By now, you’ve probably noticed theunstoppable craze of slapping the word “smart” in front of a product name and adding wirelessconnectivity. Not only are many ofthese products a waste ofmoney 4 Smart Reasons to Avoid the Smart Home Trend 4 Smart Reasons to Avoid the Smart Home Trend A lot of smart home products seem cool at first glance, but there are issues and downsides that you should be aware of -- problems that might turn you off from the whole concept altogether. Read More , theycan causeprivacy and security issues, and make you look foolishtoo.
Welcome to theInternet of Things That Should Never Be Connected to The Internet.
1. Smarter iKettleRemember the guy who spent 11 hours trying to make tea using his new internet-connected kettle?He eventually turned to port scanning his network after he couldn’t find theWi-Fi base station.While his story might be anexception tothe rule, there are better ways ofspending $120 that don’t involve controlling a kettle with a smartphone.
@nickheer @markrittman to be honest, if you buy a WiFi whatever-the-hell-it-is Kettle, you deserve these problems ?
― Keir (@Keir) October 11, 2016
Smarterclaims that “hanging around the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil is a thing of the past” and includes features likeremote water level monitoring.You’ll still need to be present to fill the kettle in the first place though,and return shortly after to make your tea.
2. Ring Smart DoorbellThe conceptbehind Ring has some merit, but it’s essentially just a glorified VoIP devicethatcosts $200.
Ring talks up the convenience oftellingthe mail man to leave your packagein the porch, but ignores the fact that many couriers still require a signature. ATV advert I saw recently showed a mother and two childrenarriving home,using Ring to let dad know they’re safe,when they could just call, Skype, or FaceTime using their smartphones instead.
Furthermore, Ring fell victim to a major vulnerability in January 2016. Though no hacks are said to have taken place,Ring and other such products ( SkyBell , DoorBird ) could still be vulnerable to other attacks Home Security Systems May Not Be As Secure As You Think Home Security Systems May Not Be As Secure As You Think Here we take a look at some of the most notable smart home security hacks exploring what happened and why it happened. Read More in the future, and offer very few benefits to the user that justify $200 of expense. Combine Ring with smart locks to make your home even more vulnerable to attack.
3. Touchscreen Connected FridgesAt Berlin’s IFA consumer electronics show in September 2016, LG showed off a fridge that featured a 29-inch touchscreen and windows 10 . It usesanIntel Atom processor and 2 GB of RAM, with LG’s own Windows 10 apps alongside Microsoft mainstays like Paint.
Samsung isn’t innocentin this department either, having unveiled a 1080p fridge that uses theTizen operating system earlier in the year. Smart fridges have already beenhacked and used inDDoS attacks 5 Domestic Smart Devices That Are Spying On You Right Now 5 Domestic Smart Devices That Are Spying On You Right Now As more and more electical items are released with Internet of Things connectivity, so online privacy and security becomes weaker. Our look at five domestic appliances currently spying on you should emphasise the problem. Read More , and many of their top features (e.g. calendars, reminders, music playback)can already be found onsmartphones, tablets, and other dedicated devices.
Ifyou’re desperate fora fridge with a touchscreen, why not use something like the FridgePad and your existing tablet instead?
4. Laurastar Smart IronLaurastar is a Swiss company that specializes in high-end ironing systems,and their contribution to last year’s IFA electronics show was a new smart iron with an entry price of$1,400. The “smart” component uses an app to provide tutorials and real-time guides to improve your ironing technique, and provide detailesabout your equipment.
Discover the world's 1st connected iron on the Laurastar booth in Hall 4.1 #IFA16 #IFA2016 pic.twitter.com/mDZz59sdvM
― LAURASTAR (@Laurastar) September 5, 2016
Withsuch an eye-watering price tag it’s clearthatLaurastar don’t make averageconsumer-grade irons, and that’s reflected in the rest of their line up:their current most expensive “ironing system” retails at $3,699. Depressingly though,smart irons are now a thing , so
