Mobile device detection and tracking

Abstract

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; and   transmitting, by the web server, a notification to a user device indicating the predetermined threshold has been exceeded.   
     
     
         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:
 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.   
     
     
         5 . 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.   
     
     
         6 . 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.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the domicile is a rental property, and the wireless communicator is installed in the rental property. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , 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.   
     
     
         9 . 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.”   
     
     
         10 . 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; and   exposing, by the web server, the number of unique device identifiers to an application interface accessible via the Internet by an authorized device.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 broadcasting, by the wireless communicator, a signal causing nearby wireless devices to emit wireless device broadcasts.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , 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.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the domicile is a rental property, and the wireless communicator is installed in the rental property. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , 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.   
     
     
         15 . A system for monitoring a visitor count in a domicile 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 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, the web server further configured transmit data regarding the number of unique device identifiers of wireless devices to the mobile application.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the mobile application is paired with the wireless communicator on a first user account stored at the web server. 
     
     
         17 . A method for monitoring a visitor count across a number of rental properties and reporting the visitor count to a user comprising:
 communicating, by a web server, with a plurality of wireless communicators over the Internet, wherein the plurality of wireless communicators are physically dispersed throughout the number of rental properties and each wireless communicator of the plurality of wireless communicators is associated with a particular rental property of the plurality of rental properties;   detecting, by a first wireless communicator, 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 first wireless communicator physically located within a first rental property;   communicating, by the first wireless communicator, a first visitor data to the web server, the first visitor data including a first number of unique device identifiers and a first rental property identifier; and   communicating, by the web server, the first visitor data to a user device; and   rendering, by a client application, on the user device the first number of unique device identifiers as associated with the first rental property.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 communicating, by the client application, a visitor threshold for each of the plurality of rental properties;   determining, by the web server, the first number of unique device identifiers a first visitor threshold associated with the first rental property; and   transmitting, by the web server, a push notification or SMS message to the user device indicating the first threshold has been exceeded at the first rental property.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising
 analyzing, by the web server, a first rental calendar associated with the first rental property for a current rental status; and   adjusting the first visitor threshold based on the current rental status.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said detecting step further comprises:
 determining, by the first 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.”   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 identifying, by the first wireless communicator, a first 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, by the first wireless communicator, the first number of unique device identifiers by the first number of resident device identifiers.