Category: standards

Episode 437: Goodbye and good luck

This is the final episode of The Internet of Things Podcast, and to send us off after eight years, we don’t discuss the big news of the day such as Arm’s planned IPO, a new display option from Brilliant, or new gear from Leviton. Instead we share our reasons for stepping back from the show, and where we’re heading next. Also, because everyone wants some new podcasts or IoT news options, we share some of our favorite resources. On the podcast side, I sometimes listen to the Mr. Beacon Show or The IoT Podcast. We also read The Verge, TechHive, The Ambient, and The Journal of Innovation published by the Industrial IoT Consortium. We both stop in at r/smarthome and r/homeautomation on Reddit, and I’ll read anything by James Blackman over at RCR Wireless for industrial IoT news. I also check out the Axios Pro Rata newsletter from Dan Primack to see fundings and sales, and subscribe to Target is New by Iskander Smit for thoughtful takes on IoT, AI, and design. There are many other options out there, but we didn’t want to make our goodbye episode any longer. To close out the show we answered our last listener question on what we think makes a complete smart home and our thoughts on future innovation that will keep the industry moving forward.

After we started the show full-time in 2016, I never had matching light switches again. Image courtesy of S. Higginbotham.

Our guest this week is Jennifer Pattison Tuohy from The Verge. I’ve known Jenn for almost a decade from her work covering the smart home for a variety of publications. She is smart, tries everything she writes about, and has the history in covering technology to see the bigger picture. She’s on the show to talk about where the smart home is today, the state of Matter, and what business models are likely to work for connected home devices. She gives us some insights into some cool things the Connectivity Standards Alliance is planning, her thoughts about smart home infrastructure versus devices, and even shares her current smart home setup. It’s the perfect note on which to end the show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy from The Verge

  • Why we’re saying goodbye.
  • What to read or listen to when we’re gone.
  • What we’re looking forward to in IoT innovations.
  • What might be next for Matter.
  • What Jenn Tuohy from The Verge has in her home.

 

 

 

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Episode 436: Can Alexa (and the smart home) stand on its own?

Amazon’s head of devices, David Limp, plans to retire as part of a wave of executives that have been leaving Amazon in the last year. Also, next year Alexa and the Amazon Echo will be 10 years old, which prompted us to take a look at the role Alexa and the Amazon Echo have played in the smart home, along with what has and hasn’t changed. Our concerns about the state of the smart home are perfectly illustrated by this review of the Mill composting system created by Nest co-founder Matt Rodgers, and the news that Masonite is now selling its expensive smart door at Home Depot. There’s positive news as well, as the FCC releases its Notice of Proposed Rule Making for the IoT cybersecurity label. Y’all have 30 days to comment, so get on it. Then we talk about Microsoft’s discovery of a new set of vulnerabilities affecting industrial equipment, and a new company that will become a secondary source of Z-Wave chips. Kevin also shared his review of the Homey Pro smart home hub, which is expensive but allows users to control their devices locally. Finally, we answer a listener question about what light bulb a woodworker should use in a lamp he’s trying to build.

The Masonite smart door is on sale at Home Depot. Image courtesy of Masonite.

Our guest this week is Mariusz Malkowski, founder and CTO of Trident IoT, who tells us about the company’s origin and what it means for the Z-Wave community. He also explains how Matter will work with Z-Wave, and the importance of bridging between the two standards. We discuss the future of Z-Wave, including the plans for Z-Wave Long Range and planned security upgrades. We then cover how Trident is going to build Z-Wave chips, but also how it will focus on building or integrating other smart home radio protocols into devices, and will act as a Z-Wave certification house as well. Enjoy the show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guests: Mariusz Malkowski, founder and CTO of Trident IoT
Sponsors: Skyhawk

  • David Limp’s departure from Amazon inspires a smart home reckoning
  • Are expensive doors and compost services the future of the connected devices?
  • The Homey Pro is an expensive hub with privacy in mind
  • Why a new chipmaker could boost the Z-Wave standard
  • Trident IoT is building a new type of chip company

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Episode 435: How Honeywell is approaching TinyML

This week we make a big announcement about the podcast and newsletter. Get ready! Then we talk about the issues with Matter and who’s to blame. We lay out the challenges that both we and The Verge have highlighted with Thread credentialing, and talk about uneven device support. It’s a mess. Other messy topics include the prospect of hacked radiation sensors in Chernobyl, as reported by Kim Zetter. Then we get chippy, discussing the new RISC-V company that Qualcomm, NXP, Infineon, and others are backing, and the proposed sale of an IoT module business to Renesas. A drone startup is building an on-demand drone network that looks like a satellite network, and we have thoughts. We also discuss Kevin’s experience and reaction to our audience’s comments on his transition to Home Assistant. Then, we highlight some tips to help you prep your home ahead of smart energy management programs. Finally, we answer a listener question about the Amazon Echo Show and devices that might work with it.

Home Assistant energy monitoring. Image courtesy of K. Tofel

Our guest this week is  Muthu Sabarethinam, VP AI/ML product and services with Honeywell, who is on the show to talk about TinyML. We start off discussing how Honeywell is thinking about using data from equipment to build services, and then segue into talking about how Honeywell might use TinyML located on sensors. Sabarethinam explains the reasons Honeywell wants algorithms that can run directly on a sensor, and how it will help with security, power, and latency. He also shares his thoughts on how companies should package their algorithms to make it easier to deploy TinyML at scale. For perspective, Honeywell supports more than a million sensors in the field that could all use TinyML. We conclude by talking about business models and how customers want to access data. It’s a great show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Muthu Sabarethinam, VP AI/ML product and services with Honeywell
Sponsors: Wilderness Labs and Skyhawk

  • We’re hitting pause on the podcast later this month
  • Sensors can lie, so how should we offset that risk?
  • Why RISC-V is getting so much love
  • Why Honeywell wants local AI on industrial sensors
  • How to think about building AI sensors that can scale

 

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Episode 432: How to make IoT more consumer-friendly

This week we dig in on two topics that will make the internet of things friendlier for consumers. The first is the newly announced cybersecurity label plan from the White House that will create a way for consumers to see if their planned IoT purchase meets adequate cybersecurity standards. The second is our suggestion that device makers plan for failure when building a smart product, to help prevent consumers from spending hundreds or thousands on a connected device only to see it lose functionality when the manufacturer shuts down or sells. This happened recently for folks who spent $5,000 on VanMoof bikes and for folks who spent about $225 for a connected BBQ controller from iKamand. The iKamand app was turned off without notice to subscribers about 18 months after the company was purchased by Middleby Corp. Then we switch to a lighter topic. Literally, as we discuss LiFi and what the newly created IEEE standard for the tech may mean for the IoT. Then we discuss smaller news items such as funding for an IoT device that attaches to mobility aids to predict falls, Leviton updating devices to work with Matter, a new global eSIM plan for IoT devices from Verizon, and a new dev board that combines Arduino and Espressif’s ESP32. Finally, we answer a listener question about smart light bulb sockets.

The U.S. Cyber Trust Mark could indicate that your next IoT device meets select security requirements. Image courtesy of the FCC.

Our guest this week is Steve Hanna, a distinguished engineer at Infineon and the chair of the security working group at the Connectivity Standards Alliance. He’s on the show to tell us more about the need for a voluntary, government cybersecurity mark for devices, and explain why developing such a mark is so difficult. We talk about the FCC’s role in managing the program, the time frame for a mark, and how the government plans to think about keeping up with the always-changing security landscape. We also discuss how Infineon’s customers are changing their views about IoT security labels, and how the mark relates to work done by the Arm’s PSA security standard and the security elements that are part of the Matter standard. It’s a good interview, made better by the fact that Hanna sounds just like Mr. Rogers.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Steve Hanna, a distinguished engineer at Infineon
Sponsors: Wilderness Labs and Particle

  • Why we want a U.S. Cyber Trust Mark for consumer devices
  • What happened to this smart BBQ controller?
  • Leviton embraces Matter for its switches
  • Badges, QR codes, and building a layered mark for cybersecurity
  • Where will privacy fit into any security mark or standard?

 

 

 

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Episode 429: Why Roku wants a smart home OS

This week we learned a bit more about streaming provider Roku’s plans to build a smart home operating system. This is in addition to all of the new smart home devices the company has developed using Wyze hardware. Because Kevin Tofel is on vacation, I’m talking about all this with my co-host and the creator of the Lowpass newsletter Janko Roettgers, who is a smart TV expert. Janko explains what’s happening with this deal and the overall shift to control smart homes through televisions. We then talk about smart energy management options from SmartThings, and Josh.ai’s new JoshGPT service that combines traditional smart home control with a large language model. In smaller news bits we cover two new sensors from SimpliSafe, new Matter-enabled Wi-Fi light switches from TP-Link’s Tapo brand, a potential audio streaming device from Eve, and purported new sensors for IKEA’s smart home ecosystem. Nanoleaf also launched a reasonably-priced way to give your TV ambient lighting. We also hear from a listener about his review of the Bond IR device we recommended a few weeks back.

Josh.ai’s new generative AI model can answer many more questions than a traditional home assistant. And it can still turn on the lights. Image courtesy of Josh.ai.

Our guest this week is Scott Ford, the CEO of Pepper. Pepper recently teamed up with Embedded Insurance to create an add-on cyber insurance policy that Pepper can offer through its partnerships with service providers and consumer device makers. Pepper provides a smart home application and service for other businesses, for example providing a smart home interface for an ISP or providing cloud storage services for a connected camera maker. Much like adding on cloud storage can generate extra revenue, adding cyber insurance or other insurance policies can generate money. So customers of Pepper’s customers may soon get a notification asking if they want to pay $5 for cyber insurance that will offset some of the costs of identity theft, cyberbullying, cyber extortion, and more. Ford talks about the cyber insurance product and about how connected devices are changing the way that insurers market their products, and how they assess risk. Honestly, that risk assessment is both exciting and a little bit scary. Enjoy the show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Janko Roettgers, creator of the Lowpass newsletter
Guest: Scott Ford, the CEO of Pepper
Sponsors: Blynk and Particle

  • Does Roku really want to build a smart home OS or just sell more gear?
  • Josh.ai brings generative AI to smart homes, and it’s nice
  • Nanoleaf’s 4-D screen mirror tech is pretty cool
  • Why your smart camera maker may soon offer you insurance
  • How connected devices change the way insurance is sold … and priced

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Episode 428: How to add ChatGPT to the smart home

This week’s podcast tackles Kevin’s real-world experience with the Google Pixel tablet and speaker dock. He liked the tablet, but as a smart home accessory it’s lacking, which is what we had originally anticipated. But it’s still a bummer, because I want a good Google Home display option as Google deprecates third-party Google Home display devices. Then we talk about a couple smart energy products including Dracula Technologies’ new energy harvesting technology that can “suck” even more power from sunlight, Savant’s new energy storage device for homes, and a smart plug from EcoFlow that connects to Kevin’s existing rechargeable battery. The industrial internet of things gets a mention thanks to IDC putting out a new report estimating that total spending on IIoT will be $1 trillion in 2026. Get on it. We then get a bit random, discussing smart water filtration stations, and what Broadcom’s new Wi-Fi 7 chips means for Wi-Fi and for smartphones, before hitting a Thread-enabled dev kit using an ESP32 and Philips Hue bulbs getting a feature tweak. We close the news segment by answering a listener question about connecting Zigbee bulbs between IKEA’s and Home Assistant’s platforms.

Image courtesy of IDC.

This week’s guest is Ran Roth, CEO and co-founder of Sensibo, a maker of smart HVAC controllers. The add-on devices connect to window units, mini splits and other A/C and heating units that use IR controllers. We talk about smart energy and the road the company has taken since its founding in 2014. But most of our conversation focuses on how Sensibo is using ChatGPT to improve the user experience with its devices. Roth also hints at other potential use cases for ChatGPT that are less intuitive, and explains how he thinks the availability of large language models will help companies that have access to them use their data more easily. He likens it to the shift that Amazon’s cloud computing had on innovation after AWS launched cloud computing (EC2) in 2006. He then talks about what he’s learned so far and the concerns people have around AI and privacy. It’s a good show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Ran Roth, CEO and co-founder of Sensibo
Sponsors: Blynk and Particle

  • As expected, Google’s Pixel tablet isn’t a major improvement for the smart home
  • Better energy harvesting from Dracula sucks more power from light
  • Broadcom’s chips could lead to smartphones with Zigbee or Thread
  • How Sensibo is using ChatGPT to parse a lot of data
  • What Sensibo has learned about using generative AI

 

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Episode 427: What it takes to put LTE on the moon

We start this week’s show with a review of DeviceScript, a limited subset of the TypeScript programming language, built by Microsoft to bring a more modern programming option to connected device programing. Kevin downloaded the code and tried it out on a simulated device and shares his thoughts. Also in programming news, Google released a script language for programming complex automations in the Google Home. Even I can use it. We also look at a new product offering from Vivint, which is selling connected light bulbs as part of a smart lighting service that will cost users $5 a month. Then we go to a dark place, discussing two reports from Wired about a loss of privacy today. The first concerns the FBI and other government agencies paying data brokers for phone location data and credit card information to get around needing a warrant, and the second is about the use of a connected systems with sensors and wearables to monitor prisoners. The prison system even tracks the inmates heartbeats! Before we leave, we talk about an innovation in an in-ear wearable from STAT Health Informatics that can predict fainting, a video keypad for your garage door, and Arm’s attempts to get Intel to help invest in its initial public offering. Finally, we answer a listener question about finding a smart lock for an exterior gate.

The STAT wearable in someone’s ear above a set of AirPods. Image courtesy of STAT Health Informatics.

Our guest this week is Thierry Klein, president, Bell Labs solutions research, at Nokia Bell Labs, who is on the show to talk about building an LTE network on the moon. We talk about why Nokia is building a network on the moon and what we can learn from it for the IoT. Klein also explains the challenges of the moon environment, such as temperature, vibrations (rocket launches are tough on delicate electronics), and radiation. Plus, with no one around to configure the network or reboot it if there are problems, Nokia has had to figure out ways to automatically configure and operate the equipment. All of this will help when bringing connectivity to remote areas such as mines or oil rigs. It’s a really fun show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Thierry Klein, at Nokia Bell Labs
Sponsors: Blynk and Particle

  • Check out DeviceScript if you want a modern IoT programming language
  • Now, there’s even less privacy in prisons thanks to the IoT
  • This in-ear device detects fainting before it happens
  • Why build and LTE network on the moon
  • What can IoT learn from lunar LTE?

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Episode 426: Our take on Apple’s Vision Pro and fixes for bad air

It may not surprise anyone, but Kevin and I have thoughts on Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset that we’re sharing with y’all. We also lay out some details about changes to Apple’s various operating systems and services that relate to Siri and the smart home. Google also added Matter support for its Home app on Apple devices, which is another means for chipping away at the challenges of deploying Matter across a variety of ecosystems. As we head into wildfire season, and with Kevin’s home wreathed in smoke, we talk about measuring air quality and addressing poor air quality in your home using connected and unconnected devices. Then we celebrate some recent settlements and fines from the Federal Trade Commission that involve Amazon storing children’s data and Ring compromising users’ privacy when it comes to their face data.  Then we speculate on whether Fitbit might release a new sleep-tracking device based on a patent it has filed. Finally, we close by answering a listener question about a smart lock for a HomeKit user with a mobile home.

Apple’s Vision Pro headset has 12 cameras, several sensors, and a special chip to process all that incoming data.  Image courtesy of Apple.

Our guest this week is Micha Anthenor Benoliel, the CEO and co-founder of Nodle, a decentralized wireless network created using Bluetooth. He’s on the show to talk about the newly launched app that will let folks turn any old Android phone into a Nodle hotspot. If you’re wondering about the value of a dedicated device for a short-range Bluetooth hotspot, Benoliel explains why companies or consumers might want to run this network, even if their device isn’t traveling out in the world. We also talk about enterprise customers on the Nodle network and why those customers ditched LPWANs or cellular for BLE. He also talks about the role of cryptocurrency in decentralized wireless and discusses how the crypto winter affected Nodle. It’s a good show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Micha Anthenor Benoliel, CEO and co-founder of Nodle
Sponsors: Particle and Kudelski IoT

  • The Apple Vision Pro isn’t for all-day or even mobile computing
  • Apple also updated Siri and some home control widgets
  • How to prepare for wildfire and smoke season
  • Why the world needs a decentralized Bluetooth network
  • Will the crypto winter stop Nodle’s blockchain-based decentralized network?

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Episode 424: Trust, AI, and the economy drive IoT conversations

This week’s show is live from Dallas as I attend the Parks Associates Connections smart home event, so I start out discussing some of the themes I’ve seen so far, including the growing importance of data privacy, local processing and generative AI. We also talk about the five-year-anniversary of the General Data Protection Regulation in the EU and evaluate its impact so far (it’s not as bad as you think). On the security front, we evaluate Samsung’s plans for IoT security with its Knox Matrix vision and talk about its similarities to the security design for the Matter smart home interoperability standard. Microsoft’s Build event is also this week, and the company’s newly launched Fabric data service and unified data lake products are worth watching for enterprises and industrial customers trying to aggregate and use IoT data. Then we cover some smaller news items such as new Matter products from Yeelight, Govee, and Yale. There’s also a new smart outlet with a sensor-packed outlet cover that has been funded via Kickstarter, which our audience might be interested in. Finally, we answer a listener question about good Zigbee-based light bulbs.

The Yale Assure Lock SL will have a Matter Smart Module, available for $229.99 in black suede or satin nickel. Image courtesy of Yale.

Our guest this week is Paul Williams, chief product officer of Nice North America, who last appeared on the show two and half years ago when he was at Savant.  We start off talking about Matter. Williams says that so far the roll out has been slower than expected which has obviously affected adoption, but he hasn’t lost hope for the standard. He also explains how Matter might affect professional integrators. During our conversation on generative AI he discusses how Nice is using AI currently and where he’d like it to go with generative AI. However, he cautions that privacy of consumer data and corporate data is a real concern when using generative AI, so he’s looking for more conversations about how providers deal with that. We close with a discussion about the economy and how it affects professional integrators and the adoption of smart home devices. Enjoy the show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Paul Williams, chief product officer of Nice North America
Sponsors: Computex and Blues Wireless

  • There’s still optimism about the smart home at the Parks Associates event
  • GDPR turns five, and we look at what it has done
  • Microsoft’s new Fabric will bring all of your data together for analysis
  • Matter’s slow roll out is disappointing, but not a deal killer
  • In bad news for smart homes, new home starts and sales are down

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Episode 423: Why Wemo is a no go for us

We start this week’s show with a conversation about Latch, the company that is acquiring Jamie Siminoff’s stealth startup. Siminoff, who also founded Ring, left Amazon (which had acquired Ring in 2018) this week ahead of the planned deal. He will become the CEO of Latch after the deal closes. Then we discuss Google I/O and wonder why we didn’t hear more about Google Assistant, and explore what it means to bring large language models to the smart home. Surveillance is a possibility. And for residents of public housing in the U.S., surveillance is a reality as landlords use cameras and AI to evict residents for minor infractions. They are weaponizing the internet of things. Also in depressing news, we recommend you never buy Belkin Wemo gear again and toss the Wemo gear you own after poor handling of security vulnerabilities by the company. In smaller news, Infineon has purchased TinyML company Imagimob, Amazon has lost a robotics executive and launched new Echo gear, and Eve has two new products. Finally, we answer a listener question about a message users might hear from their Google devices as Google sunsets a program called Conversational Actions.

Amazon introduced a new Echo device called the Echo Pop that will sell for $39.99. Image courtesy of Amazon.

Our guest this week is Doug Roberson, the chief operating officer at Shelly. We talk about Shelly and its history, as well as the products it offers. Roberson explains Shelly’s focus on relays designed to connect outlets and light switches with sensors and other devices to manage electrical consumption in homes and businesses. He talks about how enterprises are using Shelly’s products and what consumers can do with them. He also gives us a tutorial on connecting your dryer to the internet to detect when your clothes are done. We end with an update on Matter and a sneak peek at coming Shelly products, including a water shut-off device. Enjoy the show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Doug Roberson, the chief operating officer at Shelly
Sponsors: Computex and Blues Wireless

  • Latch has a bunch of issues. Will Siminoff solve them?
  • Google Assistant was missing at Google I/O
  • When smart cameras can see everything, which laws do police enforce?
  • We recommend Shelly gear often, what is this company?
  • Shelly’s U.S. business has an enterprise, integrator, and DIY audience

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