ESPectre is a privacy-first, open-source motion detection system that uses mathematical signal processing on low-cost ESP32 chips to analyze Wi-Fi Channel State Information (CSI).
ESPectre is an open-source movement detection system that turns inexpensive ESP32 microcontrollers into spatial motion sensors. By capturing and analyzing Wi-Fi Channel State Information (CSI) without relying on complex machine learning or neural networks, it utilizes digital signal processing and pure mathematical algorithms to detect disturbances in radio wave signals. Built as an ESPHome component, the system integrates seamlessly with Home Assistant and is privacy-preserving as it requires no cameras or microphones, allowing motion sensing through walls and furniture.
ESPectre is a brilliant demonstration of how sophisticated physical signal analysis can bypass the need for power-hungry machine learning algorithms on edge devices. By relying entirely on DSP and mathematical formulas to interpret Wi-Fi CSI data on a $10 ESP32, it offers a cheap, offline, and privacy-respecting alternative to camera-based or cloud-dependent smart home sensors.
- –Hardware Efficiency: Runs smoothly on low-power ESP32-S3/C3/C6 microcontrollers, keeping BOM cost to around $10 per sensor node.
- –No-AI Approach: Shows that digital signal processing (DSP) can perform real-time wave disturbance analysis without resource-intensive neural networks.
- –Smart Home Ready: Integrates natively into ESPHome and Home Assistant, allowing makers to configure through-wall motion tracking.
- –Privacy by Design: Offers motion tracking without cameras or audio feeds, making it fully local and GDPR-compliant.
- –Dual-Platform Architecture: Features a C++ codebase for production ESPHome environments and a MicroPython-based R&D platform for algorithm prototyping.
DISCOVERED
3h ago
2026-06-09
PUBLISHED
3h ago
2026-06-09
RELEVANCE