6 ms·

Wise words "Never give ANY smart device internet.". That is just stupid to give internet access to a "smart" tv or a "smart" phone. You have zero control over

• ____tom____ 21d ago
  They are likely going to have access. Lots of things have built in cellular modems these days, and your cable provider already uses your cable modem as a hotspot for other people. You can do things like physically modifying your TV, or seeing if there are undocumented settings to disable things.
  • margalabargala 21d ago
    It's also usually not that hard to open the case and remove the physical antennas.
  • Ancalagon 21d ago
    Is that why the cable companies are always trying to get me to use their equipment now?? God I hate this.
    • Barbing 21d ago
      Plus the DNS spying even after disabling their safety stuff (impossible to change DNS on Comcast Xfinity-provided gateway). Still trying to get as good speeds with my own equipment.
      • DANmode 20d ago
        What’s your equipment and what software does it run? If it’s something on the shelf at Target, Walmart, you may remain disappointed.
        • Barbing 20d ago
          Modem: Definitely closed-source junk. (Suppose all the cable modems will be closed.[1]) Ubiquiti UCI just a little spendy for current setup. [1] thanks CableLabs https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10597927 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10597927 Router: Something I have to upgrade, though trying for approx a full gig speeds at the modem first. Eying an OpenWrt-compatible one. Looks like the GL.iNet GL-MT6000 (Flint 2) comes with it preinstalled! ( https://www.gl-inet.com/en-us/products/gl-mt6000?country=US https://www.gl-inet.com/en-us/products/gl-mt6000?country=US ) Edit: I see I'd have to flash the real Open-Wrt on the Flint 2: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42285923 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42285923
          • DANmode 20d ago
            I’ve heard great things about that model. Buy with confidence.
  • drnick1 21d ago
    > your cable provider already uses your cable modem as a hotspot for other people. Is this for real? This does not affect me as I use my own equipment, but I still find it hard to believe.
    • WalterGR 21d ago
      Yes. Xfinity is the big one. Their devices create two hotspots: one for the customer and one to power their Xfinity WiFi service and for bandwidth offloading for their cellular service. Instructions for disabling it: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/disable-xfinity-wifi-home-hotspot https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/disable-xfinity-wif...
      • jedbrooke 21d ago
        I have to say though as a xfinity customer, being able to get wifi basically anywhere urban is pretty nice
        • ozlikethewizard 21d ago
          Yea this almosts sounds like it could be a great idea with proper execution, nothing like this in the UK. Imagine if they were upfront and said "well knock a tenner (or whatever is reasonable in the US) if you allow your access point to be used as a hotspot"
          • lozf 20d ago
            > nothing like this in the UK. It turns out there are several similar services offered in the UK by ISP's like O2, Sky, and BT¹ (recently rebranded as EE-WiFi²) who claim to be the UK's largest WiFi Hotspot Network. Perhaps that's due to it being opt-out on their routers since it was first introduced over a decade ago. [¹]: https://info.btwifi.com/help/ https://info.btwifi.com/help/ [²]: https://ee-wifi.ee.co.uk/public/ee/index.htm https://ee-wifi.ee.co.uk/public/ee/index.htm
            • 15d ago
  • deleted 21d ago
    [deleted]
  • majorchord 21d ago
    > hotspot for other people. How does this work legally when you get in trouble for someone else's activity?
    • ozlikethewizard 21d ago
      If its a hotspot you'll have to login to authenticate, so presumably the traffic is uniquely identifiable. I'd hope when LE contact ISP for details theyd be able to go oh that ip address is here but it was actually this persons traffic.
      • ranger_danger 21d ago
        I'm fairly confident that ISPs do not log all customer traffic, especially for an indeterminate amount of time. There would not be enough storage on the planet available.
  • alexfoo 21d ago
    It works both ways though. The traffic was separated so that anything on the public hotspot was not attributed to the private subscriber network. Secondly for years I lived somewhere very remote so that meant that hardly anyone ever got to use my broadband connection via such a hotspot, but I got to use hundreds of other peoples hotspots when I was somewhere less isolated. I was quite happy to opt in to this system as I benefitted hugely from it.
• skizm 21d ago
  It sucks being in an apartment complex because there are always a bunch of unsecured networks floating around that the TV, or whatever, can connect to even if you don't manually do it.
  • drnick1 21d ago
    One option is to physically remove the WiFi card. I saw an article about this a while back, and it was a surprisingly simple mod. On a related note, you should absolutely remove the cellular modem from your car as well.
    • eldaisfish 21d ago
      removing the cellular modem from a car can have several unintended consequences. The geniuses at hyundai refuse to let you operate the heating in some of their electric cars without an internet connection. Yes, you read that right - the only way to operate the HVAC compressor in several hyundai EVs is via their stupid app and the internet. I found out the hard way when i kept noticing that my hyundai EV was not heating the cabin in winter even though i turned the HAVC on. Turns out, as soon as you plug into the wall outlet, the compressor stops. There is no technical reason for this, other than enshittification.
      • drnick1 21d ago
        > Yes, you read that right - the only way to operate the HVAC compressor in several hyundai EVs is via their stupid app and the internet. Noted. Thank you for reminding us not to buy a Hyundai EV.
      • DANmode 21d ago
        Wall outlets are usually in garages, which are indoor/outdoor areas, kept with lots of microbial growth. Maybe the engineers wanted to ensure your cabin wouldn’t induce health risks.
        • DANmode 21d ago
• blitzar 21d ago
  "Never give ANY dumb device internet" The smart here really isnt the issue.
• groby_b 21d ago
  Except... some of us like to stream content on TVs. And some of us really don't like the idea of maintaining yet another extra piece of hardware for that. And so your TV does need Internet access. The same holds for many other devices, in different shapes. Sure, you can opt out of civilization completely to avoid all the side effects of late stage capitalism, but maybe it's worth applying a bit more nuanced thinking to find a balance that doesn't throw you back to the 1800s. (Unless you like the 1800s, in which case, enjoy)
  • drnick1 21d ago
    > Except... some of us like to stream content on TVs. Linux mini-PC running Bigscreen Plasma. No, it can't be used to stream Netflix at native resolution because of DRM. But if you can't live without Netflix content, you can use alternative sources and save money in the process. VacuumTube for YT instead of the official app. Yes, this is an additional device, but it is not unlike a streaming stick or Android shitbox.
    • epiccoleman 21d ago
      classic linux advice lol. disable the smart features on your TV and then buy a whole computer so you can ... not be able to watch netflix and youtube on your TV disclaimer: i run a whole variety of home media stuff, so i am one of you - but it's just a funny example of exactly the kind of thing that makes people not do this stuff
    • krupan 21d ago
      I self host a lot, including jellyfin, but I've never tried to do the Linux HTPC. Whenever I look into it everything has changed from a few years ago, it all sounds difficult to get working and keep working, and I give up. I didn't know we had a whole new set of software. It was once MythTV, then XBMC, then something else I can't remember, and now I've lost track.
      • drnick1 21d ago
        > I self host a lot, including jellyfin, but I've never tried to do the Linux HTPC. I think now is the right time to revisit the Linux HTPC, mostly because Plasma 6.7 integrated the new Bigscreen interface. This is a genuine 10-foot desktop environment optimized for TV remotes and controllers. Previously, most Linux HTPCs simply used GNOME/KDE, with the scaling cranked up to 200 or 300%. In terms of apps, I suggest Kodi for local files, VacuumTube as a Youtube TV/Leanback substitute, and Steam or SteamLink for gaming, depending on hardware. With an airmouse remote you can also simply use Firefox or Chromium and stream from pretty much anywhere, subject to resolution restrictions for Netflix and some other services.
• fusslo 21d ago
  Back when I first started my career, I generally disagreed. My first job was at a connected device startup in the IoT space. The whole ethos around data was pretty good. Maybe it was because the tech side of the company I worked for was 99% ex-gov contractors (aerospace, low level routers, submarines...). We collected such minimal information. Basically only enough to allow for OTAs, functionality, and debugging. Thinking back, we could've collected so much more. I remember when Alexa hit the market and we (as a company) thought there's NO WAY amazon was making any money on them. Today... NO WAY. Along the way the value stopped being "This product is priced so we can make a profit" and became "The data we collect is more valuable than the sale".
• afarah1 21d ago
  Well, nowadays the purpose of a TV is usually to watch content over the internet, so I wouldn't call it "stupid" to connect the TV to the internet. You might say it's naive, but is it really naive to buy a TV and expect it to be a device to display audiovisual content and not a spyware/adware machine? I feel like it's not the user's behavior that should be put into question here, but the borderline criminal behavior of the manufacturer.