Your Wi-Fi router could spy exactly where you are in a room

Date:
Thu, 19 Jan 2023 19:40:16 +0000

Description:
Signal from Wi-Fi router can be used as a sort of sonar feeding into an AI-powered image processing software.

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Your humble Wi-Fi router signal could be used to track your movements around
a room, bat style, a new report has claimed.

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University recently published a report in which they detailed an experiment using ordinary off-the-shelf Wi-Fi routers to detect peoples locations, as well as their poses, in a room.

The experiment, although not without flaws, was an overall success, proving that the endpoints could be used to track people. Its being described as an ethical and privacy-sensitive way to monitor (mostly elderly and alone) individuals. Accurate images

In laymans terms, the Wi-Fi signal transmitted by the routers can be used as
a sort of sonar, where an AI-powered program analyzes the difference in the density between outgoing and incoming signals, and comes back with wireframe images of people in the room.

In some instances, the images came back incomplete, or showed people in
weird, unnatural poses, demonstrating that the method obviously still needs work. But in many cases, the images created by the AI were quite accurate. Peoples positions within a room were accurate, their dimensions were
accurate, their poses were accurate.

Besides the occasional error in rendering, another major challenge is being able to track a bigger number of people. So far, the routers are able to successfully track up to three people. Read more

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For the experiment, the researchers used TP-Link Archer A7 AC1750 devices, which cost a measly $32. Compared to other tracking technology, such as LIDAR or radar, using Wi-Fi routers for this purpose is immensely cheaper. In some instances, the routers could even be a better solution compared to cameras, given that they work even if people are hidden behind objects such as furniture.

It seems as if the researchers will continue their work, attempting to
improve the solution via better public training data for Wi-Fi-based perception. Check out the best privacy tools today

Via: Tom's Hardware



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/your-wi-fi-router-could-spot-exactly-where-you- are-in-a-room


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