Wi-Fi-Based User Authentication in Smart Space: Methods, Challenges, and Prospects

With the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), the proliferation of interconnected smart devices is reshaping ordinary environments into smart spaces. This transformation creates new requirements for user authentication systems that operate transparently and continuously to ensure both security and usability in IoT environments. Leveraging the ubiquity of existing wireless infrastructure, Wi-Fi-based authentication could enable unobtrusive, real-time user identification without requiring active participation. These advantages position Wi-Fi-based systems as a promising solution for seamless, user-transparent, and continuous authentication. Building on this premise, this survey offers a comprehensive review of existing Wi-Fi-based authentication systems and introduces a unified four-layered framework. Additionally, we outline key challenges and future research directions, aiming to unlock further advancements in Wi-Fi-based authentication systems to match the increasing complexity of smart spaces.