Live data from Hacker News

The next big Wi-Fi standard is for sensing, not communication (2021)

staceyoniot.com

61–70 of 235 posts

Re: The next big Wi-Fi standard is for sensing, not communication (2021)

#62

Is it just me, or does this seems like a really, really bad idea? The privacy implications here seem… disturbing.

I think future home privacy will go beyond blinds. We will be lining the walls in RF blocking sheets.

Honest question: is wrapping a home in a Faraday cage even plausible?

Or on a room level? How do you control for RF leaks? How do you handle windows and doorways?

I’m fascinated.

Re: The next big Wi-Fi standard is for sensing, not communication (2021)

#63

I'm surprised that there's not a single comment here about 802.11ay which is also 60GHz. Each channel on that standard can do something like 40Gbps, which is nuts. From Wikipedia[0]: > The link-rate per stream is 44 Gbit/s, with four streams this goes up to 176 Gbit/s. Yes, it can't penetrate walls, but is huge for point to point communication. Think VR headset bandwidth, file transfers between devices, wireless back…

> You can "sense" with a lot more resolution if you use a camera and light bulb. (Visible) Light has a frequency of around 400-790 THz, which explains why it has a inherently better resolution.

https://www.rtinsights.com/li-fi-a-new-wireless-alternative-...

> Li-Fi connections are broadcast over the air through a light-emitting diodes (LED) broadcaster and support rates up to 100Gbit/s ... Li-Fi can also serve to identify an object’s indoor position more accurately than Wi-Fi or GPS used today (less than 2cm and less than 3 degrees of orientation while it is providing real-time localization (less than 34ms). This accuracy is vital in multiple applications such as navigation In-Door Robots and Drones, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Gaming, among others ... it cannot go through walls, and thus a private local area network (LAN) can be created by lighting up a closed room ... Any organization that needs to keep information within the four walls, such as military bases and banks, can use the technology to keep data restricted to a single room.

Re: The next big Wi-Fi standard is for sensing, not communication (2021)

#64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technology can't be stopped by individual engineers refusing to invent it, it can only be stopped by everyone agreeing on the ways it shouldn't be used. So it was for arson (fire), homicide (every weapon since the rock), and obscene material (all communications technology), and so must it be for privacy and the various techniques of monitoring us.

Since 802.11bf makes most existing walls transparent, it should lead to innovation in wall construction. It may also increase market demand for light-based wireless networking (Li-Fi) which has the advantage of being stopped by existing walls.

People will need indoor cell repeaters to undo what's done by their shielded walls.

Re: The next big Wi-Fi standard is for sensing, not communication (2021)

#65
post #10
post #5

The only real practical example is fall detection, what's the real purpose of this?

I worked briefly for a company working on WiFi sensing, and besides fall detection, nobody could give a compelling use case. When pressed to come up with a motivating vision, the big idea was lights turning on automatically when you enter a room. I guess? Like a lot of R&D, it seemed a solution in search of a problem.

No post body was provided.

Re: The next big Wi-Fi standard is for sensing, not communication (2021)

#66
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think future home privacy will go beyond blinds. We will be lining the walls in RF blocking sheets.

Honest question: is wrapping a home in a Faraday cage even plausible? Or on a room level? How do you control for RF leaks? How do you handle windows and doorways? I’m fascinated.

Room example, https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM0GkLosTlvxisP4s4DfueX...

Windows = RF-blocking conductive mesh: copper (expensive) or nickel-copper-polyester.

Re: The next big Wi-Fi standard is for sensing, not communication (2021)

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since 802.11bf makes most existing walls transparent, it should lead to innovation in wall construction. It may also increase market demand for light-based wireless networking (Li-Fi) which has the advantage of being stopped by existing walls.

People will need indoor cell repeaters to undo what's done by their shielded walls.

Hopefully light-based networking gains mass-market traction.

First Li-Fi tablet was announced at CES 2022, https://electronics360.globalspec.com/article/17597/first-li...

Post reply on HN