Low-cost intruder detection and alert system using mobile phone proximity sensor

Property protection from intrusions and thefts costs a lot of money in the form of security cameras or hiring security personnel. Moreover, security camera systems can be easily compromised by the intruders resulting in thousands of dollars of investment going to waste. Even the video feed acquired by the cameras is neither helpful in identifying the intruder nor in stopping the intrusion. In this paper, a low-cost solution to intrusion protection which has a very-short alert time and is almost fail proof is presented. A app using the proximity sensor of a mobile phone is developed to demonstrate that our homes and other properties can be protected against intrusions without having to spend thousands of dollars in security cameras and security guards. Experimental results show that smart phones are not only capable of detecting an intruder on its own but can also inform the property owner of the intrusion within seconds of intrusion so that abrupt action can be taken and thereby valuables can be saved from being stolen.