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Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

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Re: Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

#151

Post by deprave »

gohrt wrote: post #117
deprave wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your question rests on the assumption that it's "my" router, since it's a piece of physical hardware that I bought, and that it will continue to function after they shut down the cloud-based features that they used to lure customers in and justify the price tag. Past experience - most recently with Revolv - suggests that your assumption is wrong and Google has no problem bricking the device instead of letting it func…

what computing hardware have you bought and not thrown away at some point?

I expect infrastructure hardware like routers to be used and supported for a minimum of five years. Google changes its policies and dumps products on a whim. It cannot be trusted with such hardware. Phones, sure. Chromecast, fine. Anything that has longer life expectancies, never.

Re: Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

#152

Post by shiftpgdn »

delroth wrote: post #133
semi-extrinsic wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pray tell, security updates for what? My router has all WAN-side management features etc. turned off, WPS is turned off and it has a long random WPA passphrase. Unless someone breaks into my apartment, there just isn't a significant potential for security risks that I'm aware of.

Unless you also disable execution of Javascript on all the devices that connect to your network (including your phones, set-top boxes, etc.), these devices can be used to attack your router from the LAN. Just use Javascript to autosubmit a form with action=" http://192.168.1.1/exploitable/endpoint/" (you can autodetect the IP, look for Javascript port scanners on Google) and you're in. And before you say that DD-WRT…

DD-WRT allows you to set access control lists. A simple protection would be only allow device with X MAC address to see the admin page(s). That device could be a virtual machine that only exists to manage the router.

Re: Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

#153

Post by Karunamon »

seanp2k2 wrote: post #57
guyzero wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like how I get a popup notice on my Samsung TV every few days about they're shutting off various apps like Skype on their smart platform? $35 is about the right amount of money a smart TV enabler.

I really wish TV mfgs still offered dumb TVs, even for like $20 less. The features on the many I've played with (access to a lab with hundreds of smart TVs) range from "unbearable delay changing the volume + UI crashes randomly trying to switch set off" (yes this seriously happens on a newer production Samsung with the little click stick selector on the back as the ONLY physical button; turning it off requires clicki…

They sort of do - look for "commercial signage" displays. Prices are similar to consumer models, and the "smart" crap is either removed outright or greatly reduced (I saw a number of versions with built in slideshow functions, but that's about it)

Smart TVs are universally awful.

Re: Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

#154

Post by sethrin »

NickNameNick wrote: post #150
sethrin wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you actually experienced this? I can easily imagine that a given apartment/home could be out and the building/distribution point still be up, but anything less local than that would certainly take my connection offline. And I'd very much hope that my domicile wouldn't have such spotty power as to make me need to worry about having my router on a UPS. In places I've lived with spotty power (Central America) the w…

Historically where I live, power outages wouldn't affect the copper telephone network. At least not for reasonable durations cuts. I don't have an analog phone anymore, so I don't know how true that still is, post recent network upgrades. I have coworkers who used VOIP phones, and who kept their routers and wireless base stations on UPS. I'm not sure if that setup was ever tested in anger.

Landline phones were powered by the phone company, over the lines. As long as the wires themselves aren't down, the phone company can keep the system working for days without power -- phones themselves don't need much power. DSLAMs do, though.

Re: Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

#155

Post by robbiemitchell »

Every time I read a story about IFTTT support, I want to shout "Please look at Zapier, it's so much better!"

Really, it's so much better.

Zapier = AWS Lambda with hundreds of pre-built integrations, webhooks for the rest, multi-step jobs, arbitrary code execution (JS and Python) ... all in a UI with monitoring that makes all the trouble go away.

Re: Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

#156

Post by kyrra »

deelowe wrote: post #88
exhilaration wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well that and the Nest Smart Home hub they decided to kill off a few weeks ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11423411 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11435245

I keep saying this. People keep ignoring me, but it really does matter in this case. This only happened AFTER nest was no longer a Google property. To me the timing seems somewhat suspicious and I believe Nest pushed for more autonomy. They were never really integrated into Google proper. Their stuff runs on their on servers & software stack and their HQ isn't on the Google campus.

Nest runs their software on AWS, they call that out here: https://nest.com/security/

Re: Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

#157

Post by stordoff »

sethrin wrote: post #96
sirtaj wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For one: if you live in a place with unreliable power supply (as I do), it dictates how much backup time you get from your UPS.

To clarify, when the power goes out, you are still able to get online? Otherwise it would seem like it would be somewhat pointless to have the networking equipment plugged into the UPS. I have worked online during a power outage using a cellular internet adapter, but obviously no UPS or router was involved there.

> Otherwise it would seem like it would be somewhat pointless to have the networking equipment plugged into the UPS

Power cuts for me are typically short lived (often due to a RCD in the house rather than an actual outage). My networking gear is on my UPS, so that local transfers (e.g. to my NAS) can continue, or so I can shutdown my NAS manually if I'm not using it to get a little more time out of the UPS (I can probably do that via the hardware switch, rather than the WebUI, so not a huge concern).

Re: Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

#158

Post by wildmusings »

sethrin wrote: post #96
sirtaj wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For one: if you live in a place with unreliable power supply (as I do), it dictates how much backup time you get from your UPS.

To clarify, when the power goes out, you are still able to get online? Otherwise it would seem like it would be somewhat pointless to have the networking equipment plugged into the UPS. I have worked online during a power outage using a cellular internet adapter, but obviously no UPS or router was involved there.

I grew up in Miami and I remember one time a hurricane knocked power out at our house for over a week. We got a generator and we were able to get online. School was cancelled of course, so I was thrilled. I don't remember if we had DSL or cable at that point. Telephone always seemed to withstand power outages too. You don't even need a generator or UPS because corded phones can power themselves with just the phone line.

Re: Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

#159

Post by MaulingMonkey »

victorhooi wrote: post #90
exhilaration wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well that and the Nest Smart Home hub they decided to kill off a few weeks ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11423411 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11435245

That story has already been beaten to death....lol. Nest bought out Revolv - and then immediately ceased all sales. They then kept the servers running for another 18 months, before announcing they were going to shut them down. Revolv was an also-ran in the home automation stakes - speculation on my part, but there was probably a reason they got bought out instead of raking in the big bucks. Let's say they sold a few…

> Let's say they sold a few thousand units - do you really think it's worth keeping it running indefinitely?

That's not the only option. Some alternatives would have been to make it not a SASS reliant brick. Or to open source enough that people could do that work themselves, at least in theory. Or to offer buybacks. I did read:

> Nest is working with customers on a case-by-case basis on compensation, according Burnett. The company would not disclose exactly how Revolv users would be compensated or whether their Revolv devices could be replaced by Nest devices.

( Edit: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/06/nest-to-disable-revolv-hub-mu... )

Any former Revolv users want to disclose how they did/didn't get screwed over, actually?

Re: Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

#160

Post by stordoff »

jhoechtl wrote: post #50
thrownaway2424 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't seen my OnHub since I turned it on last year. This puts it well ahead of all other wifi access points I have owned.

I haven't seen my Asus ac68 ever since. Reading these comments all the way down leaves the impression as the hefty overpriced OnHub is the only reliable wifi router on earth.

Same here - Asus RT-AC68U running DD-WRT has a current uptime >100 days and noticed no problems with it during that.

The only downside is lack of auto-updates, but for my setup I'm not too concerned about that (WAN-side management features are disabled, and is behind another router anyway; occasional manual updates mostly mitigate LAN-side attacks [and web UI is usually disabled which prevents most of them anyway])

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