The Internet of Things Podcast - Stacey On IoT

This week Kevin and I kick off the show with a discussion of who should be tracking you during the pandemic and what rules companies and governments should use in order to protect user privacy. We also dig into the importance of APIs after Apple purchased the Dark Skye weather app . Then we explain the tightening relationship between carriers and the cloud with Microsoft’s preview launch of...

With the spread of COVID-19 and people staying home, robots are gaining ground in jobs, so Kevin and I discuss what jobs are at risk and what happened with automation during the last three recessions. We also talk about the rules that need to be in place if we want to track people during the pandemic in the U.S. and in other Western democracies. Then we cover a Russian botnet , racist digital assi...

Kevin and I kick off this week’s show discussing COVID-19 again. We start with a virus tracker for Home Assistant , a handwashing sensor , relaxed healthcare rules , disaster relief networks , Israeli tracking software , and Kevin’s tips for connected workout gear and online resources to keep you fit while quarantined. We then talk about a partnership for smarter SIMs with Thales Telst...

This week’s show starts off with Kevin and I explaining exactly what’s happening with the death of the first-gen Philips Hue hubs (which we mentioned way back in November ) and the death of the cloud servers powering OSRAM’s Lightify products . We then talk about Kevin’s experience installing Home Assistant and mine with the Helium hotspot . In news, we’re discussing...

This week we continue our discussion of the coronavirus, because a week later, things are still getting canceled. Plus, Kevin shares some tips for having your smart home help you avoid infection. We then continue our case against Telnet with a report from F-secure and say goodbye to Cortana’s consumer-oriented skills . We also check in on the dystopian future of robots monitoring human worke...

We start this week’s show talking about the hit the tech conference circuit has taken because of the new coronavirus before segueing into some good news on the security front with the move of Microsoft’s Azure Sphere product to general availability . Then we move back into somewhat grim news discussing the trend toward the usage of facial recognition in schools . We can offer a bit of...

This week Kevin is back and we’re digging into Ring’s decision to listen to its critics and change some of its security features. It’s a welcome sign of overall maturity in the tech industry. At the same time, it’s unclear if the Ring cameras are that helpful to law enforcement. We then discuss the rise in smart speaker sales , a privacy-focused bracelet , funding for cool...

This week’s show features Chris Albrecht, editor in chief of The Spoon , as a guest host, which means there will be a review of a connected kitchen gadget — in this case, a connected smoker from Traeger. We kick off the show discussing the FTC’s surprising antitrust review and discuss IoT acquisitions that might get scrutinized. We also mention the Sprint and T-Mo merger and what that...

This week Kevin and I start the show with a focus on Google’s new Glass product for the enterprise, and a newly discovered smart hub from the Craftsman brand ( h/t Jimmy Hawkins ). We also cover the Starling smart hub that can link your Nest gear to your HomeKit account, and discuss Kevin’s reaction to Ring partnering with his local police force . In smaller news, there’s a new i...

On this week’s show, privacy was a big theme beginning with our conversation about Ring’s sharing of certain user data with third-party tracking sites, a plea from 40 organizations for the U.S. to stop using facial recognition technology, and a new way to think about smart cities . Kevin and I also discussed proposed device security rules for the U.K. and security challenges associated...

Kevin and start the show with our takes on Sonos deciding to stop updating older speakers and stereo components. We broaden the conversation to include Under Armor killing its UA gear and Charter/Spectrum’s decision to stop supporting smart home and security products in its footprint, leaving some customers out equipment costs. We even delve into the challenges of wealth creation in a societ...

This week’s show was dedicated to a wrap up of CES 2020. Kevin and I shared how the show has changed in the last 15 years, talked about technology for Boomers , the Withings ScanWatch and ran through several new maker boards. We covered the $2 Wemos W600-PICO board , a new Arduino board for industrial use and a RISC-V development board . From there we moved on to pretty light switches from I...

This week Kevin and I went to Las Vegas for the annual CES event showcasing thousands of technology products under dozens of roofs. We recorded the show before we had the chance to see everything, but we did pull together this show with some of the big themes we saw developing and the news that we felt would matter most to our smart home listeners. Kevin and I in front of our official CES podcasti...

Happy New Year, y’all! This week Kevin and I kick off the show with a chat about the Wyze security breach . We talk about what it means for you and I offer an idea on how to stop some of these breaches. We also mention the lawsuit against Ring , discuss how the new IoT security and privacy laws in California might be enforced , and talk about our CES predictions. They include robots, digital...

This week’s Internet of Things Podcast is a bit different from our typical format. Instead of discussing a range of topics and sharing a guest interview, we’re tackling the question we get so often from our listeners who are rightfully concerned about their home network security with smart devices installed: Should all of these webcams, smart locks, thermostats, and other devices be se...

This week’s big news is that Amazon, Apple, and Google have agreed to collaborate on the creation of a new smart home standard called the Connected Home over IP (CHIP). We lay out what this is and what it means for consumers, manufacturers, and developers. We then talk about a device for tracking crypto micropayments and the vulnerability with digital certificates in the IoT . We also review...

This week Kevin and kick off the show on a serious note, pointing out that the U.S. is approaching China in terms of the number of people per every IP camera. We draw a line between that fact and the surveillance capabilities that Ring allows through the Neighbors app, before offering a smidgen of hope in the form of a new federal law . We then jump to the title topic — our annual gift guide that...

Amazon is bringing its services closer to the edge with a new product and deal with Verizon , but it’s not the only cloud provider signing a partnership with a carrier . We also discuss Resideo’s executive change and a new smart home hub concept crammed into a thermostat. From there we talk about our confusion with the new Wyze door lock , disappointment with Ring , a crucial service g...

This week Amazon announced several new services ahead of its re:Invent event next week including news about Alexa Voice Services and the IoT elements of the cloud. We also touch base about Wink’s latest problem and try to explain the kerfuffle on lightweight IoT encryption . In smaller news bits, we talk about Wyze killing its person-detection feature unexpectedly, NB-IoT trackers from See....

We kick off this week’s podcast with Kevin’s struggles to get his Google Home to talk to Wink. Then we unpack some of the standards news out from the ZigBee Alliance and the Open Connectivity Foundation, which is introducing OCF-over-Thread .  From there we do a quick update on Ring , talk about a new smart grill from Weber , a new way for Alexa to control your TV, and updates to Eero&...

Wyze makes some of the most reasonably-priced smart-home gear on the market and said earlier this month that it was planning a smorgasbord of new products , which Kevin and I detail in this episode. We then cover low-power wide-area networks with news that Twilio’s NB-IoT network and boards are now generally available and news that Amazon has joined the LoRa Alliance . From there we cover a...

This week on the show, Kevin and I started with a discussion of reports of how smart speakers can receive remote commands from a hacker with a laser. We then shifted gears to talk about company research showing how much data your smart homes are sending and a brand new network product from Firewalla . Cortana’s pivot to productivity gets a mention, as does Kevin’s take on Google buying...

This week Kevin and I lamented about the future state of Wink. Its status is almost dead . We also discussed Apple’s renewed interest in the smart home , Google’s rumored interest in Fitbit and Microsoft’s certain interest in improving its credentials for edge IoT. We also talked about security vulnerabilities enabled by smart lights , why you shouldn’t connect a phone to y...

This week Kevin and I start with an update on Tuya full of a variety of news the company announced at a conference held this week in Shenzen, China. From there we discuss two updates with the maker of Philips Hue light bulbs that means you won’t need a hub with SmartThings or Google Home devices . On the Google front, we chat about builders ditching Nest , missing Google Actions , a new hack...

This week Kevin and I discuss the aftermath of the big Google event, covering the new devices , the focus on ambient computing, and changes to the Nest subscription and Works with Assistant programs . From there we cover a new smart lock backed by Lennar Homes and Walmart, a new light bulb from LIFX and more security exploits . We hit on some industrial and enterprise news with an overview of Hita...