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docs(README): add ASUS Sonix IR hardware notes (proximity-sensor controlled emitter) #1110

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docs(README): add ASUS Sonix IR hardware notes (proximity-sensor controlled emitter) #1110

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Expand Up @@ -155,6 +155,20 @@ Any Python errors get logged directly into the console and should indicate what
Please first check the [wiki on common issues](https://github.com/boltgolt/howdy/wiki/Common-issues) and
if you encounter an error that hasn't been reported yet, don't be afraid to open a new issue.

### Hardware notes

#### ASUS laptops with Sonix IR cameras (`3277:0018` and similar)

On a number of ASUS laptops (Vivobook X1607C, ProArt PX13, ProArt H7606WX, Zenbook S16 UM5606, …), the IR emitter is **controlled by the laptop's proximity sensor**, not by a UVC extension-unit control. The LED sleeps when no motion is detected in front of the camera and pulses on when a person sits down to authenticate. This means:

- `howdy test` shows a black feed when no one is in front of the camera. That is expected — your face entering the frame at auth time triggers the LED.
- **Do not run `linux-enable-ir-emitter configure` on these models.** Its brute-force step has been reported to wedge the USB bus on the Sonix `3277:0018` chipset, requiring a hard reboot (see [linux-enable-ir-emitter#195](https://github.com/EmixamPP/linux-enable-ir-emitter/issues/195)). It will not find a working sequence anyway, because the LED is not chipset-controlled.
- Howdy works out of the box with `device_path = /dev/video2` (or whichever node is the IR camera) on these models — no extra configuration required.

On many of these laptops the IR LED emitter is physically located in the same bezel cutout as the RGB camera, not in the IR-camera cutout. If you use a privacy shutter, covering "the regular camera" can dim the IR feed even though Howdy never opens the RGB device. You can verify this by holding a phone camera in front of the bezel while running `howdy test` — the IR LED is visible as a faint violet/white blink through the phone screen, and it will be in the RGB cutout, not the IR one.

For background data and the empirical investigation that led to these notes, see [#1109](https://github.com/boltgolt/howdy/issues/1109).

## A note on security

This package is in no way as secure as a password and will never be. Although it's harder to fool than normal face recognition, a person who looks similar to you, or a well-printed photo of you could be enough to do it. Howdy is a more quick and convenient way of logging in, not a more secure one.
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