Spectra

Leveraging spatial anchors and depth API to place virtual access point locations.
2D sitemap is built as you explore your space. Signal projection estimation uses the sitemap walls to tune path loss exponent.
Palm orb appears with left palm menu.

Inspiration

Imagine stepping into a space where invisible radio waves become visible, intuitive, and actionable. That’s the core idea behind Spectra — a mixed-reality wireless site surveying application designed to transform how network environments are troubleshooted and optimized. Whether you're a seasoned technician running site surveys or a beginner taking your first steps into networking, Spectra turns invisible radio frequency signals into something you can see and explore.

What it does

Spectra is a site surveying app that helps you configure the wifi by detecting signal strength at a location. The user benefits from using Spectra to detect and estimate signal strength, mark access points, adjust access point settings (TX power and min. RSSI) in real-time and visualize the network layout. Without Spectra, troubleshooting means wandering through hallways and doorways with a laptop or phone, chasing invisible signals in a tedious loop of trial and error.

How we built it

Core functionalities were built with -

Unity Meta XR SDK
Meta Passthrough Camera Access
Hand Tracking via Interaction SDK
Depth API for persistent RF markers

Designs were created in -

Blender for 3D models / meshes such as the left palm orb
Figma for the HUD and menu panels, icons

AP Integration Demo was built with -

Unifi Server OS (Ubiquiti)
FastAPI (Unifi integration)

We also used ElevenLabs to generate the initialization and interaction audio in app.

Challenges we ran into

Learning curve with Unity and Meta XR SDK
It was getting challenging to finish the project on time as we got too distracted experiencing the variety of apps on the headset!
After wrestling with object and panel sizes to get them MR-ready, we became very aware of the quirks in how Unity and Blender handle axes and scale.
Build times for testing certain features that could only be thoroughly tested in standalone mode

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The overall experience we created, especially with the signal strength estimation and access point marker.
A functional prototype that has multiple real-world applications:
- Solo technical work for professional site surveys
- Job shadowing for early career individuals (e.g. individuals may observe a senior team member performing site surveys via casting to a mobile device or reviewing recordings)
- Wifi network optimization or upgrades for consumers, business owners, enterprises, etc.
Learned how to build VR/MR applications with Unity and Meta XR SDK, which is very exciting for future developments!

What we learned

Both of us learned a lot in this hackathon. Keane got to dig in with the various SDKs and APIs available for development with Meta headsets, customizing for our project needs. I got exposure to both Unity and Blender, and I learned how they work together fairly nicely (despite seeming really complex at first).

What's next for Spectra

Multi-floor Sitemap handling
Exportable RF/Heatmaps for professional analysis
AI-driven recommendations for AP placement
Comprehensive iperf3 Tests (e.g. Saturated Link testing, Throughput TCP/UDP, Testing)
More integrations (Meraki, etc.)
YOLO detection for sources of interference (microwaves, ovens, etc)