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Mozilla debuts implementation of WebThings Gateway open-source router firmware

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Re: Mozilla debuts implementation of WebThings Gateway open-source router firmware

#81

Post by icebraining »

SamuelAdams wrote: post #60
m12k wrote: post #16

What's HN's thoughts on IoT? To me it looks like yet another buzzword from the "wouldn't it be neat?" crowd (the same people who previously gave us a lot of hype about Semantic Web and P2P social networks) but as before none of the applications are actually worth the hassle, this prevents critical mass from ever being reached, and in reality it's mostly just a way for appliance companies who are already overcharging…

It's a great idea, but companies are building products that no one wants. Here's a few ideas of products / services / suites of items I would actually buy for my home: - Machine to completely do my dishes. End to end. It puts them from the sink to the dishwasher. Runs the dishwasher. Takes them out of the dishwasher and puts them in the cabinet. I do not care if this takes 5 hours - it can run overnight. I just don't…

(1) would be great, but that's "just" a regular appliance, no need for interconnectivity.

Re: Mozilla debuts implementation of WebThings Gateway open-source router firmware

#82

Post by degenerate »

tialaramex wrote: post #29

This the closest we have so far to an answer to the point raised in the IETF 105 Technical Plenary a few days ago. Encrypting everything means that IoT devices represent an unknown threat - your "smart" TV connects to Sourceforge and downloads... something every week. What for? Your "smart" thermostat calls the IP of the vendor, maybe to get firmware updates, but it also calls the Disney corporation - what for? You c…

I was fascinated by your X-ray example. Here's a link for others: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe-fitting_fluoroscope

Re: Mozilla debuts implementation of WebThings Gateway open-source router firmware

#83

Post by samirm »

sudoaza wrote: post #71

HTTP for IOT is super heavy, on one side it may be simpler for developer to hop in, but performance wise this shouldn't be used for anything large scale or where power/bandwidth constrains are an issue. Something like ble/lora/zigbee for device-gateway comunication and mqtt or similar for gateway-collector is the best for me.

the problem with ble/lora/zigbee is they all require extra hardware (radio)

Re: Mozilla debuts implementation of WebThings Gateway open-source router firmware

#84

Post by samirm »

jon_richards wrote: post #40
icebraining wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IoT is a great success - in industry. At home, from what I can tell, it mostly divides into: - People who apparently live in warzones and need military-level surveillance of their home - People who want to feel like they're living in the Star Trek universe - People with very specific needs, who might take advantage of a commercial IoT device or two in their overall setup

I'd love to have blackout blinds that close every night and open 30 minutes before my alarm goes off. I haven't been able to find a quality (quiet!) product that does this.

smart glass is an alternative (also silent)

Re: Mozilla debuts implementation of WebThings Gateway open-source router firmware

#85

Post by dmix »

andrenatalbr wrote: post #21
Jonnax wrote: post #13

My wish is to have the equivalent of Google home hub running locally. Really my only use cases are: * glancing at the screen to see the weather * Asking it to turn on or off or change colour of Hue lights * Timers for cooking I've since unplugged my google box because I felt the sacrifice of privacy with an always listening box wasn't worth it. At the end of the day the functionality I use isn't that complex and even…

The Web of Things gateway contains an addon for offline voice control. Search for it in the addons page. You just need to plug an usb microphone to it.

This sounds interesting but I’m curious if needs to be marketed differently or use some better analogies, since it wasn’t super obvious what it did from the homeless.

I presume it’s hard to explain how it fits into the stack when it does a lot of generic IoT sounding stuff.

Re: Mozilla debuts implementation of WebThings Gateway open-source router firmware

#86

Post by mrmonkeyman »

0-_-0 wrote: post #76
SamuelAdams wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a great idea, but companies are building products that no one wants. Here's a few ideas of products / services / suites of items I would actually buy for my home: - Machine to completely do my dishes. End to end. It puts them from the sink to the dishwasher. Runs the dishwasher. Takes them out of the dishwasher and puts them in the cabinet. I do not care if this takes 5 hours - it can run overnight. I just don't…

Also: - Cook a meal from scratch. End to end. Takes the ingredients from the fridge and puts a meal on the table at a specified time. Orders new ingredients when it doesn't have them. Also washes the dishes (see above).

Dudes, this is not IoT. These are appliances, robots.

Re: Mozilla debuts implementation of WebThings Gateway open-source router firmware

#88

Post by moby_click »

m12k wrote: post #16

What's HN's thoughts on IoT? To me it looks like yet another buzzword from the "wouldn't it be neat?" crowd (the same people who previously gave us a lot of hype about Semantic Web and P2P social networks) but as before none of the applications are actually worth the hassle, this prevents critical mass from ever being reached, and in reality it's mostly just a way for appliance companies who are already overcharging…

The implementations are disappointing so far. Devices that rely on some vendor internet service are unacceptable. At the very least I'd want a direct connection to the device with a documented API and documented behavior of the firmware. Ideally the firmware itself would (partially) modable. Some safety critical parts may be left inaccessible.

For example, I'd want cookware with temperature sensors and a pressure sensor in case of a pressure cooker, a controllable stove and oven with power monitoring, a kitchen hood wit gas sensors, etc.

What we can instead are gadgets with mobile apps, that are completely undocumented beyond the UI. Kitchen devices for the commercial sector have been somewhat smart for a while, but are a pain to program and again lack documentation.

IoT these days is paying a premium for vendor lock-in.

Re: Mozilla debuts implementation of WebThings Gateway open-source router firmware

#89

Post by rusk »

SamuelAdams wrote: post #60
m12k wrote: post #16

What's HN's thoughts on IoT? To me it looks like yet another buzzword from the "wouldn't it be neat?" crowd (the same people who previously gave us a lot of hype about Semantic Web and P2P social networks) but as before none of the applications are actually worth the hassle, this prevents critical mass from ever being reached, and in reality it's mostly just a way for appliance companies who are already overcharging…

It's a great idea, but companies are building products that no one wants. Here's a few ideas of products / services / suites of items I would actually buy for my home: - Machine to completely do my dishes. End to end. It puts them from the sink to the dishwasher. Runs the dishwasher. Takes them out of the dishwasher and puts them in the cabinet. I do not care if this takes 5 hours - it can run overnight. I just don't…

as a workaround until (1) gets going you could just get 2x dishwashers, or one of those fancy German jobbies that has 2 separate units for washing. You can then eliminate sink and cabinet and simply transfer your dishes between the two units as you wash them. Consider mounting at waist height so accessing your dishwasher is as easy as accessing your cupboard!

Re: Mozilla debuts implementation of WebThings Gateway open-source router firmware

#90

Post by nfellaby »

jon_richards wrote: post #61
SomeHacker44 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have Hunter Douglas Pirouette blinds in my room, controlled by Control4. They are very quiet when going from open to close or vice versa, but loud going up to down. Look at a video to understand the difference. Recommended, but not cheap.

Yeah, you know it's going to be expensive when you have to call and ask for a quote. It's funny that even the expensive options haven't figured out how to make a quiet electric motor. If you don't mind me asking, how much did yours end up costing per window? Someone else mentioned the ikea shades coming out in October, so I might wait and see how those are. Potentially much cheaper, but no slatted blind effect, so th…

Just a thought about a potential mechanism, off the top of my head (which I'm sure has many issues).

Opening blinds is generally a morning thing, and ideally would want to be the quiet option if you could only have one option which was quiet (theoretically speaking). What if the electric motor drove the blinds down by pulling a counter weight. That way in the morning to open the blinds it would only need to release the weight, which wouldn't require any substantial movement and therefore limit noise...?

Yeah I'm bored at work.

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