What your Wi-Fi looks like
If you’ve ever carried your laptop around a room, trying to pick up a Wi-Fi signal, then this device may help.
Youtuber, Charles Lohr, has created a Wi-Fi radar system that he claims allows anyone to see invisible Wi-Fi signals around the home.
The Maryland-based hacker built the device using a chip, LED light, software and a CNC milling machine.
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If you’ve ever carried your laptop around a room, trying to pick up a Wi-Fi signal, then this device may help.Youtuber, Charles Lohr, has created a Wi-Fi radar system that he claims allows anyone to see invisible Wi-Fi signals. This is a screenshot of his 3D software program. Blue shows where the signal is strongest
The system works with a battery-powered ESP8266 chip which pings a device and measures the signal – in a similar way to the process used by a Wi-Fi radar.
By attaching a light to the hardware, the system changes colour depending on the quality of signal in a given location.
‘There is an application on my computer that looks at the receiver power of those pings and sends a colour to the ESP8266,’ Mr Lohr says in his ‘So as Adam moves around in the three dimensional space, you can see the relative strength changing.’
The system works with a battery-powered ESP8266 chip which pings a device and measures the signal – in a similar way to the process used by a Wi-Fi radar. The images reveal just how much variation there is in Wi-Fi strength in just one area
By attaching a light to the hardware, the system changes colour depending on the quality of signal in a given location. This image was captured using a long exposure camera
The images reveal just how much variation there is in Wi-Fi strength in just one area, with most of the images appearing in a variety of colours.
Mr Lohr then attempted to capture these colours using long-exposure on his camera. Blue in the images shows where the signal is at its strongest.
‘I thought, there must be a better way to do this,’ he said.
Using just a Wi-Fi module and a CNC mill, Mr Lohr then captured the variability of the signal to create a 3D visualisation on his computer.
‘The mill follows a basic zig zag pattern, while I’m running the same software that determines the signal strength,’ he said.
‘As the mill goes back and forth, I record the position of the mill and the Wi-Fi signal at the same time.’
The data is then uploaded onto his computer, showing a 3D model of blackspots and areas with good signal strength.
‘This absolutely surprised me,’ he said. ‘I did not expect to see this much detail…it just blew my mind.’
A number of things can affect Wi-Fi signal, including competing Wi-Fi systems, household electronics and Bluetooth devices.
Last year, Jason Cole at Imperial College London attempted to tackle the problem of improving Wi-Fi signals by mathematically working out the optimum position for a router.
He studied how walls and reflections affected signal strength and concluded that, as common sense might suggest, the centre of the house, is the best place for a router.
Mr Lohr attempted to capture these colours using long-exposure on his camera. Blue in the images shows where the signal is at its strongest
Mr Lohr’s initial attempt at capturing Wi-Fi signal. However he says the image didn’t provide much detail
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