r/technology • u/Tech-100 • Aug 18 '26

Networking/Telecom Comcast is turning millions of its routers into motion detectors

https://www.theverge.com/news/981381/comcast-xfinity-shield-wifi-motion-sensing
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263

u/theycallmeryan Aug 18 '26

Conspiracy guys were saying for probably a decade that they could use WiFi to fully map out the interior of your house and track you. Crazy that it’s just out in the open now.

89

u/orbvsterrvs Aug 18 '26

Conspiracy guys were saying this ability of WiFi would be used for person tracking--the use of WiFi to detect bodies has been out for a while (couple years).

The ability of a technology does not necessitate it's use for a purpose. Someone has decided to use this capability, and it is that decision-making power that the 'privacy guys' have been warning about.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/02/27/1088154/wifi-sensing-tracking-movements/ https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1109/TMC.2022.3141115

23

u/wufnu Aug 19 '26

Even wilder, even as far back as the 90s they've been using interference with computer monitors to detect and image objects. You can try it yourself! Just put your face really close to your monitor for 15+ seconds and click this link.

11

u/LeatherConcentrate65 Aug 19 '26

That’s crazy!

-2

u/Heisenberg361 Aug 19 '26

While this is true, you may have more success using this link instead. It’s much more accurate.

10

u/karebearjedi Aug 18 '26

They don't even need wifi. Electricity companies have been mapping and tracking your property for about 20 years now. Those smart readers can detail your entire house and who all lives in it just by the power outlets and usage

10

u/VaporCarpet Aug 19 '26

The smart meters that monitor power going into your home and cannot track which electrons are going down which wires after it?

-5

u/karebearjedi Aug 19 '26

They can monitor outlet output. Map where your kitchen is by your refrigerator. They can track your sleeping schedule by when you're using/not using power, when you're at work or home, whether you take vacations and how long you stay gone, and how many tvs and computers you have and when they're in use by outlet output. 

6

u/NigilQuid Aug 19 '26

That's not how meters and electrical systems work. Yes, they can monitor overall usage throughout the day, but there's no way to know which outlets are using how much power

0

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/NigilQuid Aug 19 '26

A smart panel can track the current draw of each circuit, but not each outlet. But that's not owned by the utility provider, that belongs to the resident. The meter that connects the utility to the service cannot measure anything but the overall power usage. A "smart meter" is just one that can transmit data without needing someone to read it in person. "Electrical flux" is a nonsense term. You have no idea what you're talking about.

-1

u/karebearjedi Aug 19 '26

Thank you! People act like this is some kind of conspiracy, but this shit has been known for nearly 20 years if they took 5 minutes to talk to the meter guy. Fucks sake. 

3

u/Magic_Sandwiches Aug 19 '26

dude saying stuff like this is going to get you committed either for knowing too much or being absolutely batshit

0

u/karebearjedi Aug 19 '26

Just because y'all never ask, doesn't make it a conspiracy theory when other people do and get answers. Fucks sake....

1

u/saharanwrap Aug 19 '26

A smart meter has one copper wire feeding power and that's it. How's it detecting every different outlet and what they're doing when all it has is one wire?

1

u/Incognito_Orange Aug 19 '26

It's been acknowledged as possible for longer than that. Lots of APs can also track bluetooth beacons, and have been able to for the better part of a decade.

1

u/SecurityOk9796 Aug 19 '26

Oh yeah, the military figured out how to track stealthy objects using multiple radars a long time ago. They're just deciding to apply it to Wi-Fi signals now.

1

u/leigngod Aug 19 '26

20 years ago the image on your phone could be seen when not looking at it. The tech was around before the 90s at the earliest.