ESPectre is a motion detection system that uses Wi-Fi channel state information analysis to detect movement without cameras or wearables, with native Home Assistant integration via ESPHome.
The system detects motion by analyzing how people moving through a space disturb Wi-Fi signals traveling between a router and an ESP32 sensor device. When movement occurs, it creates detectable changes in the Wi-Fi spectrum that the sensor interprets as motion. The tool offers two detection approaches: a neural network-based detector that requires no calibration and runs directly on the device, and traditional signal processing algorithms. Both operate entirely on the ESP32 hardware without requiring router configuration or external services.
ESPectre suits anyone seeking privacy-focused motion detection for home automation who already runs Home Assistant. The hardware requirements are minimal—a standard 2.4GHz Wi-Fi router and an ESP32 device with CSI support, with recommended variants being the ESP32-S3 or ESP32-C6. Setup involves only YAML configuration with no programming required and takes approximately ten to fifteen minutes. The system works through walls and requires no wearables or cameras. The README identifies the machine learning detector as experimental and notes that a snapshot build with the latest changes is available for those wanting to test cutting-edge functionality.
Development activity shows consistent engagement with the project. The tool maintains active documentation including setup guides, tuning instructions, and technical deep dives into the algorithms powering motion detection. The project includes a dedicated discussion space for feedback on the experimental machine learning detector, indicating responsiveness to user input. Multiple ESP32 variants are supported with a documented platform comparison table, suggesting ongoing hardware compatibility work.
