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

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

#61

Post by mike2872 »

regularfry wrote: post #53
mike2872 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the questions. 1. As of now it only knows whether there is motion in the zone or not. Actual (x,y) coordinates within the zone are theoretically possible and something I have on the roadmap for 2026. 2. No, it doesn't correlate with other devices currently. But Wi-Fi sensing can theoretically identify who is moving by analyzing how you disrupt the signal. We all have unique movement patterns. I actually ha…

1 and 3: intriguing. With 2, I'm trying to think how effectively it could replace something like ESPresense. With that you've got a BLE tag with an ID that you can just associate with a person, so there's no learning of moving patterns needed, but getting it to be accurate to a room is a nightmare. It also works when there's no movement, which is convenient, and you can put the tag down if you don't want to be tracke…

ESPresense and TOMMY solve different problems right now. ESPresense tracks specific people with IDs (even when stationary), while TOMMY detects anonymous motion across zones. For your use case, ESPresense is probably the better fit currently. Though once stationary presence detection is added (Q1 2026) and person identification, it could do similar tracking without needing physical tags to carry around.

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

#62

Post by mike2872 »

atmanactive wrote: post #58

Could this work without touching my WiFi? For example, an ESP node with ethernet to communicate with Home Assistant, while using it's own WiFi mesh network for detection and/or to talk to other nodes. Or, is the connectivity to my home WiFi network a requirement?

Right now it is a requirement that the device running TOMMY (e.g. Home Assistant) and the ESP32 nodes are on the same network. The communication between the ESP32's are peer-to-peer without needing the router, but the data needed for analysis is sent from the sensors to TOMMY through the router.

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

#63

Post by mrheosuper »

mike2872 wrote: post #4
michaelmior wrote: post #3

> 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're absolutely right. Thanks for the feedback! "No hub required" is misleading. What I meant was "no additional proprietary hub". Meaning, if you're already running Home Assistant or have a Linux machine, you don't need to own a separate device like Zigbee/Z-Wave hub. But yes, the HA instance or Linux host is effectively acting as the hub. I'll update that wording on the site.

>You're absolutely right. Thanks for the feedback!

I have PTSD whenever I see that phrase. Please don't be a LLM reply.

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

#64

Post by atmanactive »

mike2872 wrote: post #62
atmanactive wrote: post #58

Could this work without touching my WiFi? For example, an ESP node with ethernet to communicate with Home Assistant, while using it's own WiFi mesh network for detection and/or to talk to other nodes. Or, is the connectivity to my home WiFi network a requirement?

Right now it is a requirement that the device running TOMMY (e.g. Home Assistant) and the ESP32 nodes are on the same network. The communication between the ESP32's are peer-to-peer without needing the router, but the data needed for analysis is sent from the sensors to TOMMY through the router.

What if all of the ESPs were ethernet? Would that work? Setting a separate SSID for their WiFi.

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

#65

Post by mike2872 »

atmanactive wrote: post #64
mike2872 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right now it is a requirement that the device running TOMMY (e.g. Home Assistant) and the ESP32 nodes are on the same network. The communication between the ESP32's are peer-to-peer without needing the router, but the data needed for analysis is sent from the sensors to TOMMY through the router.

What if all of the ESPs were ethernet? Would that work? Setting a separate SSID for their WiFi.

Yes that would work. They don't need to be connected to the router on Wi-Fi, it can be ethernet too. The ESP's will connect with each other peer-to-peer.

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

#66

Post by yoavm »

Congrats, this looks like an awesome product! Gonna try setting it up in the next few weeks.

How is a "zone" configured? I understand that if I have 3+ devices, the zone is essentially the area between them. But what about two devices? I'm assuming the zone isn't just a straight line between them, or maybe it is? What kind of zone configuration can one do in the dashboard?

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

#67

Post by mike2872 »

yoavm wrote: post #66

Congrats, this looks like an awesome product! Gonna try setting it up in the next few weeks. How is a "zone" configured? I understand that if I have 3+ devices, the zone is essentially the area between them. But what about two devices? I'm assuming the zone isn't just a straight line between them, or maybe it is? What kind of zone configuration can one do in the dashboard?

Thanks, I'm glad you like it! Let me know how it works for you. And if you need any help, feel free to reach out.

A zone is 2 or more devices. So 2 works just fine. Instead of a straight line, image two flashlights pointing at each other. The beam of the flashlight becomes the sensing area.

In the dashboard you can create zones which you put devices into. So you could flash a handful of devices and put them into a "living room" or "upstairs" zone.

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

#68

Post by atmanactive »

mike2872 wrote: post #65
atmanactive wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if all of the ESPs were ethernet? Would that work? Setting a separate SSID for their WiFi.

Yes that would work. They don't need to be connected to the router on Wi-Fi, it can be ethernet too. The ESP's will connect with each other peer-to-peer.

Great news, thank you. Is such a scenario supported in the software currently?

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

#69

Post by mike2872 »

atmanactive wrote: post #68
mike2872 wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes that would work. They don't need to be connected to the router on Wi-Fi, it can be ethernet too. The ESP's will connect with each other peer-to-peer.

Great news, thank you. Is such a scenario supported in the software currently?

Yes, if I understand you correctly then it already works with that setup.

So you can have the ESP32s over ethernet and it still works as long as it's on the same network as TOMMY (Home Assistant Add-on or Docker). Only thing to keep in mind is that the ESP32s need to have Wi-Fi inbuilt with antenna (either PCB or external).

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

#70

Post by atmanactive »

mike2872 wrote: post #69
atmanactive wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great news, thank you. Is such a scenario supported in the software currently?

Yes, if I understand you correctly then it already works with that setup. So you can have the ESP32s over ethernet and it still works as long as it's on the same network as TOMMY (Home Assistant Add-on or Docker). Only thing to keep in mind is that the ESP32s need to have Wi-Fi inbuilt with antenna (either PCB or external).

... and it is possible to configure a non existing SSID which would then be created as a separate mesh network (no access point), correct?
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