Home Wi-Fi routers and repeaters will soon do more than just provide connectivity to different areas of the home. Telefónica is testing a system that uses the existing wireless infrastructure to analyze the behavior of older people who live alone and identifies “daily anomalies that can be cause for concern”, thanks to Wi-Fi Sensing.
Telefónica's project, called 'Remote Care', has taken its first step with a pilot test in the municipality of Luciana, 39 kilometers from Ciudad Real, Spain . The aforementioned initiative contemplates the monitoring of people between 75 and 93 years old who live alone and who suffer from some pathologies that affect their mobility, cognitive system or emotional state.
The Spanish multinational explains that its solution does not require additional devices or wearables since it works with the existing domestic Wi-Fi infrastructure. However, as 'WiFi Sensing' will only arrive in 2024 with the Wi-Fi 802.11bf standard, in this testing stage, it does require an additional device. In this case, Motion Capture Plug is used , a repeater with a special firmware that is placed in any socket and connects to the router HGU WiFi router from Telefónica.
Telefónica and its solution 'Remote Care'
Credit: Aerial Technologies And is that the Wi-Fi signal is nothing other than electromagnetic radiation that is “disturbed” by different factors. Using WI-Fi Sensing, an algorithm hosted in the cloud is able to analyze how waves interact with obstacles . The result? Very accurate data such as speed, direction and proximity of people and objects within a given area.
According to Telefónica, this solution is capable of monitoring almost anything, from regular activities within the home to sleep interruptions. The system creates continuous reports that are available to family members, caregivers, and doctors. It could also, for example, send an immediate alert in the event of a fall or decompensation of the person being monitored.
Aerial Technologies, the company that implements 'WiFi Sensing' in Telefónica's pilot test, says that this technology can be used in many applications. For example, to improve security systems, monitor patients from remote locations, or improve home automation systems.
