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Amazon Sidewalk

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Re: Amazon Sidewalk

#641

Post by djrogers »

tw04 wrote: post #354
nine_k wrote: post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose that the smart part's hardware is below $10, it's not much more advanced than a RPi. OK, $20 if it includes a decent camera for video calls. But its presence can be sold for a hundred more, because the consumers apparently... want these features? Things like YouTube, Netflix, video calls, etc. And, of course, voice control.

> I suppose that the smart part's hardware is below $10, it's not much more advanced than a RPi. OK, $20 if it includes a decent camera for video calls. Citation? Because I find that assumption outlandish. I've watched them replace the control board in my 7 year old Vizio TV, the hardware is significantly better than anything but the highest end current RPi. Dual core cpu, quad core gpu, AC wifi, 8gb of memory, and t…

> You keep saying they're all selling personal data for hundreds of dollars, citation?

Since you are talking about a Vizio tv, here's some straight from their CTO's mouth:

https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/7/18172397/airplay-2-homekit...

"So look, it’s not just about data collection. It’s about post-purchase monetization of the TV.

This is a cutthroat industry. It’s a 6-percent margin industry, right? I mean, you know it’s pretty ruthless. You could say it’s self-inflicted, or you could say there’s a greater strategy going on here, and there is. The greater strategy is I really don’t need to make money off of the TV. I need to cover my cost."

Re: Amazon Sidewalk

#642

Post by CuriousSkeptic »

pupdogg wrote: post #483
rswail wrote: post #437

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I meant their IronCast display that's designed to be basically just a display that takes whatever feed you want. But they don't seem to have updated their info for a year. What I'd like is a 55" 4K monitor display that is minimal bezel and has a bunch of HDMI inputs and support HDCP etc. Displays should be to video like speakers are to audio. I can connect multiple sources to speakers without the speakers imposing th…

Yes, that's easily doable. However, unlike consumer grade displays, it's much harder to find dumb controllers with multiple HDMI inputs for industrial displays. A new growing trend in the industrial sector is to move towards dumb controllers having 1x HDMI input and 1x IPTV (ethernet) input. This might fit your requirements as you could easily put the display and your streaming devices on the same VLAN and stream dir…

I might be odd, but even the hint at having some form of tuner (or whatever iptv is) could scare me off. A pretty frustrating experience with the LG TV is the prominent placement of broadcast tv features and connector assuming it would be the primary use of the display. No distractions please just dumb hdmi.

Re: Amazon Sidewalk

#643

Post by CuriousSkeptic »

stanmancan wrote: post #511
greggman3 wrote: post #493

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd buy one. Is this something you can do like Drop where you take orders and only release if you get enough orders to make it worth while? I guess you have to deal with bad units and other stuff but just wondering. I think people will have different ideas of "dumb". For example. * A TV with only 1 input. If you want more inputs get an external switch etc... * A TV with no audio. If you want audio use external speake…

I could be wrong, but I would imagine most people consider a dumb TV to be exactly how pre-smart TV's worked: Screen, speakers, multiple inputs, and a remote.

I just want a display. No speakers please. No buttons or menus to fiddle with to select output.

Re: Amazon Sidewalk

#644

Post by t-writescode »

smackeyacky wrote: post #176
choeger wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope. Much more like this: You are legally obliged to install a smart meter, smart smoke detector and smart heating control in your home. If you rent, your landlord will install these things. If you own the authorities will inspect the presence and operation of these devices and fine you if you don't comply. All these devices will be offered by companies like amazon. Coincidentally, amazon lobbyists shape the laws th…

I don't think they have to make it mandatory, all they have to do is remove all the other choices. Simple to do if you have amazon or google amounts of money. Politicians are surprisingly cheap but they aren't as reliable as narrowing customer choice behind a mask of competition. Once the barrier to entry is lifted sufficiently high the job is done.

"We find that tracking the smoke levels inside a house using the smart fire detectors gives firefighters an early warning system. For the safety of your pets and your children, who may not know how to use 911 or may not have a phone they can reach, and since you don't have a landline they can use, we are requiring all houses to be equipped with a FireProtection 2.0 capable smoke alarm."

Re: Amazon Sidewalk

#645

Post by jonny_eh »

websites420 wrote: post #611
jonny_eh wrote: post #491

Why is everyone talking about televisions here? I don't see any mention in the announcement about smart TVs.

Because TVs are smart home Trojan horses. The other IoT stuff you can avoid because they’re totally new categories of thing (smart locks, smart speakers) but TVs are bog standard devices that get creepier every generation. Sidewalk makes opting out of the creep factor harder.

Is Sidewalk included with TVs?

Re: Amazon Sidewalk

#646

Post by t-writescode »

crazygringo wrote: post #638
badRNG wrote: post #478

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also, I'm not sure where people are getting that Amazon is bad at privacy. Oh, I dunno, profiting from selling law enforcement nearly unrestricted access[1] to their existing IOT offerings as part of what they call "the new neighborhood watch"[2] while also profiting facial recognition offerings (Rekognition) doesn't really give me the impression they're good at privacy. In fact, it makes Google Analytics seem down…

What you claim is completely false. Key quotes from the articles you linked: > Ring, she added, “does not own or otherwise control users’ videos, and we intentionally designed the Neighbors Portal to ensure that users get to decide whether to voluntarily provide their videos to the police.” > The user can click to share their Ring videos, review them before sharing, decline or, at the bottom of the email, unsubscribe…

"Police can get your Ring doorbell footage without a warrant, report says"

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/police-can-get-y...

Re: Amazon Sidewalk

#647

Post by t0mbstone »

g00gler wrote: post #131
squarefoot wrote: post #50

So, if I buy a so called Smart-TV (not because I like it but because traditional ones are getting harder to find) but don't set up it on my home network so it can't phone home, it could scan around anyway and find other open devices more than willing to participate in my personal data exfiltration? If the Amazon project succeeds, I would expect in a few months most home devices manufacturers, to partner to implement…

I just got a 65” UHD sceptre brand TV with no smart features at Walmart for $329. It’s pretty great that such a desirable feature is at the bottom of the barrel

Sceptre picture quality was pretty shit though, last time I checked...

Re: Amazon Sidewalk

#648

Post by daniellarusso »

Terretta wrote: post #274
daniellarusso wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is cool. My upload is capped at 768kbps, and with overhead it seems to be around 600kbps. So, 13% of my upload bandwidth would be consumed. This is a bit disingenuous on their part, equivocating uploading with downloading. Does each Echo device consume 80kbps, or is that total? If I had 10 Echo devices, would my internet connection no longer function and become saturated?

I recently changed from 1 gbps fiber to mobile hotspot due to a remote work setup, and … blew through 30GB on the iOS 14.5 and MacOS patch day.* After that, the flagship Unlimited 5G Verizon hotspot is limited to 600 kbps up or down. (Granted, 600 kbps would have been amazing in 1997 so it’s a good reminder of the mess we web devs have made of bandwidth.) Presumably they’re figuring people with limited bandwidth don’…

I have heard these stories.

Worst one, buying 4 hotspots and setting them all to the same ssid and pw, and each week, you only use one of the 4, power off the other 3.

4x transfer increase!

Re: Amazon Sidewalk

#649

Post by websites420 »

jonny_eh wrote: post #645
websites420 wrote: post #611

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because TVs are smart home Trojan horses. The other IoT stuff you can avoid because they’re totally new categories of thing (smart locks, smart speakers) but TVs are bog standard devices that get creepier every generation. Sidewalk makes opting out of the creep factor harder.

Is Sidewalk included with TVs?

Not yet. But there isn’t any reason why it won’t soon. Alexa is on TVs, after all.

Re: Amazon Sidewalk

#650

Post by daniellarusso »

310260 wrote: post #389
daniellarusso wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is cool. My upload is capped at 768kbps, and with overhead it seems to be around 600kbps. So, 13% of my upload bandwidth would be consumed. This is a bit disingenuous on their part, equivocating uploading with downloading. Does each Echo device consume 80kbps, or is that total? If I had 10 Echo devices, would my internet connection no longer function and become saturated?

That would really only happen if you are in an area with lots of devices connecting to your Echo(s) constantly. In reality, you're gonna see that Sidewalk bandwidth taken sporadically. If you're in a rural area, you'll probably never see any traffic from it.

Well, I live in an incorporated city (population less than 1,600) in a rural area, and right now I am picking up at least 9 ssids from other homes.

I also have a decently trafficked street in front of my home with paved sidewalks on both sides.

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