What your Wi-Fi looks like in real time

Kira Aronova
Kira Aronova Journalist
What your Wi-Fi looks like in real time
the Spectrum Slit project
YouTuber and engineer Rootkid has unveiled a unique project called Spectrum Slit, which blurs the line between technology and art. Its metal structure, featuring 64 LED strips, allows you to literally ‘see’ the airwaves: every search query, message or video upload is transformed in real time into a vibrant pulsating light display

Rootkid discusses this in his new video.

 The idea for the project arose from a desire to understand what the world would look like if the human eye could see radio waves. To bring this to life, the creator built a U-shaped installation that scans the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands within a 30-metre radius.

At the heart of the system is a HackRF One radio scanner and the computing power of a Raspberry Pi. The programme measures the signal level every 10 MHz, updating the display 100 times per second. Thanks to this, the installation reacts instantly to any activity from nearby wireless devices.

The technical component of Spectrum Slit is impressive: 64 vintage LED strips with a total power of 128 W emit over 8,000 lumens, which in terms of brightness can rival a powerful spotlight. This array of lights is controlled by four custom-designed circuit boards via an I²C interface. In addition to the visual effect, the device has its own ‘voice’ — due to ultra-fast current switching in the drivers, the coils vibrate, creating a polyphonic harmonic hum that changes in unison with the light.

According to the artist, the installation lives to the rhythm of the city: during the day it reflects the calm backdrop of the grid, in the evening it ‘explodes’ with flashes from the activity of neighbours, and at night it is almost completely filled with light due to mass HD video streaming.

This video has already become a hit among technical and artistic communities, garnering over a million views in a short time. You can view the full creation process and the installation in action on the official Rootkid channel.

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