MapiFi: Using Wi-Fi Signals to Map Home Devices

TL;DR

MapiFi is a novel method that uses Wi-Fi signal strength measurements collected via a mobile device to generate a spatial map of connected home devices, enabling better device management and location tracking.

Contribution

This paper introduces MapiFi, a new technique combining Wi-Fi signal measurement and an estimation algorithm to map device locations within a home environment.

Findings

Successfully estimates device locations in a home setting.

Visualizes device distribution in a coordinate system.

Patent filed for the technology.

Abstract

Imagine a map of your home with all of your connected devices (computers, TVs, voice control devices, printers, security cameras, etc.), in their location. You could then easily group devices into user-profiles, monitor Wi-Fi quality and activity in different areas of your home, and even locate a lost tablet in your home. MapiFi is a method to generate that map of the devices in a home. The first part of MapiFi involves the user (either a technician or the resident) walking around the home with a mobile device that listens to Wi-Fi radio channels. The mobile device detects Wi-Fi packets that come from all of the home's devices that connect to the gateway and measures their signal strengths (ignoring the content of the packets). The second part is an algorithm that uses all the signal-strength measurements to estimate the locations of all the devices in the home. Then, MapiFi visualizes the home's space as a coordinate system with devices marked as points in this space. A patent has been filed based on this technology. This paper was published in SCTE Technical Journal (see published paper at https://wagtail-prod-storage.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/SCTE_Technical_Journal_V1N3.pdf).