espectre README

The project's README from github.com/francescopace/espectre. As one markdown file: README.md.

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ESPectre ESPectre logo

Turn an ESP32 into a private, local Wi-Fi motion sensor.

When someone moves through a room, they change the way Wi-Fi signals travel through it. ESPectre reads those changes and reports motion in real time. No camera, no microphone, no wearable, and no dedicated radar hardware: just a supported ESP32 and the Wi-Fi network already in the room.

ESPectre is an open-source platform that brings together ready-to-flash firmware, an embeddable C++ SDK, a MicroPython implementation, browser tools, a host CLI, an open dataset, open model weights, and the research workflow used to build and validate the detectors.

Flash from your browser · See the live tools · Read the documentation · Explore the SDK

Applications and integrations

ESPectre can turn on a display or lights when it detects motion, adjust heating and cooling in response to room activity, trigger an alarm or notification when movement occurs in an area that should be empty, and drive other room automations. It connects to Home Assistant through ESPHome or MQTT, exposes a standard Matter occupancy sensor and a local Direct HTTP API, and can be embedded in custom ESP32 firmware through the C++ SDK.

ESPectre processes CSI on the device and reports a motion state and movement score. Applications can react without sending raw sensing data to a cloud service. One board covers one sensing area; room-level coverage normally requires one board per room.

ESPectre detects changes in the radio environment. It does not identify people, count them, prove that a room is empty, or replace a safety-certified security, medical, or emergency system.

Supported hardware

Choose a firmware path

Path Best for Start here
Native Standalone sensors, MQTT integrations, including Home Assistant MQTT Discovery, and custom applications Native frontend
ESPHome Home Assistant users who want native entities, ESPHome provisioning, and Device Builder updates ESPHome frontend
Matter Matter controllers with occupancy-sensor support; controller validation is still limited Matter frontend
Micro-ESPectre Lightweight sensing in MicroPython with local, read-only Direct HTTP monitoring Micro-ESPectre README

Quick start

The quickest path uses the browser and requires no local build environment. Use desktop Chrome 151 or later for the complete hosted workflow. Edge supports browser flashing, but compatibility with Device settings and Monitor is not guaranteed:

  1. Open Flash in desktop Chrome or Edge.
  2. Connect a supported ESP32 over USB, then choose a firmware and release channel.
  3. Complete on-screen Wi-Fi provisioning, or commission Matter with a supported controller.
  4. Optionally, open Device settings to pin a preferred access point or set up MQTT.
  5. Open Monitor to watch motion, tune detection, and inspect the device.

ESPectre Monitor

Matter status: The Matter frontend is still being validated across controller ecosystems. A controller may support standard Matter occupancy sensors without having been tested with current firmware. See Matter controller compatibility for the current matrix.

Local setup

For local builds, flashing from this repository, and the rest of the operator path, start with SETUP.md. The repository wrapper exposes the available workflows through:

./espectre --help

Documentation

Topic What it covers Guides
Install and operate Device setup, CLI workflows, and troubleshooting SETUP.md, CLI.md, TROUBLESHOOTING.md
Understand and integrate Runtime architecture, CSI acquisition, API, discovery, algorithms, and the C++ SDK ARCHITECTURE.md, CSI.md, API.md, DISCOVERY.md, ALGORITHMS.md, SDK.md
Collect and train CSI collection, model training, feature history, performance, and literature ML_DATA_COLLECTION.md, ML_TRAINING.md, FEATURES.md, performance report, LITERATURE.md
Research and direction Roadmap, architecture decisions, and release history ROADMAP.md, ADR index, CHANGELOG.md
Frontend reference Firmware-path READMEs for ESPHome, Native, Matter, and Micro-ESPectre ESPHome, Native, Matter, Micro
Contributing How to contribute and where to discuss the project CONTRIBUTING.md, GitHub Discussions

Datasets, models, and validation

ESPectre publishes the research assets and validation evidence behind its detectors:

Asset What it gives you Start here
CSI dataset Real recordings for empty rooms, static presence, and motion, with catalog and provenance in dataset_info.json data/
Model weights Trained weights in C++ and Python, plus the training, export, and validation workflow ML_TRAINING.md
Feature ledger Features that were tested, promoted, or rejected, including unsuccessful experiments FEATURES.md
Algorithms and reports Detector behavior, the generated performance report, and the dataset quality report ALGORITHMS.md
Literature and direction External research, architecture decision records, and the public roadmap LITERATURE.md

Security, privacy, and transparency

A sensor that can reveal presence should not be a black box. Wi-Fi sensing avoids images and audio, but motion and occupancy data can still reveal routines, sleep, or absence from home. ESPectre treats that risk as part of the engineering work:

Use ESPectre only in spaces and networks where you have the right to deploy it. Inform affected people, obtain consent where required, protect access to the device and its data, and follow applicable privacy laws.

Acknowledgments

License

ESPectre first-party code is available under GPLv3, and eligible parts are also available under a separate commercial agreement:

Third-party terms and build-specific compliance artifacts are described in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.

espectre (francescopace/espectre)

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9.6K ·GitHub
Espectre
What is this?ESPectre turns a supported ESP32 into a private, local Wi-Fi motion sensor: it reads how movement changes the Wi-Fi signals in a room and reports motion in real time — no camera, microphone, wearable, or dedicated radar hardware needed.
How does it detect motion without a camera or radar?It reads Wi-Fi CSI (Channel State Information): when someone moves through a room, they change how Wi-Fi signals travel, and the detector processes those changes right on the ESP32, outputting a motion state and a movement score.
How do I set up my first sensor?Flash it from the browser: open Flash in desktop Chrome 151+, plug a supported ESP32 in over USB, pick a firmware and release channel, then finish the on-screen Wi-Fi provisioning. Local builds and CLI workflows start with SETUP.md.
What hardware and network do I need?A supported ESP32 board (C6, C5, C3, S3, S2, or classic) and a normal Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) network on 2.4 GHz. For the hosted browser workflow you want desktop Chrome 151+; Edge can flash too, but Device settings and Monitor compatibility is not guaranteed.
What are its limits?One board covers one sensing area, so room-level coverage normally means one board per room. It detects changes in the radio environment only: it cannot identify or count people, prove a room is empty, or replace safety-certified security, medical, or emergency systems.
Where does the motion data go?Nowhere external by default: CSI is processed on the device, motion detection is local, and cloud connectivity is not required. Raw CSI collection is optional and intended for research and debugging needs.
Can I use it in proprietary firmware?First-party code is GPLv3. To embed ESPectre in proprietary, closed-source firmware without source-disclosure obligations there is a separate commercial license (see LICENSING.md); note the ESPHome C++ frontend remains GPLv3-only.
Does it work with Home Assistant?Yes — through ESPHome for native Home Assistant entities, or via MQTT with Home Assistant MQTT Discovery. It also exposes a standard Matter occupancy sensor (controller validation is still limited) and a local Direct HTTP API for custom integrations.
Which firmware paths can I choose from?Four: Native for standalone sensors and MQTT integrations, ESPHome for Home Assistant users who want native entities, Matter for Matter controllers, and Micro-ESPectre — a lightweight MicroPython build with local read-only HTTP monitoring.
What comes with the project besides the firmware?An embeddable C++ SDK, a host CLI covering the full device lifecycle, browser tools (Flash, Device settings, Monitor), an open CSI dataset with recordings of empty rooms, static presence and motion, plus trained model weights and the full training and validation workflow.
What can it actually automate?Anything motion-driven: turn on a display or lights when a room becomes active, adjust heating and cooling to room activity, or trigger an alarm or notification where movement should not occur — via Home Assistant, Matter, MQTT, or the HTTP API.
What are similar projects?Tasmota, WLED, muse-gadget-sdk, EchoMuse, esp-sdr, ESP32Marauder, neonplan3d, Arduino
Which topics is it in?sensors, smart-home, home-assistant, wifi, home-automation, microcontroller, firmware, iot, dataset, embedded, cpp, sdk
Creator
francescopace
Size
429.4 MB
Stars
9.6K
Updated
CommitOct 16Release3.0.0Oct 07
Age
11mo
Commits · 90 Days