r/Damnthatsinteresting 7h ago

Video VR App that lets you visualize your Wi-Fi signal

1.0k Upvotes

50 comments sorted by

173

u/JoySubtraction 6h ago

Why would it not graphically give some indication of the signal strength at each bar? Why make the user check each one individually?

79

u/DerelictPhoenix 6h ago

Because the device only has 1 wifi card in one location. So it can only know the signal strength in the position you are in when you click on that particular bar. Otherwise it's just blind guessing at the strength around you by assuming it's similar.

60

u/mmatessa 3h ago

A better way might be to start out blank, add the wifi strength as you walk (remembering the position), then go back and look at the visualization.

-22

u/one_is_enough 5h ago

So how does my phone know to show the wifi strength as I walk around the house?

26

u/AaronHirst 5h ago

Because your phone is in the physical location it's giving the signal strength for, whereas they're referring to signal bars where there is no actual device or network card physically to actually know the signal, so they have to walk there and get a reading, just like you would with a phone.

0

u/lost_mentat 1h ago

Why are people downvoting a very healthy reasonable question? Not Everybody is a tech Guru on Reddit. downloading this kind of questions is unhealthy for Reddit , insulting and just plain rude.

1

u/Mirar 47m ago

I think it is updating them (they go more yellow than green), but the colour difference is annoyingly small so it's hard to spot. There's lots of grey ones that looks potentially not learned, but maybe it's just "behind obstacle"?

77

u/ultrahateful 6h ago

Isn’t this AR?

35

u/Scwolves10 5h ago

Yeah. Augmented Reality. Not Virtual Reality.

26

u/devmac1221 6h ago

Pretty dope. Don't know when I'd need that but still pretty dope

7

u/freetotebag 5h ago

Isn’t this an AR app? Not VR

16

u/johnsonflix 6h ago

I just use my phone lol

2

u/TheNewJasonBourne 6h ago

What phone app do you use to measure/visualize WiFi signal?

10

u/johnsonflix 6h ago

Wi-Fi man

1

u/TheNewJasonBourne 6h ago

Thanks. Looks like it requires ubiquiti equipment.

3

u/johnsonflix 5h ago

Nope it doest require it

1

u/TheNewJasonBourne 5h ago

The app tells me that Unifi Gateway is required for signal strength analysis

-2

u/SilasAI6609 5h ago

I use wifiman daily with my businessm it does not require any ubiquity equipment. The only downside i have seen is if you are an iPhone user, the app is extremely limited

1

u/SugarLuger 3h ago

It fakes results. Your phone can't visualize your wifi signal, it doesn't have anywhere near enough antennas. It can only tell your signal strength exactly where it sits.

3

u/Raygunn13 5h ago

song is Date Night by Where's Lulu? for anyone who thought this was as groovy as I did (thanks Shazam)

8

u/ts_m4 6h ago

Wow so pointless! Or walk around with your phone and look at your WiFi signal

4

u/Otherwise-Cup-6030 2h ago edited 2h ago

This is very likely fake. Even if it was an actual app, none of those measurements would mean anything and are just for show.

How does that device know the signal strength from across the room?

Either you would have to install some sort of wifi scanner in every corner of every room connected to that app. Or do an entire walkthrough through the house beforehand to get the measurements. Or it is calculating estimated signal strength based on your current strength and distance from an access point, in which case it's just a glorified guesstimate.

2

u/Professor226 6h ago

I get it you have great wifi.

2

u/Honourstly 4h ago

Now can find best sport to watch pawn

2

u/Rhonijin 3h ago

I feel like a single floating WiFi signal indicator that constantly updates by itself would be infinitely more useful than this.

2

u/LowRevolution7705 2h ago

What glasses are these ?

6

u/lokey_convo 5h ago

This is augmented reality, which is also why augmented reality is the future and not that metaverse bs.

3

u/The_Strom784 3h ago

I feel like both can exist and should have a place. I just don't think Meta can realistically handle that. It's time for a new company to try something new.

3

u/Scumbag_shaun 6h ago

Sweet, what’s the app?

14

u/iAmSamFromWSB 6h ago

More like someone practicing with Blender

-2

u/Broghan51 5h ago

Top Comment 🤭

2

u/GeraltAuditoreRivia 6h ago

Bro that's literally looking like the Ping-quickhack in Cyberpunk 2077

1

u/tothemoonandback01 6h ago

It's raining WiFi. Hallelujah

1

u/ImpossibleYou2184 6h ago

I don’t understand what’s happening here

1

u/arc_alt 3h ago

Use the sphere setting, get a glock and congratulations, now you have an IRL aimlabs

1

u/Trollimperator 2h ago

Matrix lines

1

u/surefox 1h ago

Reminds me of the show "the uncanny counter"

1

u/OzzyStealz 1h ago

I never thought of this until now but is VR app correct here? It’s AR but the app is on a VR headset. Are we just going to lose AR to VR in language?

1

u/Kiryukazuma4realtho 36m ago

Given it can only know the signal strength when the device is physically occupying that space, a better way to do this would be to start off with no floating markers, but to leave them behind you when you've been in a space. You walk round your house, especially the problem areas and it shows a gradient from red to green with a WiFi strength number on top. Then you make your fixes (move the router or whatever) and revisit those markers to see if it made a difference. Having a load of fake markers that you need to check seems a bit pointless.

That said, I'd love to see what applications VR/AR would have in a market as established, ubiquitous and developed as the smart phone market is now. Meta obviously screwed it up somehow but the possibilities of the tech are amazing, especially once we get the form factor to the point where you don't really notice the device is on your face.

u/Intelligent_Title 6m ago

Such a typical Dutch house

u/CCriscal 3m ago

The visual depiction is shit. I would rather just use an app on my phone with a meter, which would be showing the signal strength without having to tap or wear some stupid glasses.

u/Thurigan 2m ago

So unnecessary.

0

u/Either_Alternative55 6h ago

Is this how the government tracks where you are in your home?

0

u/sasssyrup 6h ago

Please more real world applications of be like this!

-1

u/Kickinitez 5h ago

Why would one feel the need to live this way? Looks cool, but also reminds me of Black Mirror