Modern home automation systems include features that enhance security, such as cameras and radars. This paper proposes an innovative home security system that can detect burglars by analyzing acoustic signals and instantly notifying the authorized person(s). The system architecture incorporates the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT), resulting in a network and a user-friendly system. The proposed system uses an adaptive detection algorithm, namely the "short-time-average through long-time-average" algorithm. The proposed algorithm is implemented by an IoT device (Arduino Duo) to detect people's acoustical activities for the purpose of home/office security. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated using 10 acoustic signals representing actual events and background noise. The acoustic signals were generated by the sounds of keys shaking, the falling of a small object, the shrinking of a plastic bag, speaking, footsteps, etc. The effects of different algorithms' parameters on the performance of the proposed system have been thoroughly investigated.
Keywords: Internet of Things; acoustic sensor; adaptive thresholding; intruders detection; real-time implementation.