OT:Echo dot

[FlyerInHi]

I was looking at some listings of “state af the arts” homes from more than a decade ago.
The TVs look old and useless. The smart home features are outdated. We can do so much more today with consumer products. The old useless stuff needs to be ripped out. But some people still think they old stuff is worth something near what they paid, haha..

[spdrun]

At least it still works, isn’t tied to someone’s “clown”.

[no_such_reality]

[quote=spdrun]At least it still works, isn’t tied to someone’s “clown”.[/quote]

Like me Spdrun, you’re in the minority on that. Most people don’t get that corporations aren’t their friend. That google, facebook, amazon and the grocery store tracking tracking every purchase and page view isn’t about making it better.

The reality is all the data sole purpose is for the corporation to learn how to push your button and goad you. They disguise it as improving products or making products for you but the reality is the changes are mostly trigger items with very low marginally utility.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=spdrun]At least it still works, isn’t tied to someone’s “clown”.[/quote]

If you pay a subscription to a company like ADT, the authorities can request your information much faster. True that google & co can sell your info to advertisers.

About the antiquated “smart” home features that were only for the rich, required miles of cables, cost big bucks and required professional install…. well, they can now be replaced by wireless miniature devices that cost hundreds. Aren’t you amazed by innovation and the democratization of technology?

A realtor showed me a “smart” control panel. I had to bite my tongue not to say anything. I also saw a house where the owner installed at great cost a framed plasma screen (read electricity hog) to show works of art. I’m like… wow what a useless ugly thing that can be better replicated today for cheap. It’s an insult to a buyer’s intelligence to show that as a “luxury” feature.

[spdrun]

I can skip the smart home shit whether it costs $1000 or $100,000.

[ucodegen]

[quote=FlyerInHi]
About the antiquated “smart” home features that were only for the rich, required miles of cables, cost big bucks and required professional install…. well, they can now be replaced by wireless miniature devices that cost hundreds. Aren’t you amazed by innovation and the democratization of technology?[/quote]
The problem with these new wireless units is a burst at 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz can take them down – sometimes permanently. A leaky microwave can put them on the periodic fritz. A smart person with a yagi or small parabolic antenna and hacking tools can often crack them and take control (security on most of them is sorely lacking) without ever entering your property. The recent DDOS was done through just a small percentage of these ‘home automation’ devices. https://krebsonsecurity.com/2016/10/source-code-for-iot-botnet-mirai-released/

The other thing about home automation tools is that you generally want to run them on a separate net and you generally want to run them wired and encrypted (but most aren’t and can’t be). Firewall them between your main net and lower net and control what/who they talk to.

[FlyerInHi]

Interesting ucodegen. I take it you don’t trust IoT which is growing fast.
I’ll take my chances for the convenience.

Even the new LED street lamps are now connected. Maybe one day the Russians will hack us and shut down everything. Like Y2K but much worse.

[ucodegen]

[quote=FlyerInHi]Interesting ucodegen. I take it you don’t trust IoT which is growing fast.
I’ll take my chances for the convenience.

Even the new LED street lamps are now connected. Maybe one day the Russians will hack us and shut down everything. Like Y2K but much worse.[/quote]
Its not IoT that I don’t trust, it is the current group of manufacturers that I don’t trust. As for hacking them, it might actually be the Chinese because many of the devices are made in China. China has been known to create backdoors in hardware.

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/17/03/05/1828202/hidden-backdoor-discovered-in-chinese-iot-devices

http://www.information-age.com/security-backdoor-found-in-china-made-us-military-chip-2105468/

Lenovo PCs and Laptops seem to have a BIOS level backdoor

[no_such_reality]

[quote=ucodegen][quote=FlyerInHi]Interesting ucodegen. I take it you don’t trust IoT which is growing fast.
I’ll take my chances for the convenience.

Even the new LED street lamps are now connected. Maybe one day the Russians will hack us and shut down everything. Like Y2K but much worse.[/quote]
Its not IoT that I don’t trust, it is the current group of manufacturers that I don’t trust. As for hacking them, it might actually be the Chinese because many of the devices are made in China. China has been known to create backdoors in hardware.

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/17/03/05/1828202/hidden-backdoor-discovered-in-chinese-iot-devices

http://www.information-age.com/security-backdoor-found-in-china-made-us-military-chip-2105468/

https://www.techworm.net/2015/08/lenovo-pcs-and-laptops-seem-to-have-a-bios-level-backdoor.html%5B/quote%5D

I’m more curious what benefits FiH thinks is getting/coming from IoT?

CNET best smart home devices of 2017, Echo #1 and two color changing dimmable connect for remote management lightbulbs #2 & #3.

Seriously, a color changing lightbulb…

[ucodegen]

[quote=no_such_reality]
I’m more curious what benefits FiH thinks is getting/coming from IoT?

CNET best smart home devices of 2017, Echo #1 and two color changing dimmable connect for remote management lightbulbs #2 & #3.

Seriously, a color changing lightbulb…[/quote]
A long time ago, I noticed that it was not worth arguing with FiH on personal benefits of certain things.

That said, I do see use in IoT devices like networked sprinkler controllers (considering fiddling with this), weather and precipitation sensors, and light controllers. Justification:

1) sprinkler controllers – depending upon what is at a house, it may be useful to water somethings once a week, others a small dribble every day, and others three times a week. It would also be useful to have the system be able to drop watering on a single day due to rain. Most residential systems today do something like ‘gang’ watering. All connections go through the cycle for the designated time.

2) Precipitation sensor – can be used to feed into the sprinkler controller

3) Light control – for when you go on vacation. You could really randomize the lights.

There are others – but this is some of what I see. I also see the IoT manufacturers try to do lock-ins as opposed to standardizing the communication. The other part that bothers me is the perceived need to have all of these things run an HTTP server.. really? For sprinkler controllers all that is needed is a simple datagram interface.

[FlyerInHi]

When I get home, my Nest senses my arrival and turns on my lights thanks to IFTTT
I like all my lights on for the right ambiance, picture lights, etc…,

I can remotely change my lock code and let my friends and relatives in, when they visit my second home. I can turn off the water heater remotely or have it happen automatically. My door will auto lock in away mode or after a certain time of day. The “recipes” are infinite.

I’m seriously considering an Amazon echo but I’m not really into music. But it would be nice to speak a command instead of pulling out the smart phone.

Current technology puts James Bond bachelor pads to shame.

[no_such_reality]

[quote=ucodegen][quote=no_such_reality]
I’m more curious what benefits FiH thinks is getting/coming from IoT?

CNET best smart home devices of 2017, Echo #1 and two color changing dimmable connect for remote management lightbulbs #2 & #3.

Seriously, a color changing lightbulb…[/quote]
A long time ago, I noticed that it was not worth arguing with FiH on personal benefits of certain things.

That said, I do see use in IoT devices like networked sprinkler controllers (considering fiddling with this), weather and precipitation sensors, and light controllers. Justification:

1) sprinkler controllers – depending upon what is at a house, it may be useful to water somethings once a week, others a small dribble every day, and others three times a week. It would also be useful to have the system be able to drop watering on a single day due to rain. Most residential systems today do something like ‘gang’ watering. All connections go through the cycle for the designated time.

2) Precipitation sensor – can be used to feed into the sprinkler controller

3) Light control – for when you go on vacation. You could really randomize the lights.

There are others – but this is some of what I see. I also see the IoT manufacturers try to do lock-ins as opposed to standardizing the communication. The other part that bothers me is the perceived need to have all of these things run an HTTP server.. really? For sprinkler controllers all that is needed is a simple datagram interface.[/quote]

I’m intrigued by the automated gardening systems like Farmbot and Gardenbot. For a raised bed and specific crops it has potential, granted, at built price mighty expensive vegetables…

For in ground landscaping, not so much. Unfortunately, for landscaping, consistency is the key. Consistency across large areas, as in entire neighborhoods. If your neighbor is deadheading the lawn, xeri- or hardscaping your ability to maintain traditional trees and eastern lawn will be impacted. With little or no water on their property, they basically become a hole your watering flows into.

[FlyerInHi]

I would use IoT for gardening if I had a garden. My parents house is xeriscape now. So much easier to maintain than a lawn. With hardscape for outdoor living area, you can make the natural dry socal landscape looks nice. A lawn and tropical plants look so out of place.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=spdrun]

I think home automation is a good thing because that will deter burglaries, maybe do away with them entirely.

Want to monitor you daughter? Or worriy she’ll be molested by intruder? Get an alarm when a window opens or when her bedroom light comes on at night. Haha… so many things for the paranoid.

I would like a device to record the MAC address of people who walk by my house then gives me a report on how often and when.

I don’t want to totally deter property crime — it keeps the rich and powerful honest.

Home invasions are extremely rare, so rare as to be a non-issue.

Recording MAC addresses — no thanks, no plans to be a stalker :)[/quote]

I see that iOS 11 no longer allow apps to access mac adresseses because developers were misusing to track.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/commit-a-crime-your-fitbit-key-fob-or-pacemaker-could-snitch-on-you/2017/10/09/f35a4f30-8f50-11e7-8df5-c2e5cf46c1e2_story.html?utm_term=.2b98d6042480
Andrew Ferguson, a University of the District of Columbia law professor, says we are entering an era of “sensorveillance” when we can expect one device or another to be monitoring us much of the time. The title of a law paper on the topic put the prospect this way: “Technology is Killing Our Opportunity to Lie.”

[spdrun]

No point in doing one’s part to help the police state, though. Push back, disconnect, drop out.

What benefit does something like the Echo have in the house of someone who isn’t disabled? Don’t invite this cr@p inside your home.

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