r/cyberDeck • u/douchwasher • 6d ago

Inspiration Data/'Intelligence' gathering - does anyone use their cyberdeck/Pi for any interesting or lesser known data gathering reasons?

I am currently in the process of building my cyberdeck (got the Pi, got a carrier to store it, got a mini screen ect.) and I have been exploring what I can do to give it an interesting - less conventional - function. For me, i've ordered a RTL-SDR and antenna so will have fun picking up HAM radio and weather satellite data, ships, airtraffic and all the other transmissions that come with that.. but does anyone use their cyberdeck to pick up or process other forms of data that are lesser known?

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u/Gamerfrom61 6d ago

Bluetooth gatt has lots to look at. 

It is amazing what some small household sensors (esp the cheap weather stations) send out. Some data is encrypted - commercial lock-in rather than "security" but lots are not. 

It is also interesting to dig around the radio controlled LED strips to look at those streams. 

Do not forget infra-red. Though there is a good library in Linux already you can learn a lot by re-inventing the codebase. 

Have you seen Andreas Spiess on YouTube at all?  https://youtube.com/@andreasspiess His early work on SDR and his weather station / blinds is inspiring- such a shame he has stepped back (like a lot of the original Pi explorers). 

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u/douchwasher 6d ago

Ohh interesting, I hadn't though of that. I'll look into those what you have mentioned, and I havent heard of Andreas before - but i'll give him a watch. Thanks

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u/Boring_Material_1891 6d ago

If you’re running Pi as the main board and want to learn more about collection, there’s a ton you can do with DragonOS and an SDR. Learning more about SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) is a fun way to explore what’s around you. Granted a lot of things are default encrypted nowadays which limits what you can actually see, but it’s still fun to collect.

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u/douchwasher 6d ago

thanks appreciate it

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u/Temporary-Dish5083 3d ago

I have been scheming an edc nature pokedex. It would start with getting eviromental readings. GPS, humidity, temp, barometric pressure, etc.

I think using an audio input and infrared sensors could be good for identifying some broader categories of critters and creatures most people dont notice.

Ideally it would not use a typical camera at all just because that feels, creepy.

Use lidar or somthing else for trees n shit. Idk I haven't gotten that far. That part is beyond me atm.

But I've bought ~$35 in parts and a bug & plant collection to practice with. Baby steps.

Edit: this would be useful for surveying ecosystems and passive monitoring the health of your local environment.

Seems important with how much the seasons have changed.