A Lightweight WiFi Probe System Combining a Dual Transmission Mode with Device Classification Capability

WiFi probes are crucial tools in applications such as crowd analysis and traffic monitoring. Due to indiscriminate sniffing of WiFi packets in the environment, probes generate a large amount of irrelevant data, increasing server-side processing overhead and presenting challenges for efficient data collection and real-time information processing. Moreover, a single wired transmission mode significantly limits the application scope and deployment efficiency of probes. In response, this paper presents a lightweight WiFi probe system combining a dual transmission mode with device classification capability. First, the system hardware, composed of a single STM32 and multiple ESP8266 modules, enables both wired and wireless data transmission modes through embedded programming. Second, a lightweight logistic and decision fusion model (LLDFM) is proposed, utilizing a time window and device library dynamic management mechanism to achieve real-time classification of fixed/temporary WiFi devices, which can effectively distinguish and discard application-irrelevant fixed device data. Finally, a server web platform was developed with real-time data sniffing, storage, multi-probe monitoring, and management functions to evaluate the system's practical performance. Results from extensive real-world experiments demonstrate an average fault-free operational time of over 168 hours, a fixed/temporary WiFi device classification accuracy of 97.19 %, and the ability to filter 30.45 % of irrelevant data, reducing the corresponding data transmission volume. These findings confirm the proposed system's reliability, efficiency, and superiority.