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This Box Detects Home Intruders  By Only Using Wi-Fi

5/28/2017

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A few years ago, researchers at MIT developed a new technology that could detect movement by measuring changes to wireless signals. This device, called Radio Frequency (RF) Capture, could in effect "see through walls" by detecting ripples in Wi-Fi or other wireless signals anywhere in a house. Now, the company Cognitive Systems has harnessed this technology to build a new kind of home security system called Aura. Instead of using cameras or motion sensors, Aura can detect home intruders by looking at how movement affects wireless signal.

At its most basic, Aura is a base station and a companion unit placed on opposite sides of a house. It can tell you, via a smartphone app, if there is movement in your house and how much. It can't, however, tell you what is making that movement, unless it's a person who has already registered their phone with the device. Aura can also automatically tell when you leave your home by detecting that you phone is no longer present. Then, it automatically arms itself though you can do that manually as well. When movement is detected, Aura will send an alert to your phone or set off an alarm.

Aura is programmed to recognize the differences in movements made by a pet or a human, or ambient movement like a fan blowing a curtain. Humans in a space change the wireless spectrum much more dramatically than other sources of movement.

A device like Aura may appeal to some people who are concerned about security but don't like the idea of pointing a camera at your bedroom. Aura, on the other hand, doesn't record or even "see" what is happening in your house—it only detects movement.

"There's no sense of privacy invasion," Cognitive Systems CEO Hugh Hind ssaid.

To make Aura, Cognitive Systems built a new kind of microchip, one that can detect a broad spectrum of frequencies, from 80 MHz to 4 Ghz. This novel technology could be very useful for manufacturers of other gadgets, and it's possible that Cognitive Systems' chip will outdo the security system it powers.

But that success has yet to be determined, since Aura has just started shipping to customers. But it's not hard to imagine that a device that can see movement through solid walls , all without using a camera, could change the landscape of surveillance and security.
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Aura is available at the company’s website at $499/each.

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    Author

    Rick Richardson, CPA, CITP, CGMA

    Rick is the editor of the weekly newsletter, Technology This Week. You can subscribe to it by visiting the website.

    Rick is also the Managing Partner of Richardson Media & Technologies, LLC. Prior to forming his current company, he had a 28-year career in technology with Ernst & Young, the last twelve years of which he served as National Director of Technology.

    Mr. Richardson has been named to the "Technology 100"- the annual honors list of the 100 key achievers in technology in America. He has also been honored by the American Institute of CPAs with two Lifetime Achievement awards and a Special Career Recognition Award for his contributions to the profession in the field of technology.

    In 2012, Rick was inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame by CPA Practice Advisor Magazine. He has also been named to the 100 most influential individuals in the accounting profession in America by Accounting Today magazine.

    In 2017, Rick was inducted as a Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achiever, a registry of professionals who have excelled in their fields for many years and achieved greatness in their industry.

    He is a sought after speaker around the world, providing his annual forecast of future technology trends to thousands of business executives, professionals, community leaders, educators and students.

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