wifialarm: wifialarm

Completely inspired by a world where the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to evolve, Grey created the wifialarm, an innovative product that gives both home and small business Wi-Fi networks an additional functionality. Wifialarm is a tool that transforms a Wi-Fi signal into a simple, yet efficient security system when you are not home. If the product detects any strange movements inside the building, it automatically sends a push notification to the owner’s smartphone using an app, which controls the system remotely.

The idea to develop an affordable security system arose after cross referencing the information about Brazilian households that is provided by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). According to its databases, only 4.9%* of households and small business located in urban centers in Brazil have some sort of security system. However, this percentage is very small when compared to the number of buildings with their own Wi-Fi networks: 66%**.

All of the equipment was developed by Grey’s Innovation Department, in partnership with Brazilian and American researchers. According to Rodrigo Jatene, the agency’s CCO, “the initiative aims at democratizing security systems in residences and small businesses, given that it delivers a solution that is both effective and affordable.” “The fact that we created a technology that people would like to have using something that they already have makes wifialarm an extremely simple and affordable solution, in spite of its use of state-of-the-art technology,” adds Marcia Esteves, CCO at Grey.

Wifialarm is in its Beta phase. If you want to be the first to know when the app hits the market, pre-registration for the app is available at http://wifialarm.org/en.

How will it work?

A Wi-Fi signal is a high-frequency electromagnetic wave that travels through the air and goes through walls. When there is movement in the surrounding environment, the wave's frequency changes. In other words, a router can be used as an effective motion detector, and detector of intruders.
The use of the wifialarm is quite simple: all the user needs is a Wi-Fi network and a smartphone.
Once the smartphone has been synchronized to the Wi-Fi network, wifialarm creates a line of sight with the wireless router, detecting any movement between both points.
In order to increase the area of coverage and to precisely delimit the protection perimeter, users can simply add additional Wi-Fi repeaters to the system. A wireless speaker can also be connected to the system.
When a potential intruder is detected, the system immediately sends a warning notice to the home owner’s cell phone. The warning notice contains a speed-dial emergency number, which is chosen when the user installs the equipment.
Some of its functionalities:
. System calibration to ignore small interferences, such as movements caused by cats or dogs, which would be ignored to avoid false alarms;
. Audible alarm that scares off potential intruders using speakers that can be connected to the system to emit an audible alarm or any other sound the owner wishes, whenever motion is detected;
. Security where it matters most: by using signal repeaters, the user can delimit the area of coverage so that the movement of neighbors does not trigger false alarms;
. Performance that ensures peace of mind: when motion is detected within the security perimeter, the app immediately sends a notification to the owner's cell phone.
. Simple and intuitive installation: installing the wifialarm is very simple and takes less than five minutes. Users simply have to plug it into a power source, download the app and follow the instructions.

Watch the video: https://vimeo.com/164506024

*Source: 2009 National Household Sample Survey 2009 – “Characteristics of victimization and access to criminal justice in Brazil”
**source: 2014 TIC Household and User Survey