How Wi-Fi sensing became usable tech

One breathing-­monitor startup, called Asleep, set out to use Wi-Fi sensing technology but has pivoted to using microphones instead. Patwari also started his own company to make Wi-Fi breathing monitors.

Google’s Sleep Sensing feature is built into its Nest Hub; it tracks breathing, snoring, and coughing for whoever is sleeping closest to the device, using not Wi-Fi sensing but a radar chip.

To come even close, Wi-Fi sensing needs to look at how waves from multiple devices interact.

If Wi-Fi sensing becomes a default option in smart devices like lightbulbs-a push that is already beginning to take place-then those devices can start monitoring you.

As Wi-Fi sensing technology improves, these devices can start watching in more detail.

Some of the uses that made Wi-Fi sensing exciting a decade ago are now commercially available with dedicated radar devices that use shorter wavelengths.

For now, commercial providers are taking advantage of Wi-Fi’s range to focus on home security, along with one other area where they believe that Wi-Fi sensing is already the best solution.

In 2021, Paul installed a Wi-Fi sensing tool from Origin Wireless called Hex Home.

Eventually, the Wi-Fi sensing companies I spoke with would like to go even bigger: serving not just homes and small businesses, but also larger office buildings or stores.

Since 2020, the 802.11bf Task Group for WLAN Sensing, led by experts from companies like Huawei and Qualcomm, has been working on standards for chipmakers designed to make Wi-Fi sensing easier.

For now, says Oscar Au, an IEEE fellow and member of the Wi-Fi sensing task group who is a vice president at Origin Wireless, the goal is to focus on “At least get the sensing measurements done.” He says that the committee did discuss privacy and security: “Some individuals have raised concerns, including myself.” But they decided that while those concerns do need to be addressed, they are not within the committee’s mandate.

In another sense, Wi-Fi sensing is more concerning than cameras, because it can be completely invisible.