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Chamberlain blocks smart garage door opener from working with smart homes

arstechnica.com

91–100 of 191 posts

Re: Chamberlain blocks smart garage door opener from working with smart homes

#91

"unauthorized users". They are authorized if they are trying to control their own garage door. The company I work for has a policy where we don't block third party clients, as long as they use a uniquely identifiable user agent and API key that we provide to them. That way we can easily monitor if they're calling endpoints excessively and make sure that our alarms don't go off when they did something wrong, but still…

> They are authorized if they are trying to control their own garage door.

Chamberlain doesn't get to authorize people to open your door, but they do get to decide who uses their API. While I think it's a very poor decision, they certainly can decide that any use of their API they don't like is unauthorized. That said, I would love to see legislation that ends this kind of vendor lock-in.

Re: Chamberlain blocks smart garage door opener from working with smart homes

#92

bought a MyQ - tossed it in the trash after 2 months. Even 2 years ago it was clearly designed as a tie in for Amazon Key, which i do not want. Bought a Tailwind - it's glorious. No batteries, tons of integrations, the bluetooth+android to open/close automatically is crazy solid (doesn't work with ios sadly, but you can buy a fob).

Not only did Amazon ask for the integration, Amazon paid a bounty for the number of myq/key connected users.

Re: Chamberlain blocks smart garage door opener from working with smart homes

#93
Are we approaching the Internet of Shit event horizon? Interest going up, the end of free money; all those MBAs are squeezing harder and harder on that sweet monetization orange. Soon, nothing but a fist full of dripping, sticky pulp will remain.

The Shit Squeeze.

Re: Chamberlain blocks smart garage door opener from working with smart homes

#94
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Slightly less irritating than garage door, but: I’ve been going to my baseball team’s website recently to buy stuff because they won, and a 5 second video ad pops up every time you go… I’m here, I want to spend money, and you want to show me ads?

The correct question is why you are on HN and yet don't use an ad blocker.

This one pierced the protection of my adblocker.

For what it is worth the video doesn’t load, but the 5 second pop up does load.

Re: Chamberlain blocks smart garage door opener from working with smart homes

#96

"unauthorized users". They are authorized if they are trying to control their own garage door. The company I work for has a policy where we don't block third party clients, as long as they use a uniquely identifiable user agent and API key that we provide to them. That way we can easily monitor if they're calling endpoints excessively and make sure that our alarms don't go off when they did something wrong, but still…

I'm not here to defend Chamberlain, mostly because I'm a pissed off user, but you are able to control your door still with RF products and buttons. Use of their API is separate, and they are able to authorize or not users to their API, which then also talks to your garage door. A lame nuance. We never own the API, we (sorta) own the product.

yep. the RatGDO project will handily MITM their wired signal and completely circumvent this nonsense with no cloud needed at all.

https://github.com/PaulWieland/ratgdo

Re: Chamberlain blocks smart garage door opener from working with smart homes

#97
post #41

This is the unfortunate future of all "smart" devices, but this is still truly a scumbag move on their part, particularly since they're only doing the pump and dump on Android phones. It's like selling crack in poor neighborhoods. Now I know never to buy Chamberlain products in my home, and recommend anyone I know doesn't either.

Thats the problem. There are really only two garage door companies in America and they are both terrible from a tech perspective.

It sounds like a prime industry for disruption. Anyone want to start a garage door company?

Re: Chamberlain blocks smart garage door opener from working with smart homes

#98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not here to defend Chamberlain, mostly because I'm a pissed off user, but you are able to control your door still with RF products and buttons. Use of their API is separate, and they are able to authorize or not users to their API, which then also talks to your garage door. A lame nuance. We never own the API, we (sorta) own the product.

> … you are able to control your door still with RF products and buttons. This isn’t relevant since that’s not why I bought a Chamberlain product. I bought it specifically for the capability that they arbitrarily killed.

I filed an FTC complaint, you should too. I don't need the resources to fight Chamberlain on this, I'm going to let the federal government do it.

https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/

Re: Chamberlain blocks smart garage door opener from working with smart homes

#100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> … you are able to control your door still with RF products and buttons. This isn’t relevant since that’s not why I bought a Chamberlain product. I bought it specifically for the capability that they arbitrarily killed.

I filed an FTC complaint, you should too. I don't need the resources to fight Chamberlain on this, I'm going to let the federal government do it. https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/

Great advice, thank you!
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