaning

Blue/Purple

Low presence (rarely occupied)

Green

Moderate presence

Yellow

High presence

Orange/Red

Very high presence (frequently occupied)

What It Shows

The heatmap displays accumulated presence data over the selected time period. Areas where targets are detected more frequently appear "hotter" (warmer colors).

Time Period Selection

Choose the time range for your heatmap data:


Period

Description

Last Hour

Recent activity snapshot

Last 24 Hours

Full day overview

Last 7 Days

Weekly patterns

Last 30 Days

Monthly usage trends

Custom Range

Select specific start/end dates

Hourly Activity Chart

Below the heatmap, an activity chart shows presence levels by hour:

  • X-axis: Hours of the day (0-23)

  • Y-axis: Presence intensity

  • Bars: Average activity level for each hour


This helps identify:

  • Peak usage times

  • Quiet periods

  • Daily patterns

Interpreting the Data

High Activity Areas

Hot spots (red/orange) indicate:

  • Frequently occupied locations

  • Primary seating or work areas

  • High traffic pathways

Action: Ensure these areas have reliable zone coverage.

Low Activity Areas

Cold spots (blue/purple) indicate:

  • Rarely used spaces

  • Possible detection blind spots

  • Areas blocked by furniture

Action: Consider if these areas need zones, or if sensor repositioning would improve coverage.

Traffic Patterns

Trails of moderate activity often show:

  • Walking paths through the room

  • Routes between entry points and seating

  • Movement between activity zones

Use Cases

Optimizing Zone Placement

  1. View heatmap for the past week

  2. Identify where people actually spend time

  3. Adjust zones to match real usage patterns

  4. Remove zones from unused areas

Identifying Dead Zones

  1. Compare heatmap to expected room usage

  2. Look for unexpectedly cold areas

  3. Check if furniture or obstacles block detection

  4. Consider repositioning the sensor

Understanding Room Usage

  1. View activity by time of day

  2. Identify peak hours for different areas

  3. Use insights for automation timing

  4. Optimize lighting schedules based on actual patterns

Debugging False Triggers

  1. Look for unexpected hot spots

  2. Check areas near windows or walls

  3. Identify reflection or interference sources

  4. Add exclusion zones where needed

Data Collection

How Data Is Collected

  • Target positions are sampled periodically

  • Position data is aggregated into grid cells

  • Cell counts accumulate over time

  • Data is stored locally in the add-on

Data Retention

Heatmap data is retained based on the selected time period. Older data may be automatically pruned to manage storage.

Privacy Note

All heatmap data stays local to your Home Assistant instance. No data is sent externally. The heatmap shows aggregate patterns, not individual tracking.

Clearing Heatmap Data

To reset the heatmap and start fresh:

  1. Open Settings

  2. Find Clear Heatmap Data

  3. Select the room to clear

  4. Confirm the action

Note: This permanently deletes historical presence data for the selected room.

Tips for Better Heatmaps

  1. Let it collect data - Heatmaps are most useful after several days of data

  2. Check multiple time ranges - Daily vs weekly patterns may differ

  3. Compare before/after - After moving zones or the sensor, compare heatmaps

  4. Use with Room Builder - Overlay helps identify furniture-related blind spots

Next Steps