Linksys Aware uses mesh Wi-Fi network for motion-tracking in the home
Linksys has introduced a new surveillance feature for its mesh Wi-Fi routers called Linksys Aware, a subscription which can allow some Velop routers to perform motion sensing using Wi-Fi signals, providing alerts to the homeowner when activity is detected.
Offered via the Linksys Smart WiFi iOS app, the Linksys Aware service takes advantage of the existing "Intelligent Mesh" Wi-Fi network produced by the Velop Tri-Band AC2200 routers to detect movement of bodies within a home. When movement is detected by the system, the user can be alerted via an app notification, warning of things happening in a home when they aren't there.
Linksys does not explain how the system works, but it is likely to be doing more than detecting the presence of other devices emitting Wi-Fi signals, like an iPhone in a person's pocket. Given the use of a mesh network, it is probable the technology is monitoring for changes in Wi-Fi signal reception affected by a large mobile mass of radio-affecting water, such as a human.
While it can provide a form of security for a home without the aid of cameras or a full burglar alarm, Linksys proposes a secondary use of the system in providing remote care for the elderly. Linksys Aware can also provide historical data for up to 60 days, and insights can be viewed on an hourly, daily, and weekly basis.
The level of sensitivity is adjustable within the app, to account for homes with thicker walls, a more widely spaced out mesh network, or to prevent false positives from family pets.
Linksys Aware is available for use on the Velop Tri-Band AC2200 router, which is sold in single, two-pack, and three-pack bundles, with it expanding to other mesh routers from the company in the future. The feature itself is free for the first 90 days, then will cost $2.99 per month or $24.99 per year.
Offered via the Linksys Smart WiFi iOS app, the Linksys Aware service takes advantage of the existing "Intelligent Mesh" Wi-Fi network produced by the Velop Tri-Band AC2200 routers to detect movement of bodies within a home. When movement is detected by the system, the user can be alerted via an app notification, warning of things happening in a home when they aren't there.
Linksys does not explain how the system works, but it is likely to be doing more than detecting the presence of other devices emitting Wi-Fi signals, like an iPhone in a person's pocket. Given the use of a mesh network, it is probable the technology is monitoring for changes in Wi-Fi signal reception affected by a large mobile mass of radio-affecting water, such as a human.
While it can provide a form of security for a home without the aid of cameras or a full burglar alarm, Linksys proposes a secondary use of the system in providing remote care for the elderly. Linksys Aware can also provide historical data for up to 60 days, and insights can be viewed on an hourly, daily, and weekly basis.
The level of sensitivity is adjustable within the app, to account for homes with thicker walls, a more widely spaced out mesh network, or to prevent false positives from family pets.
Linksys Aware is available for use on the Velop Tri-Band AC2200 router, which is sold in single, two-pack, and three-pack bundles, with it expanding to other mesh routers from the company in the future. The feature itself is free for the first 90 days, then will cost $2.99 per month or $24.99 per year.
Comments
I don't have HomePods yet but I have a Velop 3 Node system. Honestly I'm "done" with Mesh routers. They are overhyped. Don't get me wrong in some circumstances they can do a good job but it's clear to understand not to expect magic. My first mesh system was a Luma and my Ecobee Thermostat stopped connecting until I swapped my Time Capsule back in.
Don't really need motion sensors at this point and if I did I'd probably do the Smartthings motion sensor for $25.
It's not just Bezos...Amazon has a high quotient of douche bag personnel. I've walked the halls of Microsoft during more lean years and felt less dirty than learning how Amazon operated just a few years ago. I die a little inside every time our Prime sub renews. Holiday shopping is the only reason we keep it.
Here’s a technology marketed as affording the customer extra personal security whilst affording external parties an insane degree of personal insight. No longer will anything “stay within these walls”. Why wouldn’t corporations & governments pay large for this data?
I’m not sure that was covered in the book, that the dictatorship was elective.
My new policy going forward is to limit products that require an account to properly function. I have have a Nest Thermostat and honestly I don't really see where it needs to phone home. Just recently saw a new fan hit that looked promising until it started talking about "our cloud" ceiling fans don't need clouds. Not every cloud product wants to monetize customer data but I'm getting the feeling that it's a "in case of Emergency ...break glass and sell the data" situation.
As for 1984, the whole point of the novel is that the past is unclear and totally rewritten to suit the Party’s ideological needs. It's more or less based on the idea that the course of the post-WWII 1940's Cold War got hot in the 50's and led to revolutions and further constant war, labor camps, paranoia and the rise of secret police and spy rings in communist/totalitarian governments spreading to the three major superpowers. There's nothing that I can recall having anything to do with the people willingly adopting surveillance technology that would be used against themselves leading to a fascist dictatorship dystopia as a result. Have you read it?
Back to the topic at hand... Linksys is trying to be opportunistic by exploiting a side effect of their signal monitoring to detect motion. No big deal and good for them. The only issue I have with the likes of Linksys/Netgear and their contemporaries is based on the poor reliability and useless tech support I've experienced with them. They drove me to Apple and its Airport products and I never looked back. Now that Apple has exited this market I figured I'd be better served by just taking personal responsibility for maintaining my own networking gear. I knew going in that Ubiquiti is much more of a community supported model, so resolving a technical or usability issue requires some online investigation and reaching out to peers. I'm okay with that because Ubiquiti provides you with the tools you'll need to be self sufficient and there's an online community to tap into. With Netgear, Linksys, Cisco, Apple, etc., you "think" you're getting a company to back you up and hold your hand, but Apple is the only company that really does it, and Apple's gear requires almost no support. Good luck with those other companies. Yeah, this is my personal opinion and your experience may be much different than mine.
Putting home data on another's server doesn't only mean that you trust that company -- today as well as somewhere out there in the future -- but, it also means you trust that they will not be hacked -- which is really just a foolish hope.
As for governments (particularly ours) "paying for the data": No, they won't pay -- they'll just take it. Likely, they already have.
Essentially, I view any home automation data in the cloud the same way I view social media posts: (eventually it will become) public knowledge.
You can do it! I used to use Amazon all the time but since getting that bad taste in my mouth about some of their actions I slowly moved away from them and rarely even go to the website anymore. When I do it's typically just as an informational jaunt. Clearly, your needs could differ from mine (and likely do) but I feel like you could at least reduce, if not eliminate, your dependence on them with not much effort or pain. If 2-day shipping is something you care about, it's not hard to find other outlets that offer 2-day shipping. Granted, it may not be on everything but I rarely, if ever, find myself paying for shipping on anything (also, always been confused on how the shipping is "free" when Prime is not free).
Netgear only really cares about their product outside of retail. They have their Insight software platform for the SMB space but I still like the Unifi Network Management software much better. Ruckus is too expensive, Cisco is Cisco,
Wish Apple would get back in the game.