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Show HN: Tommy – Turn ESP32 devices into through-wall motion sensors

tommysense.com

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Re: Show HN: Tommy – Turn ESP32 devices into through-wall motion sensors

#31
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you open a support thread in the Discord channel? Some boards have some quicks to them. But it's all been solved by other users before. I'm sure there's a solution to your board too.

I did, even though I really hate Discord forums (they have the worst of both worlds between forums and chat, they aren't real-time and they aren't discoverable on the web, but that's a different conversation). Hopefully someone will be able to help, thanks!

I'm glad you made an exception, though. I'll help you get the board flashed.

Re: Show HN: Tommy – Turn ESP32 devices into through-wall motion sensors

#32
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did, even though I really hate Discord forums (they have the worst of both worlds between forums and chat, they aren't real-time and they aren't discoverable on the web, but that's a different conversation). Hopefully someone will be able to help, thanks!

I'm glad you made an exception, though. I'll help you get the board flashed.

Thank you!

Re: Show HN: Tommy – Turn ESP32 devices into through-wall motion sensors

#35

Very cool. How does it work in an apartment building? both practically not detecting my neighbors movement. But also from a privacy standpoint, can someone spy on me with this technology?

Great questions. Neighbor detection: I haven't had issues with neighbor movement affecting detection in my testing. The devices form a mesh within your defined zone, so they're primarily sensing disruptions between your own nodes. If you do experience false positives, there's a sensitivity adjustment in the dashboard. Privacy/spying: In TOMMY, I've explicitly disabled the ability to use devices outside your own netwo…

>Wi-Fi sensing as a broader technology could theoretically be used for surveillance if someone controlled devices on both sides of your walls. It's similar to other wireless technologies in that regard. The key is controlling your own hardware.

Does this mean that a nosy neighbor or someone else who wanted to surveil your residence could accomplish this by placing multiple devices around but not necessarily on your property so that a mesh is created that effectively covers your residence? Sounds like a stalker tool or a tool for burglars to use to determine when a building is unoccupied so that they can get in and out without being interrupted. Wealthy homeowners, like professional sports players, have already become targets of burglars who use team schedules to understand when a place will be unoccupied. The NFL's Joe Burrow I think is the most recent victim.

I guess the effective range of each device factors into this if you were determining mesh coverage.

How would one protect their residence from similar surveillance?

EDIT: I like this concept and see that this could help me here in managing deer traffic across my property. I would like to give them a reason to take another path so knowing exactly when they are on the property is useful data. Game cameras and ordinary security cameras set up as game cameras have a noticeable lag and so they don't send the alert until they finalize a video and by that time the animal has absconded, but not before chewing my fruit trees.

Re: Show HN: Tommy – Turn ESP32 devices into through-wall motion sensors

#36
Seems to be based on See through walls by MIT (2013)? Good job porting it to esp32. I was just looking a week ago to do the same thing - basically reproducing this work. I'll definitely try this. https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/seeing-through-walls-comp...

Re: Show HN: Tommy – Turn ESP32 devices into through-wall motion sensors

#38

This is a signal that I need to get off of Wifi altogether. The data from CSI and BFI are too insecure and no one cares about the privacy concerns. I'm sure ICE agents are going to love this technology.

> no one cares about the privacy concerns

Even if IEEE doesn't care, someone famous will eventually learn that the walls of their mansion are transparent to passive WiFi receivers with cantennas, even if they turn off all WiFi devices inside their home. Will they build a new mansion with RF-shielded walls? Try to find someone who cares?

Re: Show HN: Tommy – Turn ESP32 devices into through-wall motion sensors

#39

> No hub required - TOMMY runs as a Home Assistant add-on or on a Linux host (Docker) and uses supporting devices to create a sensing network. I don't see how either the HA instance or the Linux host can't be viewed as a hub. No hub required feels untrue to me. I assume this question is intended to clarify that some additional device is not necessary, but I think this could be reworded.

You are of course correct but in the HA community "no hub required" often should be read as "no addiditonal hub required because HA can communicate directly with it"
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