What is IoT really? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: fubar.gr
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 12:24:51 am
content: I am trying to understand what the so called Internet of Things is all about.I started reading theWikipedia article, but I am still clueless, especially since many of the entries there are just too vague and full of buzzwords to make any real sense.What exactly is new about IoT and how it will play out in the future with all those interconnected devices?

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 12:46:34 am
content: Quote from: fubar.gr on November 04, 2016, 12:24:51 amThe IoT (Internet of Things) is the concept of computerizing everyday things. To make something part of the Internet of Things, you just need to take a Thing, and put a computer in it, then connect it to the internet for it to fulfill some task of some sort.That is the base definition, but generally IoT devices can be home appliances. For example there are now fridges with tablets installed into them that can record and take notes, and they connect to the internet to allow you to do stuff like check notes, and look at what is in your fridge (Like if you are at the store). Another example is an automated pet food dispenser that you can get video from and control remotely, there are things like internet controller thermostats that can be adjusted with an app on your phone. You also have lightbulbs you can control, you have cars you can remote start.Think of it like home automation, and in a sense that's the that IoT is.Now the question to how it will play out into the future? Well there is some controversy to it. Formerly most of these things were the dreams and joy of electronics hobbyists that slapped a few RasPis together, get some servos and mechanical parts, and hey presto, made a coffee machine control it's self over the internet. A lot of companies are now getting involved, a lot of what you mentioned, is just buzz words flying every which way, but some companies like I think it was Samsung who made the computerized fridge, are getting in on the action.One of the major issues with these devices are the security risks, both personal and virtual. Because the NSA wants to get their sweaty mitts on any bloody thing that's out there, you are likely to end up with a load of cameras and microphones that may or may not be covertly recording your actions. Another thing is that these devicesoften haveALWAYS HAVE security holes, and they are VERY rarely if EVER patched by the manufacturer. So this could mean easy entry points for your network, ways people can snoop data off you, maybe even do some sorta man in the middle sorta deal.My personal complaint is the practicality of these devices. I don't see the point of spending thousands of dollars extra on devices that are normally pretty expensive, to have it do pretty niche things, or things I already have a working and cheaper solution for. I also feel like the IoT should stay with hobbyists like myself and probably most of the people on this board. The IoT used to (Still sorta is, but leaning away from it now) be a neat way for EE hobbyists to automate their home, and get a kick out of it anyways, but now with companies sorta ruining the whole ethos, I feel it's gonna lose charm soon, and become fairly mundane. However, my own personal complaints, may be applicable to you, may also not be.To summarize, the IoT is normally home automation by computerizing household appliances and getting them to do something, what that something is, the companies barely know.EDIT:To add people below have said these devices are part of the world's largest botnet, possibly in possession by AnonymousI don't own any IoT devices, and I am glad that if I were to, I would only use my own secured and personalized devices I build myself.This has to be how IoT devices remain forever, Idc about the buzz words, they are what marketers makes like EE people make electronics.I seriously think companies need to stop making IoT devices almost entirely, and leave it to us engineers, otherwise we get people cashingin on self-created hype, and just bringing down the poorly made rubbish onto the world.I don't think people will face reprocussions for their devices being on botnets, but the companies responsible CERTAINLY will. My dad put itbest:Similar to the DDoS that hit Dyn. The root cause is that hardware manufacturers have little clue about software and apparently none at all about security. It is not that difficult to have devices not cnnet to the Internet, but only the local network until the default user name and password is changed. That also needs to be a forced change right after first login. Of course, they also need to remove any of the backdoors they often put in.The only option I see is to either hold every single confirmed vendor financially responsible or make it illegal to sell IoT or any other active, networked device that did not have its operating system go through an independent security check with the results published.While I think that is an effective, but extreme solution, it's totally correct.

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 12:58:59 am
content: I've been using home automation for a long time now, originally with those wonderful X10 devices. Talk about some shoddy shortcuts for manufacturing - but they generally worked and I had few if any devices actually fail. Combined with a controller that plugged in to my computer, I did all sorts of stuff, including a vacation script that would turn various lights on and off around the house simulating typical movement - and all automatically offset a bit to either side of the nominal time so it wasn't like a light went on precisely at 8pm ever night which is a dead giveaway no one is home and the light is on a timer. For whatever idiotic reason, the floodlights for the back yard were controlled by a switch in the master bedroom upstairs - very convenient when you wanted to walk out on the patio. 1 X10 switch upstairs and one of their handy remote transmitters and no more running upstairs to turn on the outside lights. We also had those candle lights in the front windows, all controlled by the X10 devices, so no running around the house every evening turning them on and then again to turn them off. Some of the exterior rated modules were great over the holidays to automatically switch on the Christmas lights.Some of this new stuff, I just don't understand - why would I EVER want my thermostat to publish to the internet? Sensors, switches, all that stuff only needs to go to the controller and the computer connected to it. If I then want a workflow that sends me a text alert or an email, I can build that into the computer with proper security. Each of those little devices has no business connecting directly to the internet. Even cameras - just link to the controller, and the controller and ONLY the control talks to the internet. Or better yet, does not - simply alert my phone and if I want I can log in to the controller via my phone and view what's happening.I only have a little of the newer stuff. The thermostats are just way too expensive - I have 3 heating zones plus my AC is not integrated, so I'd need 4 of those suckers to control everything - plus the whole "they talk to the internet for no damn reason" issue. Oh, adjust heating and cooling based on weather patterns? The controller can do that by getting a weather feed and then having some logic. Time feeds, along with dusk time plus some exterior light sensors and it can turn the lights on if it's already dark and I am nearly home - without the light switches talking to the internet.

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 01:14:48 am
content: It's a cyberwarfare amplifier on a scale heretofore unimagined.

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 01:53:43 am
content: Quote from: helius on November 04, 2016, 01:14:48 amYea and that. Holy shatner, that's crazy.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 02:46:26 am
content: Quote from: fubar.gr on November 04, 2016, 12:24:51 amIt's a phrase you put on your startup pitch deck in order to get VC funding.Don't ask hard questions like why.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 02:51:08 am
content: Its all about a marketing big move on how to dump those excess smartphones gut into everything else, like your shoes, door knobs, spoon, underwear and etc, as the market for smartphones is already saturated, while the manufacturers are still can not afford to reduce their output.

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 03:28:42 am
content: X10 system but home automation can go too far A Controller Area Network (CAN bus) maybe ok, with a router /PC as a hub (the gatekeeper), but a Iot URL on everything is going too far.will we ever let the HAL 9000 become a reality. not in my home if I have the last say.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 04:38:35 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 04, 2016, 02:46:26 amThat fits nicely alongsidemostimplementations of the 'Cloud'...A low-profile way for telcos to charge you (or push up your usage) for movingyourdata to & from servers that you may have to pay a monthly rental. (All at relatively premium rates in AU)For backups - it's almost OK, but there are other more effective ways to perform off-site backup.

author: AlxDroidDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 05:30:03 am
content: IoT is the world's largest botnet.Basically, you get a regular fridge, add a 15" flat panel to it and internet connectivity using some obscure hardware and firmware, maybe even linux. However, you code the software so badly that it can be easily infected by some malware called Mirai oreven newer malware specific to IoT.So, now you have your cool, internet-enabled fridge, microwave or washing machine, that knows your facebook, twitter and instagram passwords, and maybe even your bank passwords, but it is also part of a botnet used on the largest and most massive DDoS attack to date, and bring down Dyn, causing billions of US$ is losses to major internet companies and banks.Then, one day, the FBI, NSA, DHS, DEA, CIA, JHC and even HJS is knocking on your door asking how the f*ck your IP was on the DDoS on the Pentagon, and you know zip about it. You go to jail a week before your wife's birthday and you didn't have time to buy her a gift, but don't worry... that neighboors of yours that has a high paying job in Wall Street, just got divorced, is fit and sun tanned, plays the guitar drives a brand new 2017 BMW X6M, and sometimes rides his Harley, WILL remember her birthday, because you used to be buddies and he knows everything about your wife. He works on a building only a few yards from a Tiffany's and he'll make sure she doesn't spend her birthday alone or without a gift, and all because you thought that a Samsung refrigerator with a LCD screen and wi-fi seemed like the coolest thing ever!So, IoT is pretty much that, in layman's terms.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 07:21:49 am
content: Quote from: AlxDroidDev on November 04, 2016, 05:30:03 amIt has the potential to be yes. If I was to describe the "Internet of Things" I would compare it to "The Cloud". Another way of putting it is everyday objects and appliances which we've lived with for many years, that don't need to be connected to the internet, but are.I believe simple things should be kept simple. Far less to go wrong. For example: Light globes. They should emit light when power is applied. Apart from specialised applications, they don't need to be "smart" or connected to my phone or network in any way. You can make everyday "dumb" objects smart through proper planning and implementing already existing technology. An example of that is my garage and outside lights that are automatically activated by a passive infrared sensor. When I walk or drive in, lights go on. It need not be anymore complicated than that.My ducted air conditioning is another example. I already have the option of maintaining a specific temperature or, if I don't want to leave it running in my absence, I simply set a timer before I leave. If I wanted to be more advanced, I have the option of "programming" it based on various times of the day. Smart phone and internet connection not required.

author: Ice-Tea
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 07:24:40 am
content: Take a mundane product, slap on an ethernet connector, WiFi connection or a brand new IoT wireless standard and hope it sticks.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 09:03:09 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on November 04, 2016, 08:11:06 amDo people still use peak/off-peak power plans? I'd have thought that's a pretty old concept. I'm on the cheapest plan I can find and I get charged the same per KW/hr regardless of what time of day it is. Even if I was on one of these peak/off-peak plans, most appliances already have timers, so with a little forward planning and good old brain power, I can set my washing machine and dishwasher to come on at any time I choose.I don't disagree with making products smarter and easier to use. It's just these days, people are taking it well beyond what it needs to be. I'm all for keeping it simple (stupid).You can save far more on energy be replacing old appliances with efficient ones. Ditch old hot water tanks in favour of continuous hot water systems. Replacing old air conditioners and microwave ovens with inverter models. Switch your electric kettle with a good quality stove-top kettle (if you have gas) and use a more efficient fridge/freezer temperature setting (I use 3/-18 degrees Celsius respectively).I've never understood why people need to continuously keep several hundred litres of water at 50 degrees Celsius sitting in an outdoor tank for when it's used for maybe 30 minutes a day (depending on your household).

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 10:19:05 am
content: There is a button for your washing machine, you press it, and Amazon will deliver extra washing powder for you. There are LED bulbs, which can change their color, and be controlled by saying something loud. You can set your car to preheat itself early in the morning, while still on the charging station.Quote from: TwoOfFive on November 04, 2016, 12:46:34 amThe way I see it, everyone is crazy, and looking for new ways to spend their money on stuff.

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 11:13:10 am
content: Quote from: fubar.gr on November 04, 2016, 12:24:51 amjust another maker idiocy that became marketing wank.makers in their endless quest to be cool like to give new names to the wheel they happen to have discovered.journalist, expecially the clueless majority of them in their attempt to gain readers will write about whatever seems to gain traction. background check? what is that (LOL)then there are big companies that want to look hip and young, and of course that will use anything with traction to push some more bullshit products..but the marketing wank part was best explained by dave

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 11:16:41 am
content: Quote from: jonovid on November 04, 2016, 03:28:42 amor that episode of the simpsons where pierce brosnan do the voice of the automated house

author: AlxDroidDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 12:18:56 pm
content: Quote from: Halcyon on November 04, 2016, 07:21:49 amActually, it IS. The October 2016 DDoS attacks on Dyn DNS services were carried out from IoT devices like cameras, DVRs, printers and etc, most of them infected with the Mirai malware. My previous post, although a joke, has some elements based on actual facts.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Dyn_cyberattackIoT has the potential of being very useful on our daily lives, but it is actually being very badly done/implemented.

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 12:30:35 pm
content: QuoteA vaguely defined concept that in an ideal world allows you to control your light bulb from the other side of the room by means of an internet capable device, in the real world allows someone half a world away to control your light bulb to commit a vaguely defined crime.

author: Maxlor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 01:56:50 pm
content: There's indeed a lot of buzzword flinging going on when it comes to IoT, but at the core the concept is simple, and maybe even appealing. It used to be that you had mostly computers connected to the internet, i.e. workstations used by humans, or servers used by other computers. The IoT idea is that you now also connect devices that have a purpose other than giving humans internet access, so the IoT-"thing" is a device with a purpose that's not primarily related to the internet, but which is connected to the net because there's some sort of benefit in doing so.Note that this is not really a new thing, people have been doing it for decades. We have had things like networked printers, temperature sensors in server rooms, inventory control, occupied/empty parking lot sensors, etc., for quite some time now. It's just the "IoT" buzzword that's new. Well, maybe there is another new thing: wireless connectivity has become cheap and fast, so it is feasible to add connectivity to more things where it just wouldn't have made economic sense before. In the end you still have a networked sensor or actuator though, same old.Personally, I don't see much benefit in networking all things in the consumer space. The ideas I see seem gimicky and rather fragile most of the time, and the security issues are real when there's noone around to properly manage them. However, I also see quite some potential in commercial and industrial applications, where even small process optimizations can result in tangible economic benefits. I feel that that is where things are moving quickly at the moment, and where things will keep on moving. Very little of it will be revolutionary though, rather it'll be evolutionary, driven not by the sudden availability of new technology, but the slow decline in the cost of implementing what's been around for years.I do have some IoT things at home, there's a temperature/humidity logger for example. I like to see a graph of inside/outside temperature/humidity over time, it helps me to decide when to run the AC in summer, or how much airing out I need to do in winter, or to see how much my gaming PC heats up the room at full tiltHaving this data go through the internet is not strictly required, but I do it because then it's accessible from all my computers, tablets, and phones. It makes things more convenient.

author: mrpackethead
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 02:07:04 pm
content: once you've used cloud too many times, you need a new word.

author: nfmax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 02:11:04 pm
content: I came across a lovely IoT example the other day. A local church has a nice 19th Century clock in the tower. This has a mechanism powered by a descending weight, which needs to be rewound to the top of the tower every few days. The job of rewinding is given to the volunteer who opens & secures the church for the day. There are a number of different people on the rota, and sometimes they forget to rewind the clock. So after a day or two the clock stops...The solution for this was:A small magnet on the weightA reed switch near the bottom of the weight's travelAn Internet-connected widget that responds to the reed switch contact closure by sending a http request (or maybe an email, I'm not sure which)A third party Internet service which responds to the http request by sending an SMS to the churchwarden's mobile phone - 'Please go and rewind the clock'All now working nicely!

author: mrpackethead
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 03:21:30 pm
content: did adding the weight change the timing of the clock

author: nfmax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 03:23:05 pm
content: The magnet is not on the pendulum weight - it's on the weight that drives the going train

author: N2IXK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 03:42:04 pm
content: An IOT is quite a useful device if you want to make kilowatts of UHF RF power.....https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_output_tube

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 03:42:08 pm
content: Quote from: AlxDroidDev on November 04, 2016, 05:30:03 amThat is the best bloody thing I have ever seen. I even read it all. You need to start doing rant videos on youtube, you would be amazing.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 03:45:37 pm
content: Its hard to imagine how the IoT could be anything but a DDoS time bomb. Even the best implemented systems have required numerous updates to keep them secure, and its hard to imagine a real world regime that would keep everything up to date.

author: retrolefty
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 03:53:29 pm
content: Quote from: AlxDroidDev on November 04, 2016, 05:30:03 amYou sir, have in my mind, raised the bar on paranoia to new heights.

author: C
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 04:52:46 pm
content: Quote from: nfmax on November 04, 2016, 02:11:04 pmA great solution that can cause an extra trip back to wind the clock.No internet needed if you ring bell or flash a light when church door opens/closes. You now have a lot of people that can report the problem.Think there is also less failure modes this way.Like most things, many ways to solve a problem.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 05:22:15 pm
content: IoT reminds me of "The Kids Next Door" battery powered 2x4 which I cloned for my grandson several years back. KND was a kid's show on TV from 2002 to 2008 and they had a lot of 2x4 technology. I guess the next upgrade would add networking. I'll have to think about it! Maybe write a cell phone app to control the 2x4.The more I think about it, the more intrigued I get! Add one of those uCs with WiFi, some LEDs and a battery back and, voila', an IoT 2x4. Very cool!

author: C
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 06:10:16 pm
content: Quote from: rstofer on November 04, 2016, 05:22:15 pmBy using a radio(wifi) you now have a possible security problem with,"The Kids Next Door""The Guy On the Street""The Guy Down the Street"A basic thing here is a directional antenna that increases range over a poor omni antenna.An if your cell phone app is using cell signal to connect, You add the "Any one in the World" just like a WIIFI radio to Internet does.Radio is not secure for long hall. Can be heard at a distance.I really like the people stating that no one is close, as that just means greater distance to hear and hack from in most cases.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 06:35:48 pm
content: Well, there is a bit of security in WPA. Not a lot, but some. I used to hide the SSID but I found that doesn't really work so it is out there for people to find. But they still have to get the pass phrase.I couldn't use the cell network because I don't have any ports open through my firewall. The app would have to use my specific WiFi SSID/pass phrase and that's probably good enough.I used to use SmoothWall as a firewall and it was interesting to see how many hundreds of times per hour I was getting probed by nmap kiddies. There were NO open ports and I didn't reply to ping so my IP was pretty much non-existent.

author: Sal Ammoniac
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 06:47:21 pm
content: It's pure hype.

author: C
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 06:54:52 pm
content: Need to remember thatThe experts find the hole, "The Kids Next Door" can use it.Sounds like you have just One thing to break to get full access to WIFI network & there might be no need to break it(known, guess or one poor device).

author: vodka
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 07:25:57 pm
content: Simply , i see that the IOT is a form to zombify to people ,besides to degenerate the electronics like the informatics using more requirements of the needed for example :the temperature control fridge using linux when the more logic is using a MCU .Here, there is a comediy video where you could see to 4 scientists engaged on the lamp by internet(That is a few ridiculus)https://youtu.be/BW9FbjjkKo4

author: Alexei.Polkhanov
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 08:05:36 pm
content: Quote from: TwoOfFive on November 04, 2016, 01:53:43 amYeah, a holy war, muahahaha, that house wife can win with a pair of wire cutters. Mostly pure FUD and money grab for so called "security" companies.Same thing is going on with Automotive Security stuff. Feels like I can just solder some micro controllers to the board that don't do anything but re-transmit CAN/Flexray packets and sell it for 800% pure profit. An there will be buyers.

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 09:08:37 pm
content: Quote from: nfmax on November 04, 2016, 02:11:04 pmand what is the real plus of the IOT solution instead of the old tried and true method of having a relay/timer/reed and switch an actuator?

author: hamster_nz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 09:13:15 pm
content: It seems to me that IoT is shorthand for 'internet of things [that should not be on the internet] '

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 09:43:41 pm
content: It's the new buzzword for selling tons of crappy and insecure gadgets, which are cloud based to ensure a monthly recurring revenue for the vendor. Of course, you also get an app for each one. So you can turn off the bedoom light via your smartphone, if your internet access works and you don't fall asleep when browsing through 50 apps to find the right one for the bedroom light. And you shouldn't be surprised, when the neigbor's kids turn the light on again, or you're swatted because your light has sent nasty emails to some politician. I prefer the wall switch.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 10:30:41 pm
content: Quote from: rrinker on November 04, 2016, 12:58:59 amHere in Canada we get offers from utility companies of free thermostats in exchange for the right for the utility company to regulate temperature in your house. They say they may do so during peak hours to drop temperature by a degree C or so to reduce load on the grid. Now, someone pls explain how do i know if they are going to stick to the promise to only do that and only that.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2016, 11:46:53 pm
content: I don't recall who coined it, but note what the acronym for "I Do Internet of Things" spells.For big companies, IoT is an opportunity to sell the same thing to the same customers as something new because it's now connected to the Internet. More production, more consumption, more waste, more security headaches, and most of the time for little true benefit.For the rest of us, IoT is just a buzzword and tech fad. We utilize the Internet for useful purposes or fun. We make stuff to achieve those goals. We've been doing it since before someone decided what doing so was supposed to be called. And we'll keep leveraging technology that way when IoT gets renamed or forgotten like so much prior hype.Now, back to our regularly scheduled electronics already in progress.

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2016, 01:00:31 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on November 04, 2016, 11:55:08 pmI really think you underestimate opportunistic traits of human beings, even more so if there's money to be made.Not money oriented, more a bunch of blokes horsing around but back in the Y2K days a friends gym dos based database fell to pieces.After about 6 months I repaired the db and became quite proficient at sql. One night after the gym had closed we were talking about useful queries that might help better serve the gym and its customers.The conversation eventually went off topic and happy to show off my sql skills... "select * from members where sex='female' and age between 18 and 24, group by time visited"Now of course this info could be put to good use, for example the music played at the gym could target that demographic at those times of day but it could of been also used as good "viewing" times at the gym for a select group of friends. We had a good laugh and of course nothing was done with the info but do you think young ladies who use this facility for their health and fitness would be happy their collective data could be used in the latter way?Take the fitbit, all of the info gathered by these units go directly to the fitbit servers. You have no choice in the matter. I have no idea what "bad" they could do with this information but I'm sure I don't want a part of it.It's bad enough to have personal information harvested to make somebody else money (aka the internet) but to pay for a useless widget to do the same, if not worse because you are now harvesting data on stuff you do away from the PC, is, in my mind, intolerable and quite frankly that's were this shit will ultimately head

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2016, 04:14:27 am
content: Quote from: coppice on November 04, 2016, 03:45:37 pmOn October 21, 2016, there was a wide-spread outage along the East Coast in the USA."Initial reports indicate that the attack was part of a genre of DDoS thatinfects Internet of Things devices(think webcams, DVRs, routers, etc.) all over the world with malware. Once infected, those Internet-connected devices become part of a botnet army, driving malicious traffic toward a given target. "Full article:https://www.wired.com/2016/10/internet-outage-ddos-dns-dyn/

author: Galenbo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2016, 09:41:24 am
content: Quote from: fubar.gr on November 04, 2016, 12:24:51 amIt's after 40 years, the Media waking up, and discovering a machine really can have an ethernet port.Or even further, 2.4/5 ghz 434/868 Mhz wireless communication.It will cause a full set of dilettantes, making articles/video mainly about colors, fashion and tastes.

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2016, 08:57:56 pm
content: IoT could be a good/cool thing, unfortunately it's so badly implemented that it's generally bad. Also IoT should really be LoT (LAN instead of Internet). Stuff should not be just thrown on the internet willy nilly, they should be localized within their own networks, with perhaps a single path such as VPN to access them remotely.While device security is important, network security is even more important. If you have a secure network you can have an insecure device on it and it will still be secure (provided it's not doing weird things like calling home)Heck my hvac control system does not even have a password. Just never bothered to code that in or saw the need. But good luck trying to access it from outside the network.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2016, 12:27:14 am
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on November 06, 2016, 08:57:56 pmI think it is there "because we can". The marketers/product-designers think about the positive side but totally overlooked the negative. Yes it is nice to be able to be able to watch your kid at home using an app, but do you really want anyone to be able to watch what is going on in your house?Yeah, of course it can be secured. But can the average consumer really secure it?A generation ago, folks left their VCR with the clock blinking - not know how to set the clock. This generation, survey after survey show that kids think they are "technological" because they use a smart phone. Yet, they have problem calculating the change for $1.45 from $20.00 without a calculator.

author: C
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2016, 06:08:48 pm
content: "Not Even Your Light Bulbs Are Safe From Shitty Internet Of Things Security"https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20161107/09211835982/not-even-your-light-bulbs-are-safe-shitty-internet-things-security.shtmlQuote