Wi-Fi sensors
Small, reliable Wi-Fi sensors with ethernet, Wi-Fi, and cellular backhaul that are easy to deploy
BlueZoo’s Wi-Fi sensors are small, low-cost, low-power devices, each with an integrated Wi-Fi radio that listens passively for Wi-Fi probes emitted spontaneously by mobile phones. The sensors can also be deployed as a firmware application on platforms with Wi-Fi radios. BlueZoo’s strategy is to deploy an increasingly larger share of our sensors as firmware running on platforms like smoke detectors, security systems, smart doorbells, and HVAC controls.
Ceiling-mount sensor
The BlueZoo ceiling-mount sensor communicates with BlueZoo cloud systems via ethernet, Wi-Fi, or cellular backhaul. Ethernet network interface cards and Wi-Fi radios are standard.
The sensor includes an embedded omni-directional Wi-Fi antenna. An optional Vodafone modem inside the enclosure provides cellular backhaul.
The sensor is powered via PoE (Power over Ethernet), which is attractive for low-power devices like ours as running ethernet cables is generally far less expensive than running line-voltage wires with their attendant safety requirements.
- Overall weight: 12 oz (including cellular modem)
- Diameter: 8 in
- Power: PoE (802.3af); consumes less than 5W
- White enclosure
- Fanless
Modular sensor
The BlueZoo modular sensor is smaller and has flexible configuration options. Like the ceiling-mount sensor, the modular also communicates with BlueZoo cloud systems via ethernet, Wi-Fi backhaul, or cellular backhaul.
The sensor can be powered either via a micro-USB connector or via PoE (Power over Ethernet).
- Dimensions: 2.2 in x 2.2 in x 0.9 in
- Power: Micro-USB or PoE (802.3af)
- Black enclosure
- Fanless
The sensor contains an omni-directional antenna to detect probes from mobile phones, but is also available with external antenna connectors. A version with SMA connectors permits external antennas to be connected either directly or via a coax cable.
External antennas are useful for two purposes. When the sensor is mounted inside a Faraday cage and the embedded antenna does not have adequate reception, an external antenna may be suitable. External antennas can be higher gain omni-directional antennas or can be directional antennas, useful for restricting the target detection zone of the sensor.
Directional antennas allow sensors to detect people in smaller spaces, such as in front of a specific display in a store or in a corner of a restaurant.
These antennas typically define cone-shaped detection zones, commonly with a 90-degree arc.
Advantages of Wi-Fi sensors
Wi-Fi sensors are superior to optical sensors in many applications, including when a large area (up to 30,000 sq feet) must be measured, when obstructions prevent the practical use of optical sensors, or when thousands of people must be counted.
Because Wi-Fi- and ethernet-connected BlueZoo sensors are generally deployed behind firewalls, they are inaccessible from the internet. The BlueZoo sensors reach out to BlueZoo cloud servers over an encrypted channel to deliver data and to check for firmware updates.
BlueZoo puts a light load on backhaul connectivity, sending highly compressed data. The volume of data will vary with the number of mobile phones in the detection zone.
