Mobile device detection and tracking
Disclosed is a technique for passively monitoring the number of guests in a rental property. Mobile device broadcasts intended for connecting the device to a wireless network contain information about that device. This information includes unique identifiers such as MAC addresses. Detecting these broadcasts and filtering out those devices that are expected enables a property owner to have a semi-accurate number of guests within their property without actually being at the property, or visibly observing the guests in an obtrusive fashion. Guests are able to enjoy themselves in privacy and the property owner is able to monitor the safety of their property.
1. A method for monitoring a visitor count in a domicile and reporting the visitor count to a user comprising:
detecting, by a wireless communicator, wireless device broadcasts from wireless devices, the wireless device broadcasts include a device identifier used to connect to wireless networks, wherein the device identifier of a given wireless device broadcast identifies a particular wireless device of the wireless devices;
communicating a number of unique device identifiers to a web server;
determining, by the web server, the number of unique device identifiers exceeds a predetermined threshold;
transmitting, by the web server, a notification to a user device indicating the predetermined threshold has been exceeded;
receiving, by a mobile application, resident instructions including a number of resident devices;
transmitting, by the mobile application, to the web server the resident instructions; and
reducing the number of unique device identifiers by the number of resident devices.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
broadcasting, by the wireless communicator, a signal causing nearby wireless devices to emit wireless device broadcasts.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying, from the device identifiers, a number of resident device identifiers associated with resident wireless devices, wherein the resident devices identifiers are those device identifiers that exceed a threshold for frequency of detection; and
reducing the number of unique device identifiers by the number of resident device identifiers.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
communicating, by the web server, the number of unique device identifiers to the user device; and
rendering, by a client application, on the user device the number of unique device identifiers.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting, by the web server, a push notification or SMS message to the user device when the number of unique devices is below a threshold.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the domicile is a rental property, and the wireless communicator is installed in the rental property.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising
analyzing, by the web server, a rental calendar associated with the rental property for a current rental status; and
adjusting the predetermined threshold based on the current rental status.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said detecting step further comprises:
determining, by the wireless communicator, a device type for each of the wireless devices based on a comparison of each device identifier to an identifier schema; and
ignoring all wireless devices that do not have the device type of “phone.”
9. A method for monitoring a visitor count in a rental property and reporting the visitor count to a user comprising:
detecting, by a wireless communicator, wireless device broadcasts from wireless devices, the wireless device broadcasts include a device identifier used to connect to wireless networks, wherein the device identifier of a given wireless device broadcast identifies a particular wireless device of the wireless devices;
communicating a number of unique device identifiers to a web server;
exposing, by the web server, the number of unique device identifiers to an application interface accessible via the Internet by an authorized device;
analyzing, by the web server, a rental calendar associated with the rental property for a current rental status; and
adjusting the predetermined threshold based on the current rental status,
wherein the wireless communicator is installed in the rental property.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
broadcasting, by the wireless communicator, a signal causing nearby wireless devices to emit wireless device broadcasts.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the application interface is a mobile client application and the authorized device is a mobile user device, the method further comprising:
rendering, by the mobile client application, on the mobile user device the number of unique device identifiers.
12. A system for monitoring a visitor count in a domicile rental property and reporting the visitor count to a user comprising:
a wireless communicator configured to detect wireless device broadcasts from wireless devices, the wireless device broadcasts provide identifying data used to connect to a wireless network, wherein each of the wireless device broadcasts include a device identifier for a respective wireless device of the wireless devices, the wireless communicator further configured to count a number of unique device identifiers of wireless devices;
a mobile application including a user interface for the wireless communicator and user account settings;
a rental calendar associated with the rental property; and
a web server configured to receive the number of unique device identifiers of wireless devices from the wireless communicator over the Internet and compare the unique number of device identifiers to a threshold as determined by input from the mobile application and the rental calendar, the web server further configured transmit data regarding the number of unique device identifiers of wireless devices to the mobile application.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the mobile application is paired with the wireless communicator on a first user account stored at the web server.
14. A method for monitoring a visitor count in a rental property and reporting the visitor count to a user comprising:
detecting, by a wireless communicator, wireless device broadcasts from wireless devices, the wireless device broadcasts include a device identifier used to connect to wireless networks, wherein the device identifier of a given wireless device broadcast identifies a particular wireless device of the wireless devices;
communicating a number of unique device identifiers to a web server;
determining, by the web server, the number of unique device identifiers exceeds a predetermined threshold;
analyzing, by the web server, a rental calendar associated with the rental property for a current rental status;
adjusting the predetermined threshold based on the current rental status; and
transmitting, by the web server, a notification to a user device indicating the predetermined threshold has been exceeded
wherein the wireless communicator is installed in the rental property.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
broadcasting, by the wireless communicator, a signal causing nearby wireless devices to emit wireless device broadcasts.
16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
identifying, from the device identifiers, a number of resident device identifiers associated with resident wireless devices, wherein the resident devices identifiers are those device identifiers that exceed a threshold for frequency of detection; and
reducing the number of unique device identifiers by the number of resident device identifiers.
17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving, by a mobile application, resident instructions including a number of resident devices;
transmitting, by the mobile application, to the web server the resident instructions; and
reducing the number of unique device identifiers by the number of resident devices.
18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
communicating, by the web server, the number of unique device identifiers to the user device; and
rendering, by a client application, on the user device the number of unique device identifiers.
19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
transmitting, by the web server, a push notification or SMS message to the user device when the number of unique devices is below a threshold.
20. The method of claim 14 , wherein said detecting step further comprises:
determining, by the wireless communicator, a device type for each of the wireless devices based on a comparison of each device identifier to an identifier schema; and
ignoring all wireless devices that do not have the device type of “phone.”