PnPSelect: Plug-and-play IoT Device Selection Using Ultra-wideband Signals

Abstract: In recent years, the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in smart homes has rapidly increased. A key challenge affecting user experience is how to enable users to efficiently and intuitively select the devices they wish to control. This paper proposes PnPSelect, a plug-and-play IoT device selection solution utilizing Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology on commercial devices. Unlike previous works, PnPSelect does not require the installation of dedicated hardware on each IoT device, thereby reducing deployment costs and complexities, and achieving true plug-and-play functionality. To enable intuitive device selection, we introduce a pointing direction estimation method that utilizes UWB readings from a single anchor to infer the user pointing direction. Additionally, we propose a lightweight device localization method that allows users to register new IoT devices by simply pointing at them from two distinct positions, eliminating the need for manual measurements. We implement PnPSelect on commercial smartphones and smartwatches and conduct extensive evaluations in both controlled laboratory settings and real-world environments. Our results demonstrate high accuracy, robustness, and adaptability, making PnPSelect a practical and scalable solution for next-generation smart home interactions.