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Non-Data Transmission Uses of Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

Non-Data Transmission Uses of Wi-Fi

Non-Data Transmission Uses of WiFi

Wi-Fi continues to be the leading choice for wireless connectivity, with no signs of slowing down. Today, over 19.5 billion Wi-Fi-enabled devices are in use, including smartphones, laptops, security cameras, and smart plugs.

Many people associate Wi-Fi primarily with activities like streaming videos, browsing the web, or transferring files. However, this technology has been adapted in many ways for applications beyond data transmission.

Currently, innovative developments are repurposing Wi-Fi for non-data transmission use cases. Although these advancements may not be widely publicized, they have the potential to transform our understanding and utilization of this technology. To explore this innovation, we’ve curated five surprising non-data transmission uses of Wi-Fi.

5 Non-Data Transmission Applications of Wi-Fi

1. Wi-Fi Sensing

Wi-Fi sensing is an innovative technology that leverages Wi-Fi signals to detect changes in the physical environment. Initially, Wi-Fi was created for communication purposes—transmitting data between devices—but researchers soon discovered that the same signals could do more.

As Wi-Fi signals travel through space, they reflect off objects, walls, and people, creating subtle distortions in the signal patterns. These distortions can be analyzed to detect motion, gestures, and even biological functions like breathing or heart rate.

The origins of Wi-Fi sensing trace back to academic research, with early breakthroughs at institutions like MIT. Research teams at these institutions explored how radio frequency (RF) signals, such as those used in Wi-Fi, could provide non-intrusive environmental awareness without requiring cameras or physical sensors. 

By analyzing signal disruptions, it became possible to identify human activities like walking, sitting, or even waving hands, making Wi-Fi sensing an alternative for monitoring and control in homes, offices, and public spaces.

Companies like Origin Wireless and Cognitive Systems use this technology in home security systems. For example, Origin Wireless’s Hex Home system uses Wi-Fi to provide motion detection without cameras. Wi-Fi sensing technology is easily adaptable and cost-efficient because most environments already have Wi-Fi infrastructure. Therefore, this sensing capability can be leveraged without major investments in new hardware.

2. Gesture Recognition

Gesture recognition is an innovative non-data transmission use case of Wi-Fi that leverages the same principles as Wi-Fi sensing. This technology interprets movements by analyzing how Wi-Fi signals bounce off and reflect off people and objects in the environment. 

Specifically, it measures changes in signal strength and phase caused by movements. When a person makes a gesture, such as waving a hand or pointing, the Wi-Fi signals emitted by routers and access points interact with the person’s body, creating unique patterns of reflection and diffraction.

Advanced algorithms process these patterns to identify specific hand or body movements and then translate them into commands or actions. For instance, as Wi-Fi sensing can detect motion or monitor heart rates by analyzing signal variations, Wi-Fi gesture recognition discerns distinct gestures from the modulation of Wi-Fi signals.

In addition to Wi-Fi, other wireless technologies are being explored for gesture recognition. For example, Google’s Pixel 4 device integrates a radar-based technology called Soli to detect fine hand gestures, allowing users to skip songs, snooze alarms, and even silence phone calls just by waving their hands. 

This technology operates on principles similar to Wi-Fi gesture recognition. However, Wi-Fi’s widespread presence in most environments gives it a significant advantage for broader applications, as it can utilize existing infrastructure without the need for specialized hardware.

Commercial applications of Wi-Fi-based gesture recognition are already emerging. A perfect example is Cognitive Systems’ Aura Wi-Fi Motion technology, integrated into routers to enable gesture-based control for smart home devices. This application demonstrates how Wi-Fi gesture recognition can provide seamless user experiences, allowing individuals to control their smart home environments with simple gestures, using the ubiquity of Wi-Fi signals already present in homes and businesses.

3. Power Source (Power-over-Wi-Fi)

Power-over-Wi-Fi uses the energy from radio frequency (RF) signals emitted by Wi-Fi routers. Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have made some advancements in this area by developing a new rectifier that converts these ambient RF signals into usable direct current (DC) power. Their innovative approach demonstrates the ability to capture RF energy at low power levels below -20 dBm, where many current technologies fall short. 

This technology has major implications for powering small, low-energy devices such as sensors in IoT ecosystems. For instance, energy harvesting could support environmental monitoring sensors in rural areas and even wireless devices in smart homes, such as connected light bulbs and smart thermostats and reduce the need for regular battery replacements.

Power-over-Wi-Fi (PoWi) is still being developed and is not widely available yet. However, similar wireless power solutions are already in use. A perfect example is the Ossia Cota Power system. This system operates like Wi-Fi, where a Cota Power Receiver sends out a beacon signal to locate a Cota Power Transmitter in devices. 

The transmitter then sends power back through the same paths. This exchange happens 100 times per second, allowing power to be delivered safely to devices, even when they are in motion.

4. Asset Tracking

Wi-Fi-based location tracking systems leverage existing Wi-Fi networks to detect the location of devices without requiring them to fully connect to the network. Instead of establishing a full session, the system listens to signals that devices naturally emit, like beaconing, at the link level. This means the network “listens” to nearby devices without needing them to formally join the network (e.g., without needing passwords or login).

The key advantage of Wi-Fi-based localization is that it uses existing Wi-Fi infrastructure. Most buildings already have Wi-Fi networks, so no new hardware installations are required, unlike other technologies such as BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons or RFID.

BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons require numerous dedicated devices to be placed throughout a building to achieve accurate indoor localization. Each beacon transmits a signal to track devices, and the need for multiple units, along with maintenance and battery replacements, increases costs.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), which has historically been widely used in industries like retail and healthcare, requires dedicated readers and tags. While effective for tracking items or patients in hospitals, RFID systems often involve considerable investment in hardware, such as antennas and readers, especially for large-scale operations.

With Wi-Fi-based localization, simple calibration or additional access points can enhance positioning accuracy without requiring entirely new technologies. This makes it easier and cheaper to scale across multiple facilities, such as warehouses or large office spaces, where indoor tracking is crucial.

Companies like Cisco offer solutions such as Cisco Spaces, a cloud-based platform that captures real-time data from Wi-Fi signals. This allows businesses to track assets, people, and even sensors to gain insights about space utilization, occupancy, and asset management without additional hardware.

5. Sleep Monitoring with Wi-Fi

Sleep Monitoring is another innovative application of Wi-Fi technology that extends beyond data transmission. Traditional sleep assessment methods, such as Polysomnography (PSG), require multiple sensors to measure brain activity, heart rate, and other physiological signals. While PSG is highly accurate, it is uncomfortable and typically confined to clinical settings.

Wrist-based Fitbit devices and the Google Pixel Watch series, on the other hand, offer a more convenient alternative by tracking sleep through heart rate and movement, but they often compromise comfort. Wearing the device all night can disrupt natural sleep, limiting the practicality of long-term use.

Fortunately, researchers have discovered that Wi-Fi signals can be harnessed to monitor sleep stages non-intrusively. As Wi-Fi signals pass through a room, they reflect off walls, objects, and the sleeper’s body, capturing subtle changes in the environment. By analyzing the distortions in these signals, it is possible to detect respiration rates, body movements, and other physiological activities associated with different sleep stages.

Building on this idea, a research team developed Wi-Fi-Sleep. This system uses Channel State Information (CSI) from Wi-Fi devices to monitor sleep without physical contact or wearable sensors. The system relies on a pair of Wi-Fi transceivers positioned with the sleeper in the middle.

As Wi-Fi signals pass through, changes in the signals caused by breathing patterns and body movements are recorded. To improve the accuracy of these measurements, the system uses algorithms to filter out noise and correct signal distortions.

The researchers designed this system to identify four distinct sleep stages (wakefulness, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM) based on variations in respiration rate, depth of breathing, and movement. 

This Wi-Fi-based approach offers a low-cost, non-invasive alternative to traditional sleep monitoring methods, providing long-term sleep analysis without the need for wearable devices or clinical equipment. Though still in the research phase, this innovation points to a future where sleep can be monitored effortlessly in both home and hospital settings and make us better understand and manage our sleep.

More Alternative Uses of Wi-Fi

Here are more ideas that people have been exploring that showcase just how incredibly versatile Wi-Fi technology is:

  • Wi-Fi Radar for Object Detection
  • Wi-Fi for Seismic Activity Detection
  • Wi-Fi-Based Authentication
  • Wi-Fi for Water Level Monitoring

Simplifying Wi-Fi Management with AI

AI can automate various manual tasks involved in optimizing Wi-Fi performance. For instance, AI can dynamically adjust critical settings like transmission power and channel selection of access points (APs). Transmission power controls how far the signal reaches, while channel selection helps the network avoid overcrowded frequency bands.

In traditional systems, these settings are either static or manually configured. With AI, however, the network can continuously monitor factors such as signal strength, device activity, and congestion in real time. Based on this data, AI makes automatic adjustments to reduce interference and improve performance.

For commercial broadband networks, cloud-based Wi-Fi analytics and optimization platforms like Astral Analytics use the power of AI to manage millions of connected nodes and make thousands of adjustments daily. Astral Analytics ensures that each home access point delivers the best possible performance, even when competing for airspace with neighboring Wi-Fi networks.

Simplified Wi-Fi management is critical in places like warehouses that rely on Wi-Fi for motion detection or asset tracking, healthcare where always-on connectivity is essential despite being in a very electromagnetically noisy environment, and in high-density MTU/MDU settings.

AI Improves Wireless Network Design with 3D Analysis

Traditionally, wireless network design has relied on flat, 2D models, which often overlook the complexities of real-world environments. However, with AI, teams can create detailed 3D visualizations of wireless coverage. Tools like Cisco DNA Center’s Wireless 3D Analyzer use AI to create 3D designs effectively.

These 3D models consider various factors that 2D representations typically miss. They account for the impact of walls and furniture, variations in device heights, and users’ movements throughout a space. 

This approach enables network teams to visualize how signals interact with these physical elements, facilitating more precise adjustments. As a result, Wi-Fi coverage and performance can be significantly improved, especially in dense environments where interference is a concern.

AI in Network Management and Observability

Network operations teams have traditionally dedicated significant time to sifting through performance logs to diagnose issues. This process can be tedious, and hard-to-find problems often go unnoticed, leading to prolonged outages and user frustration. However, AI is transforming this workflow by continuously analyzing real-time network data and generating detailed telemetry.

Rather than relying on static thresholds, AI leverages machine learning to establish adaptive baselines that accurately reflect normal network behavior. This dynamic approach makes it easier to identify unusual patterns, such as sudden drops in performance or device malfunctions.

With advanced reasoning capabilities, AI can precisely pinpoint the source of a fault, such as a failing access point, congested traffic, or misconfigured settings, and provide step-by-step instructions for resolving the issue quickly.

Wi-Fi’s Evolution with embedUR

Wi-Fi is more than a simple data conduit. It’s an intelligent network that can sense, interact, and power the world around us in ways we never thought possible. Much of this innovation is made possible by the expertise of embedded systems engineers involved in the evolution of Wi-Fi and intelligent edge technologies.

embedUR is one of the key players in this innovation. For years, top companies in Silicon Valley have relied on our expertise at critical junctures in Wi-Fi’s development. Developing Wi-Fi technology has been our core focus for over a decade. We have powered numerous product lines—from the earliest residential gateways that brought internet access to homes to the latest  V6 and V7 access points that are found in today’s modern networks.

With extensive experience, we’re committed to continue leading the charge as the world’s reliance on Wi-Fi deepens. If you want to optimize existing networks or explore novel IoT applications, embedUR is your trusted partner. Our deep understanding of Wi-Fi technology allows us to deliver tailored solutions that will meet your specific requirements. Read more about the best IoT connectivity options for your business.