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RadAround: A Field-Expedient Direction Finder for Contested IoT Sensing & EM Situational Awareness

Owen A. Maute, Blake A. Roberts, Berker Peköz

TL;DR

RadAround tackles the need for rapid, resilience-focused EMSA in contested environments by delivering a field-deployable, passive direction-finding system based on a single mechanically steered narrow-beam antenna, a software-defined radio, and a microcontroller-driven SCADA. It demonstrates that high-resolution EM heatmaps can be produced from low-cost, field-ready hardware across $1.7$ GHz and $2.4$ GHz bands, enabling detection of computing equipment through walls, CPU-utilization discrimination, and through-wall AP localization. The approach reduces reliance on expensive antenna arrays or distributed sensor networks and offers field-reproducible designs via 3D printing and readily available components. The work provides a practical path toward rapid EMSA deployment, with a clear roadmap for enhancements such as wider bandwidth, multi-antenna triangulation, embedded SCADA, and machine-learning-based radiator classification.

Abstract

This paper presents RadAround, a passive 2-D direction-finding system designed for adversarial IoT sensing in contested environments. Using mechanically steered narrow-beam antennas and field-deployable SCADA software, it generates high-resolution electromagnetic (EM) heatmaps using low-cost COTS or 3D-printed components. The microcontroller-deployable SCADA coordinates antenna positioning and SDR sampling in real time for resilient, on-site operation. Its modular design enables rapid adaptation for applications such as EMC testing in disaster-response deployments, battlefield spectrum monitoring, electronic intrusion detection, and tactical EM situational awareness (EMSA). Experiments show RadAround detecting computing machinery through walls, assessing utilization, and pinpointing EM interference (EMI) leakage sources from Faraday enclosures.

RadAround: A Field-Expedient Direction Finder for Contested IoT Sensing & EM Situational Awareness

TL;DR

RadAround tackles the need for rapid, resilience-focused EMSA in contested environments by delivering a field-deployable, passive direction-finding system based on a single mechanically steered narrow-beam antenna, a software-defined radio, and a microcontroller-driven SCADA. It demonstrates that high-resolution EM heatmaps can be produced from low-cost, field-ready hardware across GHz and GHz bands, enabling detection of computing equipment through walls, CPU-utilization discrimination, and through-wall AP localization. The approach reduces reliance on expensive antenna arrays or distributed sensor networks and offers field-reproducible designs via 3D printing and readily available components. The work provides a practical path toward rapid EMSA deployment, with a clear roadmap for enhancements such as wider bandwidth, multi-antenna triangulation, embedded SCADA, and machine-learning-based radiator classification.

Abstract

This paper presents RadAround, a passive 2-D direction-finding system designed for adversarial IoT sensing in contested environments. Using mechanically steered narrow-beam antennas and field-deployable SCADA software, it generates high-resolution electromagnetic (EM) heatmaps using low-cost COTS or 3D-printed components. The microcontroller-deployable SCADA coordinates antenna positioning and SDR sampling in real time for resilient, on-site operation. Its modular design enables rapid adaptation for applications such as EMC testing in disaster-response deployments, battlefield spectrum monitoring, electronic intrusion detection, and tactical EM situational awareness (EMSA). Experiments show RadAround detecting computing machinery through walls, assessing utilization, and pinpointing EM interference (EMI) leakage sources from Faraday enclosures.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 15 sections, 11 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. RF System Architecture and Construction
  3. Narrowbeam 2.4 GHz ISM Monitor
  4. High-gain Wideband Electronics Finder at 1.7 GHz Band
  5. Mechanical System
  6. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
  7. Experimental Verification Campaign
  8. Antenna characterization
  9. Dwell and Integration Times
  10. Data Collection Scenarios
  11. Detecting Computing Systems at 1.7 GHz
  12. Computing Utilization Level Discrimination at 1.7 GHz
  13. Through-Wall Electronics Detection at 1.7 GHz
  14. Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) Localization Through Walls and Environmental Mapping at 2.4 GHz
  15. Conclusion

Figures (11)

  • Figure 1: 3-D rendering of the final 2.4 GHz ISM antenna structure, including the helical scaffold and the conical reflector.
  • Figure 2: 3-D CAD rendering of the mechanical system in Fusion 360 (rotated quarter turn clockwise to save space).
  • Figure 3: Photo of manufactured RF and mechanical system components.
  • Figure 4: Block diagram of the system in the environment.
  • Figure 5: 2450 MHz antenna shown inside far field chamber.
  • ...and 6 more figures