this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2023
257 points (96.4% liked)

Technology

34968 readers
2 users here now

This is the official technology community of Lemmy.ml for all news related to creation and use of technology, and to facilitate civil, meaningful discussion around it.


Ask in DM before posting product reviews or ads. All such posts otherwise are subject to removal.


Rules:

1: All Lemmy rules apply

2: Do not post low effort posts

3: NEVER post naziped*gore stuff

4: Always post article URLs or their archived version URLs as sources, NOT screenshots. Help the blind users.

5: personal rants of Big Tech CEOs like Elon Musk are unwelcome (does not include posts about their companies affecting wide range of people)

6: no advertisement posts unless verified as legitimate and non-exploitative/non-consumerist

7: crypto related posts, unless essential, are disallowed

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

We should stop calling cloud-connected iot devices "smart". How is it "smart" to connect to the internet just to check if you can use your internet-connected doorbell?

Actual smart home devices are AWESOME. If your iot devices use standard, open protocols, don't connect to the internet, except for your local network and can be controlled from anywhere in your house by using tools like Home Assistant, then they're ACTUALLY smart devices.

We should start calling cloud iot devices "dependent" devices.

The term "dependent" more accurately represents the nature of these devices: they are reliant on internet connectivity and proprietary protocols, limiting user control and adding unnecessary complexity to simple tasks. Unlike truly "smart" devices, these "dependent" devices are less functional and flexible, due to their need to always be tethered to the cloud.

Think about it: if your internet goes down, your "smart" doorbell becomes nothing more than an ordinary doorbell. If the company's servers have an outage, your "smart" security system can't alert you of potential dangers. You're left completely in the dark, with supposedly advanced technology that's completely useless when it's most needed.

With truly smart devices that use standard, open protocols and can function independently of the internet, you maintain control and can adapt your system to meet your needs. Even without internet, these systems can continue to monitor your home, control your lights, and more. That's the real power of smart technology.

So let's change the language we use and the expectations we set for this technology. Let's demand independence from the cloud, security, and reliability from our devices. It's time to transition from "dependent" devices to truly smart home technology.

[–] bquinlan 7 points 1 year ago

I like your suggestion that devices of that sort should be called dependent instead of smart.

[–] peregus 2 points 1 year ago

Exactly! We need more information about this. Unfortunately the majority of the people are IT security/privacy ignorant and they just buy all the shit that are on Amazon that costs a few bucks just to be able to turn on the lights asking Alexa (I find that to be really dum, except for people with ability problem and such).