I've been researching home automation systems and trying to understand how they communicate. So many say "you can control everything from your phone". What does that really mean? Isn't this a huge security problem? If my phone can connect to my home network then won't others be able to also?

While I ponder these issues I ran across a device called an "imp" that can connect a device from my wireless network to someone else's. It uses the vendors server in the middle as a relay, not very appealing. Kind of as a proof of concept the company has teamed up with Budweiser to insure hockey fans get notified when their team scores a goal. Only available in Canada.

http://www.budweiser.ca/redlight/

Creative, but really now is this what the internet of things is coming to? Very odd to me but I'm neither Canadian or a hockey fan. An odd mix of technology and mass market beer.

 

I've been researching home automation systems and trying to understand how they communicate. So many say "you can control everything from your phone". What does that really mean? Isn't this a huge security problem? If my phone can connect to my home network then won't others be able to also?

While I ponder these issues I ran across a device called an "imp" that can connect a device from my wireless network to someone else's. It uses the vendors server in the middle as a relay, not very appealing. Kind of as a proof of concept the company has teamed up with Budweiser to insure hockey fans get notified when their team scores a goal. Only available in Canada.

http://www.budweiser.ca/redlight/

Creative, but really now is this what the internet of things is coming to? Very odd to me but I'm neither Canadian or a hockey fan. An odd mix of technology and mass market beer.

What is your specific point, the Budweiser ad, security issues or your opinion that IOT is nonsense in general?

 

Yes to all. I find a beer company running a high tech service with all the trimmings including defective units, software upgrades, a help desk and web FAQ to be absolutely mind boggling. And I am interested in security since there have been reports of things like baby monitors being accessed externally. As for IOT it looks like a solution looking for a problem, my electro mechanical sprinkler timer works fine and never needs any software patches.

 

I've been researching home automation systems and trying to understand how they communicate. So many say "you can control everything from your phone". What does that really mean?

For many devices, it means communicating over Wi-Fi. I am using security cameras and power switches that both use Wi-Fi. I can theoretically use a smart phone to connect my home network and control these devices.

Isn't this a huge security problem? If my phone can connect to my home network then won't others be able to also?

It can be. These issues can be addressed by using devices that use authentication and encryption.

Creative, but really now is this what the internet of things is coming to?

The IOT will be complex and constantly evolving.

 

As the resident lots-of-microprocessors-in-everything crank, I wonder...How badly do you need to flip a light switch when you're not home? How badly do you need to put the controls for the local electric utility and the plans for the next stealth airplane on the Internet if you don't want people hacking them? How technology dependent can you get and how did we survive for all these centuries without the Internet?

 

We survived for centuries on stone tools and open fire for heat and light. Technology can improve life when deployed correctly. I use tech to improve productivity, effiency and quality of life. For example, I often work long and varying hours. It's nice to come home to a warm, well lit house. The alternative is to leave lights and other appliances on all day, but that would be terribly inefficient.

 

About the only advanced automation I have in my house are the two programmable thermostats that control when my boiler and my propane furnace warm things up.

Other than that the only other critical digitally controlled device is my multifuel boiler and that runs off a dedicated commercial Teco PLR unit I wrote the ladder logic for myself.

 

We survived for centuries on stone tools and open fire for heat and light. Technology can improve life when deployed correctly. I use tech to improve productivity, effiency and quality of life. For example, I often work long and varying hours. It's nice to come home to a warm, well lit house. The alternative is to leave lights and other appliances on all day, but that would be terribly inefficient.

And you don't even need to justify it. Every technology needs early adopters who are willing to identify and help work out the bugs/issues. Without, we would still be using open fire for light because we have to not because we want to.

 

It will be interesting to discover what the long term improvement will be if most people make their electric front door lock accessible from the Internet.

 

I'm less worried about my door locks than about my stove or toaster oven, where a malicious hack could burn my house down. Turning off my fridge wouldn't be quite as bad, but still annoying.

 

I worriedonly for robots

 

And I thought the Bud hockey light was odd, the electricImp folks had also cooked up a cricket scoreboard with Victoria Bitter, an Aussie brewery:

http://www.buzzproducts.com/design/agency/victoria-bitter-live-cricket-scoreboard.html

Judging from their forum traffic this imp based device had some connectivity problems similar to the original red light. The red light is now much better and the VB people are now offering a cricket scoreboard watch. It is not imp based at all but simply an app on your phone and Bluetooth to the watch. Probably much more dependable.

https://secure.cubpromos.com.au/victoriabitter/Default.aspx?Age=1

Beer bringing the IOT to life! Ain't life grand?