Did you know that your WiFi networks have a potential capability to sense human presence and movements? There has been research on it in 2022, where researchers at Carnegie Mellon University developed a way that leverages WiFi to identify the movements of people in a room.
And this ability of WiFi to recognize people and movements triggers discussions on its pros and cons. The benefit is that it can be used to enhance home security, elderly care, and emergency services. But of course, if a wireless network can understand your movements while you are by yourself, there could be serious concerns for privacy, too. But before we get to that, let’s get you more on how it works.
How can your WiFi network see you or the people?
Well, the researchers behind this used existing WiFi CPE (routers) and changed them with a deep learning algorithm. The network was then made able to assess human movements. It analyzes how WiFi signals change and beam as they go through human bodies. The team used a neural network model and changed these WiFi signals into dynamic 3D silhouettes of people in movement.
In their research, they found that their algorithm helped the WiFi network identify individuals, detect their movements, and also identify their posture,s such as sitting, standing, or walking.
But there were no extra-advanced hardware attached, nor motion sensors or cameras in this setup. In fact, it’s kind of a basic motion-sensing innovation and not something like a fully fledged LiDAR system.
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Pros and Cons: Real-world applications of WiFi recognizing human presence
The researchers have shared that WiFi networks capable of identifying human movements can be exploited to monitor the well-being of the elderly. They can assess different behaviors of the elderly at home. The key advantage is that it is going to be rather cheap.
As mentioned above, there are not other special hardware involved. The router is at the core, which comes in all shapes, sizes, and costs. They also maintain that the system won’t breach individuals’ privacy as it won’t require cameras or other surveillance equipment. But again, there would be a possibility of some tech-savvy person peaking into your movements remotely with access to your WiFi router.
Likewise, the Carnegie Mellon team has admitted to possible misuse of this finding and is working on integrating measures to keep the system free from possible hacking attempts.
The aim of the team is to ensure ethical and rightful use of the system when it becomes commercially available. However, we are looking into years into the future before it becomes mainstream.
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But does it excite you that your WiFi can sense your presence and movements, or rather threatens you for your privacy? Share what you think down below in the comment section.
