RuView
Open-source software that uses ordinary WiFi signals to detect presence and breathing without cameras.
- Stars
- 102k
- Forks
- 13.3k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Rust
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Other
What it is
RuView is a WiFi sensing project that uses Channel State Information from low-cost ESP32 sensors to detect people in a room, estimate breathing and heart rate, and track activity, without video. Its README says the data can feed smart-home systems such as Home Assistant and Apple Home. The README is long and mixes many features, so some claims are described as research or synthetic-data results rather than proven accuracy.
- Detect whether a room is occupied and count people entering or leaving
- Feed presence and room-activity states into Home Assistant via the MQTT publisher
- Monitor overnight breathing and sleep patterns in a bedroom, as a research experiment
- Train and load models using the built-in CSI recording workflow
Great for
- Hobbyists who want presence detection in a room without cameras
- Smart-home builders who already run Home Assistant and have ESP32 hardware
- Developers interested in WiFi sensing and CSI signal processing
- Researchers exploring contactless vital-sign monitoring
Not ideal for
- Anyone needing medical-grade vital sign monitoring, since the README presents results as research and limits accuracy claims
- People expecting a plug-and-play consumer gadget, since setup involves firmware, hardware and developer tooling
- Users who need validated accuracy for safety-critical uses like fall detection for elderly care, because the README notes accuracy is still synthetic until real-data validation
How to get it
- 1
Clone and build from source
You'll need: Node.js (required for npx commands shown in the README; exact version not stated in the excerpt) · ESP32 hardware nodes for live CSI (per README)
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ruvnet/RuViewCheck local setup via the RuView MetaHarness
npx @ruvnet/ruview@0.9.1 doctor - 2
Run it
- Clone the repository and read docs/user-guide.md, the README's 'Start here' link.
- Run the doctor command to check your local setup.
- Run the devices command to see which hardware is connected.
- Run the esp32 --watch command to view live CSI from your nodes, if you have ESP32 hardware.
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Connect the node to Home Assistant with the --mqtt flag and the HA-DISCO publisher, as described in docs/integrations/home-assistant.md.
- Use the starter Home Assistant Blueprints the README mentions for automations.
- Use the guidance command with a topic and query to get source-cited help for specific tasks like model loading.
- Check the honesty and verification features of the MetaHarness before relying on accuracy claims.
Downloads
Strengths
- Works without cameras or wearables, using signals already present from WiFi
- Documents integrations with Home Assistant, Matter and other smart-home platforms
- Open source under the MIT license with a published guided CLI and documentation
Trade-offs
- Accuracy claims are described in the README as partly synthetic and still needing real-data validation
- Requires specific hardware such as ESP32 nodes and firmware flashing, plus developer-level setup
- The README is very long and spans many components, which makes it hard to know where to start
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RuView (this) | 102k | Other | advanced | 4 days ago | Hobbyists who want presence detection in a room without cameras |
| frigate | 37.1k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | People with IP cameras who want local recording and detection |
| ProxmoxVE | 30k | Dev tool | beginner | 4 days ago | Homelab users who run Proxmox VE and want quick installs of common self-hosted services |
| Proxmox | 15.1k | Dev tool | intermediate | 2.0 years ago | Homelab users who run Proxmox VE and want a guided way to create containers or VMs |
| huginn | 50.3k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | People who want IFTTT-style automations without sending their data to a third-party service |
| open-notebook | 41.3k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | People who want NotebookLM-style research tools without sending their material only to Google |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.