Visual Analysis of Data from Motion Detectors

Programming Snapshot – Animating Data in Go

© Lead Image © Andrew Murskiy, 123RF.com

© Lead Image © Andrew Murskiy, 123RF.com

Article from Issue 313/2026
Author(s):

Strategically placed motion detectors send signals that Mike Schilli processes using a Pac-Man-style Go terminal app to keep up with foot traffic in his apartment building.

The Tapo T100 (Figure 1) is a small, wireless motion sensor that works fine in my apartment building's laundry room [1]. While this is handy for seeing if anyone is using the room at any given time, additional sensors would be able to track visitor traffic through the front door, in the hallways (Figure 2), and in the garage. The script I showed in the July 2026 issue of Linux Magazine [2] uses the Tapo hub to retrieve the motion data from the sensors at regular intervals and saves the results to a file in CSV format.

Figure 1: The inconspicuous wireless motion detector to the right of the light fixture transmits signals to the hub.
Figure 2: A motion detector in the hallway is triggered when people pass by.

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