espectre.dev

What It Is

ESPectre is a Wi‑Fi motion detection system for ESP32 that determines whether there is movement in a space by analyzing interference in the Wi‑Fi spectrum. It is not a traditional PIR, camera, or mmWave solution; instead, it uses wireless signal characteristics for motion sensing and integrates natively with Home Assistant as an ESPHome component.

Core Capabilities

In terms of functionality, ESPectre emphasizes detection through walls and furniture, making it suitable for areas where cameras cannot see or where installing cameras is inappropriate. On the privacy side, it does not collect images or audio, only processing anonymous radio signal characteristics; the text also explicitly labels it as “GDPR-friendly by design.” Algorithmically, it uses the MVS algorithm and subcarrier band auto-calibration, claiming to work out of the box without machine learning training.

Tech Stack and Integration

The project is split into two platforms: ESPectre C++ for production use, provided as an ESPHome component for Home Assistant users; and Micro-ESPectre Python/MicroPython for R&D, algorithm prototyping, and data collection. Hardware support includes ESP32-S3, C6, C5, C3, S2, and the classic ESP32. The integration approach is fairly clear: the example shows importing the component in ESPHome YAML via GitHub external_components and using the esp-idf framework.

Pricing and Open Source

ESPectre is marked as 100% Open Source and licensed under GPLv3. The main text does not mention a commercial edition, cloud service, hardware kit, or paid support, so it can be viewed as a free open-source project. However, actual use still requires users to provide their own ESP32 hardware and deployment environment.

Pros, Cons, and Ideal Users

Its strengths are privacy-friendliness, good alignment with the Home Assistant ecosystem, support for multiple ESP32 models, and the availability of both a C++ production platform and a MicroPython R&D platform. Its drawbacks are that the text does not provide key quantitative metrics such as accuracy, latency, coverage range, or interference resistance, and there is no clear indication of commercial support or complete documentation. It is better suited to smart home enthusiasts familiar with ESPHome, Home Assistant, and ESP32 flashing/configuration, as well as developers researching Wi‑Fi sensing algorithms. It is less suitable for ordinary consumers looking for an out-of-the-box product.

Access in China

Based on the main text, it is not possible to determine the access stability of espectre.dev, GitHub resources, or the browser game in mainland China, so china_access is marked as unknown. If GitHub access is unstable, users may need a proxy or mirror. Alternatives could include PIR sensors, mmWave presence sensors in the Home Assistant ecosystem, or other ESPHome custom sensor solutions.