I would like it if I could just change what I order. The options are pretty limited right now.
How I Hacked Amazon’s $5 WiFi Button
31–40 of 127 posts
Re: How I Hacked Amazon’s $5 WiFi Button
#32I would like it if I could just change what I order. The options are pretty limited right now.
The hilariously sad part is there is no technical reason this feature isn't available. Just change the ASIN the button buys.
Re: How I Hacked Amazon’s $5 WiFi Button
#33Anybody know if the MAC address in buttons of the same type is the same? I know it'd be terrible network practice and terrible standards-wise and just generally terrible, just figured I'd double-check before buying a crate of Tide buttons and discovering they all report the same MAC
I'm not sure, but I doubt it. You could order two or three and check for yourself.
According to a stack exchange discussion [1] duplicate MAC addresses could result from spoofing, a mistake during manufacturing, or willful negligence on the part of the manufacturer. I'd expect Amazon to follow the standards.
[1] http://serverfault.com/questions/462178/duplicate-mac-addres...
Re: How I Hacked Amazon’s $5 WiFi Button
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's exactly what I plan on using mine for. It makes logging actions so much faster. I would love to just have a smartwatch with a set of about 12 or so buttons that correspond to a specific action, but that will take time to happen, if at all.
If you don't mind pulling your phone out, IFTTT launched a new app called Do that just lets you push a button to "do" something on one of their channels. They have pre-made recipes for putting the current time into Google Spreadsheets etc. https://ifttt.com/recipes/227069-track-your-work-hours I think IFTTT is working on a Pebble app as well, but it hasn't launched.
That would work best as a watch "complication". Pulling phone out, turning on, finding app, tapping activity button takes too long; much easier/suitable to turn wrist, tap icon (adjacent to clock), tap activity. Good idea, if implemented with zero friction.
Re: How I Hacked Amazon’s $5 WiFi Button
#35I could see this being a useful tool when trying to form good habits. Brush teeth? push the button. Get a fresh glass of water from the fridge? push the button. When analyzing other aspects of my life such as spending, I have tools to show me what I've done in the past, and those tools can help me improve (e.g. spending reports). This is admittedly reactionary, but I find it useful nonetheless. Track enough other "st…
Take your PRN medication, press button.
Re: How I Hacked Amazon’s $5 WiFi Button
#36Anybody know if the MAC address in buttons of the same type is the same? I know it'd be terrible network practice and terrible standards-wise and just generally terrible, just figured I'd double-check before buying a crate of Tide buttons and discovering they all report the same MAC
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Re: How I Hacked Amazon’s $5 WiFi Button
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
The Flic button did just that, except it uses bluetooth instead of wireless. https://flic.io/ The extra usability and generic-ness means it'll cost you $35 vs $5 for a branded WiFi button.
How cheap could these get? Which would be cheaper, bluetooth or wifi? Amazon obviously can subsidize via product sales.
Rough bill of materials is probably around 3-5 dollars (I searched online and found low power wifi chips in bulk at around 2-3 dollars). I'd estimate 10-15 dollars after R&D, assembly, packaging, shipping, etc. Does that seem reasonable?
Re: How I Hacked Amazon’s $5 WiFi Button
#38I'm really surprised that there isn't already a ready solution for this. Maybe there is and it just got buried under bad marketing or something. Almost seems like a no brainer, but then again there's the whole "It seems obvious in retrospect thing." Maybe someone will jump in and outdo Amazon at this particular task. China?
The hack here is as much sniffing the GratARP as it is piggybacking on the subsidized hardware without buying the (high margin) goods which were meant to defray the cost of the device. I shudder to think how this "ingenuity" could be prosecuted under CFAA...
Even if it was, simply hooking them up to a wifi network without an internet connection is functionally identical.
Given that isn't something you can be prosecuted for, I don't see why you could convince a jury this was.
Re: How I Hacked Amazon’s $5 WiFi Button
#39Wouldn't the button still call back to Amazon every time you click it? Even if it doesn't purchase anything, I don't need Amazon to know my assorted button-clicking habits.
Re: How I Hacked Amazon’s $5 WiFi Button
#40Anybody know if the MAC address in buttons of the same type is the same? I know it'd be terrible network practice and terrible standards-wise and just generally terrible, just figured I'd double-check before buying a crate of Tide buttons and discovering they all report the same MAC
I don't know for certain but they should be all different. Amazon's goal is for consumers to have many of these things in their home, and they should all interoperate nicely. Then again, the usage model probably doesn't really need unique MAC addresses.