Wi-Fi Sensing Tool Release: Gathering 802.11ax Channel State Information from a Commercial Wi-Fi Access Point

TL;DR

This paper introduces ZTECSITool, a comprehensive toolkit for capturing high-resolution CSI data from commercial Wi-Fi 6 access points, enabling advanced sensing applications and addressing a significant gap in Wi-Fi sensing research.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel toolkit with firmware and software for extracting and analyzing CSI from 802.11ax access points, supporting high bandwidths and detailed data collection.

Findings

Supports bandwidths up to 160 MHz and 512 subcarriers

Includes customized firmware and open-source software

Provides real-time CSI visualization and analysis

Abstract

Wi-Fi sensing has emerged as a powerful technology, leveraging channel state information (CSI) extracted from wireless data packets to enable diverse applications, ranging from human presence detection to gesture recognition and health monitoring. However, CSI extraction from commercial Wi-Fi access point lacks and out of date. This paper introduces ZTECSITool,a toolkit designed to capture high-resolution CSI measurements from commercial Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) access points, supporting bandwidths up to 160 MHz and 512 subcarriers. ZTECSITool bridges a critical gap in Wi-Fi sensing research, facilitating the development of next-generation sensing systems. The toolkit includes customized firmware and open-source software tools for configuring, collecting, and parsing CSI data, offering researchers a robust platform for advanced sensing applications. We detail the command protocols for CSI extraction, including band selection,STA filtering, and report configuration, and provide insights into the data structure of the reported CSI. Additionally, we present a Python-based graphical interface for real-time CSI visualization and analysis