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this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2025
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Any open source implementations of this?
Yeah this has been around for some time now, here's a paper on the implementation of it.
I'm guessing it assumes you're carrying your phone and infers motion from changes in the signal?
Or just uses the phone connecting and disconnecting to signal departure and arrival, in which case Home Assistant has done that for awhile now.
Or don't! (at extra cost)
Please, everyone:
Awesome tech, if (and only if) you control it end to end, with no corporation involved in that process.
That's why you buy your own router.
I'm using chromecast for streaming to my television. But I accidentally cut my internetcord and guess what doesn't work without internet eventhough it doesn't strictly need internet? Exactly, I'm getting rid of the chromecast soon.
Your telling me a streaming device doesn't work without internet. I'm shocked shocked I fell you.
It should be able to work on lan as well, in my opinion
Are you trying to cast or screen share? Screen share should work over LAN I think.
When streaming content to a chromecast it usually makes a direct connection to the content source, not going through the device you're casting from. In limited cases like when sharing your screen to the chromecast it does only go from your device to the chromecast without internet, but that's rarely used because it's power and data intensive to your device. I guess you're right on the internet not being 'strictly' needed but it's used for a reason.
Should still buy your own router though, and move away from google services π
Yeah "google bad" but this isn't one of those instances. They've been very upfront about the functionality of the Chromecast for a very long time
"We're evil. Deal with it." -Google
All this is implying is that they are capturing this data anyways and offering you a peek at it for money with the guise that its for your safety.
There is likely no way for you to shut it off tracking you everywhere in your own home unless you pay them to access the settings for this feature.
They likely can track you behaviors with this and know when you take a shit, when you jerk-off/fuck your spouse, when you watch media, etc using machine-learning on the wifi specrum of your locations, signal shape, and duration.
Fuck this crazy invasive shit to piss.
Ask for just a plain modem and buy your own WiFi router. If that isn't an option, disable the routing functions and turn off the WiFi and buy your own router.
I haven't had a provider supplied modem or router in well over a decade. Not everyone has the know how to do this but it's not hard to learn and they should learn.
Does owning my own hardware prevent the service provider from getting this data?
Yeah, they used something like fluctuations in the WiFi signal, so you can turn it off. I suppose they could broadcast secretly without an SSID, but there are apps that will show it, so I doubt they would.
They can also see more than just movement: https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/security/a42575068/scientists-use-wifi-to-see-through-walls/
They would have to have access to the wifi piece specifically, so asside from them hacking the router, which is unlikely..
It makes it a lot less likely.
Pretty sure this was mentioned in Cryptonomicon (1999).
With only one payment you can allow us to invade your privacy... Even more than we already do.
Pretty sure itβs, βwith one more monthly payment, we will give you some insight into a small price of information we already know β
yeah im like. oh they are collecting it but if you pay they will give you a copy.
Reminds me of The Dark Knight when Batman activates something similar using cell signals.
We really ought to stop fucking creating the Torment Nexus, jfc.
So I guess those directional MIMO arrays can now give information back to the host controller. That is kinda creepy but also it could be super useful in the right circumstances.
Device-free passive localization has been around for over 15 years.
So when's it gonna be in Home Assistant?
The idea of DfP has been around for over 15 years but its only recently become possible outside of a laboratory environment. It isn't in HA yet because no one has bothered to write a module for it and there's almost no WiFi gear that supports it; either natively or through exposing the data necessary to make it work.
Hmm, maybe they need to build it into OpenWRT first, then.
Either way, the bottom line is that it's completely unacceptable to exist as a feature unless it's 100% Free Software and running 100% locally.
It relies on AI to map the environment. I highly doubt Verizonβs will be running locally, and Iβm positive itβs not fitting in firmware ROM.
She kinda bad tho
Alert: the Wi-Fi has detected high-waisted mom jeans.
colonel im trying to infiltrate a home but the clap of my asscheeks keeps being detected by the wifi signal