Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

Soon Linksys Wifi Will Be Able to Detect Every Breath You Take

When we went checked out Linksys’ motion-sensing wifi feature last month, we were more impressed with the potential of the technology than its actual capabilities at launch. But at CES 2020 the company gave us a glimpse of Linksys Aware’s future, and we’re now far more optimistic about the technology’s potential to be a genuine game-changer for the smart home.

Linksys Aware, for those who haven’t delved into our excellent review, is a new feature/service introduced as a software update for the company’s Velop tri-band AC2200 routers. It leverages the wireless signals bouncing around every corner of your home that make up your wifi network as a sort of intricate web of laser tripwires-except there’s no lasers involved, and it’s completely invisible to everyone in your home. The nodes that create your wireless mesh network are constantly beaming radio waves back and forth between each other, and by detecting when the intensity of those signals varies over time, such as when a person or an animal moving through a space temporarily obstructs the radio waves, motion can be detected and reported.

The fact that it simply worked was the most impressive part of Linksys Aware, but in its current form the feature can really only provide details of when motion is detected in your home, within your wifi network: not where it happened, or what caused the disturbance. That’s useful for knowing when there’s a potential intruder in your house when you’re away, but other home security and surveillance solutions provide far more details so you can know if you need to call the cops, or scold the dog for jumping up on the couch. Those limited capabilities made it hard to recommend Linksys Aware’s $2.99/month or $24.99/year subscription fee.

It turns out motion detection was just the tip of the iceberg for Linksys Aware. Working with Origin Wireless, the company responsible for developing the AI-powered algorithms that are able to extrapolate movements from interruptions in wireless signals, Linksys will be dramatically increasing the capabilities of Linksys Aware moving into 2020 and 2021. While the feature currently only works with the company’s tri-band mesh networking hardware, eventually it will be able to take advantage of the cross-talk between your networking hardware and all the internet-connected IoT devices in a home, including smart bulbs, smart speakers, and smart appliances-expanding the accuracy of Linksys Aware and what it will be able to report to a user.

Eventually Linksys Aware will be able to pinpoint where exactly movement was detected in a home, alerting users with more details so they can quickly investigate a potential problem. Though the alerts and data won’t go up to the cloud and instead be handled locally-slightly reducing privacy concerns.

Which is good because there’s even more potential once Linksys releases its new Wellness Pods accessories later in 2020. When using existing routers and IoT devices, the software powering Linksys Aware makes its measurements of the wireless network about 30 times every second, without affecting network traffic, and without requiring software or hardware updates for existing wifi-connected devices. But with the Wellness Pods added to a network, Linksys Aware ups its sampling rate to 1,500 times every second. That provides a much greater degree of detail and accuracy which allows Linksys Aware to then detect incredibly subtle movements like the subtle shifts of someone while they sleep, and even a person’s breathing rate.

Linksys is positioning the Wellness Pods as being a useful tool for remotely monitoring the health and wellness of a loved one, like an aging parent, from thousands of miles away. The greater level of detail will allow Linksys Aware to even recognize three different types of sudden falls, whether caused by a slip or a medical emergency, by detecting the quick movements and then sudden stop when a person hits the floor. It sounds a little morbid, but Linksys Aware could be an incredibly affordable way to monitor someone’s health and wellness 24 hours a day, without requiring them to remember to wear a special monitor or motion detector. As long as there’s a wifi network in their home and power, they’ll be monitored.

There’s still a lot of questions to be answered about the Wellness Pods and Linksys Aware’s new skills. Linksys hasn’t revealed when the hardware or software upgrades will be released, how much it will cost, if there will be a price increase for the service subscription, or even how the new, and presumably more advanced, interface will work. At CES 2020 the company and Origin Wireless demonstrated a setup where when a simulated fall was detected, Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant came to life, assuring the person that help was being notified, and then contacting pre-determined emergency contacts. Setting all of that up isn’t something Linksys current mobile app is capable of, and we’re curious how the company will keep the feature user-friendly.

But, after seeing where Linksys Aware is going, we’re convinced it’s going to be a killer feature for the company, and a compelling reason to upgrade away from its competitors.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×