Knock Alert is a system that is composed of a combination of an Embedded System and a Desktop application. The device allows people to receive a visual notification on their computer when a door knock is detected, so that the user doesn't miss a door knock. This allows for users to stay in "Flow" or focus, wearing headphones without missing any door knock. The Embedded System will detects door knocks by using an accelerometer to measure vibrations that reverberate through the door. The system is set up so that it filters out sounds that are not obviously door knocks. The Embedded System is designed to be mounted onto a door where it will communicate with the desktop or mobile application over Bluetooth.

The application was being developed natively using the Universal Windows Platform as the back end application, while the front end application was being made in Electron. However, the team learned that UWP was purposefully designed in a way to make inter-process communication difficult, so the team is now exclusively using Electron. When the embedded system detects a knock, it will determine if it is significant enough to relay the data to the application. The computer or mobile device will then determine if the detected signal is a door knock and alert the user by displaying a notification and playing a chime. Both the chime and message can be customized to the user's liking. The message will appear on the user's screen regardless of what application is currently running so that the message is not missed.

The system records and includes timestamps of any door knocks it detects. The software can be installed online, and will work as long as there is a Knock Alert device that is available. The embedded system is currently a combination of an Nordic microcontroller, an accelerometer, and a Bluetooth shield. The embedded system is compact enough so that it is easy to set up.