tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91096976922320105472024-02-19T08:00:30.510-08:00Joe's Rabbit HoleCome with us down the rabbit hole. We cover topics that we are passionate about like IoT and smart homes, personal finance and real estate. While we are at it why not add Privacy and Security. Should be an interesting journey.IoTinHomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15046133755187877328noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9109697692232010547.post-48027261473195280522020-11-01T13:00:00.009-08:002020-11-05T23:28:23.061-08:00Google Takeout - its not a food delivery service<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Can you afford to lose your email?</span></h1><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Most consumers take for granted that email access in dependable and always available. Most of these services live in the cloud and we need a reasonable internet/mobile connections to reach them. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hypothetical scenarios</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Travelling abroad using a local SIM card - google doesn't recognize the number and for your security requires that you reauthenticate and validate your account. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you happen to visit China and the great firewall blocks you. You need to lookup a hotel reservation on email. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What would you do if a scammer tried to hack your gmail or google account and you get locked out. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Do you have a plan B ?</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We should all look at having a backup of our data. Hopefully, we may never need it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Start with </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://takeout.google.com/">https://takeout.google.com/</a></span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Google Takeout</span></h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCQ5RqdumxPEXgg5XVZpuwp9YQsadLECGbptRXc9WAbsQ-W9DMn8WGV1QvY5IWjAeBQVChyxGUJMYgnpN1FO93vgR60j-Qip5tpQQ6fL38HWR_xAcIK4fx7ukN4vcsjwVd-TDfBcn7w8/s777/Capture.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google Takeout screen" border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="777" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCQ5RqdumxPEXgg5XVZpuwp9YQsadLECGbptRXc9WAbsQ-W9DMn8WGV1QvY5IWjAeBQVChyxGUJMYgnpN1FO93vgR60j-Qip5tpQQ6fL38HWR_xAcIK4fx7ukN4vcsjwVd-TDfBcn7w8/w320-h118/Capture.JPG" title="Google Takeout screen" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Login with your google credentials, if not already logged in and then select the services you use and want to export. You might be surprised how many are listed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Click the Next button at the bottom. A notification email will be sent with a link when the archive is ready for download - it might take a few hours. Download and save the file or multiple files, if there is a larger data set. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Definitely back this up to an external hard drive or your preferred backup location, preferably not on the same desktop/laptop. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Accessing email offline</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Use <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/installing-thunderbird-windows" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mozilla Thunderbird</a> or a third-party email application. The Google Takeout archive will contain a email archive with extension .MBOX. See the <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1303929" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">support page</a> for additional help in setting this up. If you use folders(gmail calls them labels), select the individual folders, instead of the select all option to preserve the folder structure. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Reference links</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Google support help page - https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3024190</span></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>IoTinHomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15046133755187877328noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9109697692232010547.post-90516023858775990832020-10-29T14:05:00.029-07:002020-11-05T21:03:06.258-08:00Google My Business Phone Scam<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What is Google My Business ?</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A listing service from Google to provide customers with information on a business. The business owner can manage their business listing and provide customers with hours of operations, specials, restaurant menus and more. During these trying times, owners can update changes in hours of operation or special announcements like mask requirements. The process is meant to provide customers with relevant, complete and quality info.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJew-H-tJ7gvRyP_qvdjm0VHCNAotQOP8HPTKl-oHvGHo4WGr1QNUzUjTB24tzCR54AGVhjjQBo4HoBgNDZbTa4-DPj3qtNN2wk2oW4EHcfjfdlabd9aXBP7Ag-YF6eaKibZ9L5wMBcI/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google My Business login" data-original-height="115" data-original-width="406" height="57" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJew-H-tJ7gvRyP_qvdjm0VHCNAotQOP8HPTKl-oHvGHo4WGr1QNUzUjTB24tzCR54AGVhjjQBo4HoBgNDZbTa4-DPj3qtNN2wk2oW4EHcfjfdlabd9aXBP7Ag-YF6eaKibZ9L5wMBcI/w200-h57/image.png" title="Google My Business login" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anatomy of the scam</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I recently updated a google business listing and almost immediately noticed a significant spike in the number of calls to the business phone number. Almost all the calls did not have a known callerid or name attached. Most did not leave a message. Almost all the numbers could not be called and had a message saying that the number was not in service. The calling number is being spoofed to appear as if the call is coming from with the area code to appear more legitimate.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Today we received a voicemail stating that a google business listing would be terminated and requires further verification. </span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Voicemail call transcript</span></h4><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Our records show your Google Business listing may be suspended or not verified through Google this can cause customers searching for your services to not be able to find your business online. Press one to speak with a sales expert so we can quickly check the status of your Google Business listing. This will only take a few minutes, press nine if you wish to be removed from this list. Thank you and have a nice day.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The unusual part of the call was that it mentioned a completely unrelated business from a decade ago. This did not make sense. Against my better judgment, I called the number back and pressed one to talk to an agent. I could not hear the person on the line clearly and asked them to repeat their greeting. They hung up. I called again and reached a different agent. I asked how they obtained my number and once again they hung up. Very unprofessional and not what one would expect from a legitimate business.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What to make of this ?</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This could be a robocall to hundreds or thousands of numbers with this message. Even if 1% of those people call back or answer, the scammers win. Most likely they will ask for personal info or a credit card, who knows. I never got that far. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">During the research process, we found this <a href="https://datadrivenlabs.io/blog/scam-google-business-listing-call/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">site</a>, which has additional info on how to <a href="https://support.google.com/business/contact/gmb_3p_complaints" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">report the issue</a> with Google. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Coincidence or conspiracy</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In our case, the timing of this scam seems to coincide with other events. Is it possible scammers are scrapping recently updated info and targeting those businesses?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Clearly, there are real business that would assist a business owner in updating a Google My Business listing, however our experience leads us to believe that these are scammers that are using spoofed numbers and even calling numbers on the dot not call registry. A legitimate and ethical business would have a proper caller id, so that the recipient could identify them and choose to do business with them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The calls we receive are predatory and deceptive.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Do it yourself</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you are a business owner, the process is simple and free. Use this Google <a href="https://www.google.com/business/business-profile/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a> and claim your business. Google will mail a physical verification code via paper mail. Once verified, a business owner can manage information about their business.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Proactive steps</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">- Register the on the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) <a href="https://www.donotcall.gov/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">National Do Not Call Registry</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">- Press 9 to opt out ? Use at your own risk. Would this confirm that you are "real person" to the scammers. In our situation, we don't answer unrecognized numbers and received a voicemail. If this was an email phishing scam and you hit the unsubscribe button, it would only serve to confirm that the email address is "live" and the scammer would actually add you to their database for future scams. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">- <a href="https://support.google.com/business/contact/gmb_3p_complaints" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Report</a> to Google </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">- Educate yourself on how to </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://support.google.com/faqs/answer/2952493" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Avoid and report Google scams</a></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>IoTinHomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15046133755187877328noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9109697692232010547.post-36256133580916372362020-10-28T23:54:00.013-07:002020-11-07T17:33:32.693-08:00Instagram Analytics<h2 style="text-align: left;"></h2><h2 style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Instagram shady business
practice</span></span></b></h2><div><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGK307IE_GYFPBZR-E1tS2RKxMefjLjO0qjXxTXVMoOLTzqNs03lcI2uA8L8JDnaslq2aRd_RJ1O89j5sUj7Efn8HDQLJ4GJYjuioczBGw2O8zOiJTnw1sUfCtafYSj5LV2JbPCdDMCak/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Instagram icon" data-original-height="166" data-original-width="184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGK307IE_GYFPBZR-E1tS2RKxMefjLjO0qjXxTXVMoOLTzqNs03lcI2uA8L8JDnaslq2aRd_RJ1O89j5sUj7Efn8HDQLJ4GJYjuioczBGw2O8zOiJTnw1sUfCtafYSj5LV2JbPCdDMCak/" title="Instagram icon" width="266" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></span></b></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Any business today, has to engage with its customer on social
media platforms to stay relevant. It's easy to create an account and post
pictures of your business, food, art, decor, menu.... To engage with an audience,
you need to appropriately tag your post with relevant hashtags. Simple
enough, but are you reaching your audience and how do you measure your efforts?</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Most other platforms have an analytics tool to view metrics and
data. Instagram requires a business account to get access to the analytics. Sounds
reasonable and a google search will give you the basic steps to switch a
personal account to a business account. Completely reasonable, as you may
have started promoting your business with a personal account and realized that
it makes sense to separate the personal and business identity.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Going through the Instagram help pages, we soon realized
that the features and functions were not available on the web page. We tried
using the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/9109697692232010547/3625613358091637236"><span style="color: blue;">workaround </span></a>for posting from a desktop and
clearly the functions and features were only available in the mobile app. This
seems deliberate and intentional, in our opinion. </span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">We value privacy and security and would never install Facebook or Instagram
on our mobile device. Fortunately, we had a spare old mobile phone available.
After a factory reset and login on with a fresh Gmail address (not linked
to our personal Gmail) - you need this to install Instagram from the play store
(a whole separate topic) - I know many hoops to jump through. Finally logged
into Instagram and voila - the options were available to switch to a business
account.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Refreshed, logout and login from web interface, still no analytics
data available. More web research and turns out that the analytics is only
available through the mobile app. Hmmmm. During the research process, a number
of third party providers pop up and promise to sell services to get access
to the analytics on the web, however now you have to give them your login/pass
for them to do the api call to get the data, so that they can present it to
you. Really... Well, understandable, they have seen the gap and provide a service to the end consumer for whom this is too complicated.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The whole process seems to be deliberately designed to force a user to use the mobile app, which can (with permission), gather more data (see permission list below for Android)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><div class="p6U4qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #616161; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">This app has access to:</div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28434.159999946132" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/U-_SG8pHTsqU_IyZTGQRkVMdLaAUeq1OnKGrB06KHF1z7vkkIQK3iF0HcbfTe1RnGlh-ajnZkbphl2W3Gdk=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/U-_SG8pHTsqU_IyZTGQRkVMdLaAUeq1OnKGrB06KHF1z7vkkIQK3iF0HcbfTe1RnGlh-ajnZkbphl2W3Gdk=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Wi-Fi connection information</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">view Wi-Fi connections</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28434.39499998931" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/BAH0TYCVcT4bH2ErsHtCEbO-1Tr5O5Hjwst6AFghZQt5pI8NkfonAsmYfnvj939aqSVtbuM81B38AB0GYQ=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/BAH0TYCVcT4bH2ErsHtCEbO-1Tr5O5Hjwst6AFghZQt5pI8NkfonAsmYfnvj939aqSVtbuM81B38AB0GYQ=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Device & app history</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">retrieve running apps</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28434.514999971725" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/daUjqbSOr2QpaqXS2HQbNzYzzqN2yWGzM_7AZxwFaWLT7_kIhX95HKi_HSpjeeQDOmFMENZxJqblbu_4qg=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/daUjqbSOr2QpaqXS2HQbNzYzzqN2yWGzM_7AZxwFaWLT7_kIhX95HKi_HSpjeeQDOmFMENZxJqblbu_4qg=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Microphone</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">record audio</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28434.454999980517" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/AUs-Fih7eEfuhp-4lYGGK65UvYQ2K6qaKi0dRUipSmiac-QL94IbT-XylwOgMoaYBDLuGOz1l5Yn_K6z1NM=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/AUs-Fih7eEfuhp-4lYGGK65UvYQ2K6qaKi0dRUipSmiac-QL94IbT-XylwOgMoaYBDLuGOz1l5Yn_K6z1NM=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Identity</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">find accounts on the device</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">read your own contact card</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28468.48499996122" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/4rkEm_eN4F8lAtqf1avrqAQ49_IjMjRduxI5szmftCXmKzSaLsNScjM5DSGQp2qtI5R_fqj8j7aJi_G3dg=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/4rkEm_eN4F8lAtqf1avrqAQ49_IjMjRduxI5szmftCXmKzSaLsNScjM5DSGQp2qtI5R_fqj8j7aJi_G3dg=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Location</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">precise location (GPS and network-based)</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28468.374999938533" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/c5fJsmDZCeHY1tZmeGXL12sHi8herULd72A_egjaAHylmgM-4gLiw4CuDJSzNnK5q8yxAAy4RyxtkdYzcg=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/c5fJsmDZCeHY1tZmeGXL12sHi8herULd72A_egjaAHylmgM-4gLiw4CuDJSzNnK5q8yxAAy4RyxtkdYzcg=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Contacts</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">find accounts on the device</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">read your contacts</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28467.01000002213" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/QDYtvjtZon4TYi4-wkvfIqszmmJL258051XdtozjpIZVH-8zVoay1oBS9vw7lzDYYaDz48AzxmOY040lNqc=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/QDYtvjtZon4TYi4-wkvfIqszmmJL258051XdtozjpIZVH-8zVoay1oBS9vw7lzDYYaDz48AzxmOY040lNqc=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Phone</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">directly call phone numbers</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">read phone status and identity</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28434.720000019297" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/pHtIujPWxciAZcfYSwlrGGq14Z984rKLMgcm9RPATLiOlbrWy-tVlelEWgED7gpktgcD1tZizVeHiO5fkw=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/pHtIujPWxciAZcfYSwlrGGq14Z984rKLMgcm9RPATLiOlbrWy-tVlelEWgED7gpktgcD1tZizVeHiO5fkw=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Photos/Media/Files</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">read the contents of your USB storage</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">modify or delete the contents of your USB storage</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28434.664999949746" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/l2htRLV5Mt-RZ6nroJCXy3OF_CqdntOsEetnLEjH1wC-WJWV00R5orcBWj0NMFKJVEQU6JhPYRBCKnj3_Q=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/l2htRLV5Mt-RZ6nroJCXy3OF_CqdntOsEetnLEjH1wC-WJWV00R5orcBWj0NMFKJVEQU6JhPYRBCKnj3_Q=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Device ID & call information</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">read phone status and identity</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28434.624999994412" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/T0FSi5cHSE6ZmXMZAv0tidh8XAQWi7_WqbhtZ1XfNYhLJyOfudKVtiySoaBhBku4bzpRZTnddzjL1A-D=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/T0FSi5cHSE6ZmXMZAv0tidh8XAQWi7_WqbhtZ1XfNYhLJyOfudKVtiySoaBhBku4bzpRZTnddzjL1A-D=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">SMS</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">receive text messages (SMS)</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28434.584999922663" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/aWNKQedLTpw6u6yyMjQObmuoKu67A1czWnIcvID86oAmMT02r5mNdRn6l9ZN2t2MIyH6tNy-01v7ukeQ=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/aWNKQedLTpw6u6yyMjQObmuoKu67A1czWnIcvID86oAmMT02r5mNdRn6l9ZN2t2MIyH6tNy-01v7ukeQ=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Storage</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">read the contents of your USB storage</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">modify or delete the contents of your USB storage</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><img aria-hidden="true" class="T75of T44sv" data-iml="28468.5349999927" src="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/xbP_oGuJ21iG29iVh0p-UIZPzi_fYj8PMYiqDd9-LvaZ_a1tRcwp0I2-arfXvgX9YtfZTTaqwcLRWPNQM_c=s20-rw" srcset="https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/xbP_oGuJ21iG29iVh0p-UIZPzi_fYj8PMYiqDd9-LvaZ_a1tRcwp0I2-arfXvgX9YtfZTTaqwcLRWPNQM_c=s40-rw 2x" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-size: contain; border: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Camera</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">take pictures and videos</span></li></ul></div><div class="itQHhe" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><div class="wOeix" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 375.2px;"><div class="T44sv m3qUef" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/png;base64,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"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; border: 0px; display: inline-block; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;"></div><span class="SoU6Qc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 12px; width: 100%;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">Other</span></span></div><ul class="GLaCt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">receive data from Internet</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">read frame buffer</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">change screen orientation</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">run at startup</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">uninstall shortcuts</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">read battery statistics</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">prevent device from sleeping</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">access Bluetooth settings</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">control vibration</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">install shortcuts</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">pair with Bluetooth devices</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">view network connections</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">use accounts on the device</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">full network access</span></li><li class="BCMWSd" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #616161; list-style: inside none disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 32px; width: 375.2px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;">change your audio settings</span></li></ul></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Consumers need to be aware of what they are giving up and actively opt-out. This means choosing not to install the app on their mobile phone or choosing not to use an app - period. Some of these permission and access requirements are </span><span>justified</span><span> for the app to function, however we all have a choice. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>While this post is specific to Instagram, there are many other apps that are </span><span>mining</span><span> our data. We and our data are the product.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Analytics data will take a few days to populate. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">This post is still a work in progress and will be updated with
results and findings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><br />IoTinHomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15046133755187877328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9109697692232010547.post-14802673526812105852020-10-26T01:00:00.006-07:002020-11-05T21:25:29.636-08:00Should you get a Vera Controller ?<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Vera Zwave Controller Review</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We found the Vera solution around 2010, looking to solve the problem of performing some basic functions to close the blinds and switch on a light. During our research, there were already competing platforms and standards and we choose zwave as the protocol to tie them together. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_cBz9QKcCiWGzPOpo_MChM28qv6UkIIEZCDHfKWlhny7F1AKceoFyS4QNFGstWQbsRSrNyP8S1GJt_d0UVU9YIgrLNP9Z7_uRCmN717MLD6mDUgXx0E6DFIM7XBhCX-vE9t7KssSvMM/s2059/zwave-5.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="2059" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_cBz9QKcCiWGzPOpo_MChM28qv6UkIIEZCDHfKWlhny7F1AKceoFyS4QNFGstWQbsRSrNyP8S1GJt_d0UVU9YIgrLNP9Z7_uRCmN717MLD6mDUgXx0E6DFIM7XBhCX-vE9t7KssSvMM/w640-h251/zwave-5.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">Zwave connectivity graph</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">All the devices that we purchased have performed flawlessly over the past decade in executing their scheduled tasks. Over time, as we added more devices, the zwave mesh network became stronger and more redundant, due to there ability to discover their neighbors and use them to relay commands to the controller. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuOQpveTwofN2Sd86qGvVwWhR62Yda5ZVfc6Jf3krLG2OmVC-O-UZ4phb-D6zfUUI0zeo9LzbVqhH4cod4waB3R5VEInG6SPfSR7Dhf8WBqn4VGpVXEZQGlqY45vDzcA25l61FfNdzX0/s722/zwave-history.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="628" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuOQpveTwofN2Sd86qGvVwWhR62Yda5ZVfc6Jf3krLG2OmVC-O-UZ4phb-D6zfUUI0zeo9LzbVqhH4cod4waB3R5VEInG6SPfSR7Dhf8WBqn4VGpVXEZQGlqY45vDzcA25l61FfNdzX0/w348-h400/zwave-history.PNG" width="348" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">Zwave device history</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The platform had significant potential to improve through firmware and software updates. It has been stable and there was definitely a desire for improvements or nice to haves. Some of there were fulfilled through add-ons and they filled the void, in the short term.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Over time (well a decade), it has become clear that the company has lost focus and possibly just did not spend enough on research & development to meet customer expectations. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 2019 (not sure of the exact timeline/date) they were acquired and started focusing on a different product and it was clear that Vera was no longer receiving funding or focus. The dedicated and loyal user <a href="https://community.getvera.com/c/announcements/127" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">community</a> patiently awaited the next new update and vision. However, after many disappointing new updates, it is clear that users should seek alternatives. Some users were <a href="https://community.getvera.com/t/clarification-of-forum-contributors-being-banned/214444" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">banned</a> from the community (not sure of the details, as posts have been deleted). The most recent firmware update was released on 9/2/2020 and listed less than 5 fixes and features, while acknowledging a long list of known issues and promises of fixes in an upcoming release.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">While we are sad and disappointed to abandon a promising option, we all need to cut our losses and explore other options. The lack of vision and direction from Vera forced us to explore other <a href="https://www.iotinhome.com/mysmarthome" target="_blank">alternatives</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a trend we have seen in recent years, where the a poor business model, change in focus or company ownership, results in a product that disappoints an existing loyal base. In some cases products are no longer supported(<a href="https://www.techhive.com/article/3337249/lowes-will-shut-down-its-iris-by-lowes-smart-home-platform.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lowes Iris</a>), or customers are left with a door stop (<a href="https://blog.wink.com/wink-blog/2020/7/8/update-on-the-upcoming-wink-subscription" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wink</a>). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Solutions</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We choose to explore Home Assistant in parallel and after a year, select the <a href="https://amzn.to/2QP9bUT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zooz Zwave USB Stick</a> for controlling the zwave network. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">See the full <a href="https://blog.iotinhome.com/2020/10/home-assistant-review.html">review on Home Assistant</a> and our implementation <a href="https://www.iotinhome.com" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>IoTinHomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15046133755187877328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9109697692232010547.post-86937413128893836752020-10-25T23:36:00.010-07:002020-11-05T22:43:41.881-08:00The Social Dilemma<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Social Dilemma </span></h2><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Watched the documentary on <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Netflix</a>. We all know the disadvantages of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Even Linked-in, which was a professional connections platform, is swamped with endless doom scrolling noise. This is deliberately designed to hold a users attention and interaction with the platform. The echo chamber and ad machine is in full operation. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We stopped using Facebook in late 2019 and have probably missed a few birthdays and family announcements, however we all have to choose not to engage. A simple phone call or personal interaction is more meaningful. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We should all watch the <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">documentary </a>and take <a href="https://thesocialdilemma.com/take-action/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">action</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ads and misinformation targeting</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyone can create a Facebook page and an Ad. Below are the steps. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">1. Select a Goal </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEheUXIl1gwoIiSTB4l_ca0PdLRGY8RIYyLZsYF83-OOkvZf5BvD-zbs85D6VFL5-5dZetqJzRDKtqRzqN0yu9C7nntf05ANABOjFZA7eS8LMmQGVLtuGmNKOHeOTrOWpOkpWzQYd0o_c/s992/FB-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="992" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEheUXIl1gwoIiSTB4l_ca0PdLRGY8RIYyLZsYF83-OOkvZf5BvD-zbs85D6VFL5-5dZetqJzRDKtqRzqN0yu9C7nntf05ANABOjFZA7eS8LMmQGVLtuGmNKOHeOTrOWpOkpWzQYd0o_c/s320/FB-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">We chose <i>get more website visitors</i></span></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">2. Choose your audience</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqOSbtO1cATrOnkDe8OzXuDd8bgb8bO0FYpKtsKTMy9YSaqY9hFghtL9yGRgV6czQLHkHFi1ZT5XS-zdB4Xpt5zeOJ8vhZsm-c-CE5z-jMBX9TyypKP0NT6lIScOb90K_vuUqGKXRd8Q/s867/FB-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="743" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqOSbtO1cATrOnkDe8OzXuDd8bgb8bO0FYpKtsKTMy9YSaqY9hFghtL9yGRgV6czQLHkHFi1ZT5XS-zdB4Xpt5zeOJ8vhZsm-c-CE5z-jMBX9TyypKP0NT6lIScOb90K_vuUqGKXRd8Q/s320/FB-2.JPG" /></a></span></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>We chose, women, aged 32-37, living outside of Seattle within a 1 mile radius of the pin.</i></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">3. Narrow down the audience further</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDG4frTqmROlA3Jz2a0AAOEyULhv5AkbWKbG7-SjQNMWoiJAY8pdvOWK0ZmYyMlTapX72XmoVE4UpXNr_zAfvaGGOuJJ4FQ-ZgQE02MMpKphrY5DPjMkyGWkcJZqAG1376aXGXNvtQ3hM/s742/FB-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="742" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDG4frTqmROlA3Jz2a0AAOEyULhv5AkbWKbG7-SjQNMWoiJAY8pdvOWK0ZmYyMlTapX72XmoVE4UpXNr_zAfvaGGOuJJ4FQ-ZgQE02MMpKphrY5DPjMkyGWkcJZqAG1376aXGXNvtQ3hM/s320/FB-3.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">We selected a random set of demographics, interests and </span>behaviors</i></span></p><p></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">4. Select the ad duration and a budget</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZGR-tTyk8sl6lllLPBsFwdCNSFKBhRsY8P4P53McWd-fqM9O8PKFig2WCZPVCyM9hrvAiriM50Z5jBxUOX8mhOHvr6Po464B9bInE_hXqZcmUPCkJXaYHEilJ-JzOHFEVz_1a9ek3Rk/s664/FB-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="605" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZGR-tTyk8sl6lllLPBsFwdCNSFKBhRsY8P4P53McWd-fqM9O8PKFig2WCZPVCyM9hrvAiriM50Z5jBxUOX8mhOHvr6Po464B9bInE_hXqZcmUPCkJXaYHEilJ-JzOHFEVz_1a9ek3Rk/s320/FB-4.JPG" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">5. Lastly, fill out the payment details</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6vL-Ae77Uuh0g2288TYkFuYPvyUn5Tq692Ls-OhUpPmmtpMaaWngJftqYG7DZSUYyleM9sSF5m0sZelcVhXPkBk-ToowActy5-LKArftT8qNUDHsPF9LZko4ZGF5CfkNGN3OaRyfiM0/s608/FB-6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6vL-Ae77Uuh0g2288TYkFuYPvyUn5Tq692Ls-OhUpPmmtpMaaWngJftqYG7DZSUYyleM9sSF5m0sZelcVhXPkBk-ToowActy5-LKArftT8qNUDHsPF9LZko4ZGF5CfkNGN3OaRyfiM0/s320/FB-6.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Legitimate businesses can use Facebook Ads to ensure that they are reaching their target audience. However, the same service can also be used to spread misinformation. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The demographic, interests and behavior selection criteria provides a significantly level of fine tuning to target any group's pain points. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Makes us wonder how many groups or individuals have seen an ad or video that has subconsciously shaped their opinions.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Further links and info</h4><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/curious-case-russian-flash-mob-west-palm-beach-cheesecake-factory" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Curious Case of the Russian Flash Mob at the West Palm Beach Cheesecake Factory</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/bloc-party" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bloc Party</a></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p><br /></p></div>IoTinHomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15046133755187877328noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9109697692232010547.post-21008709085349638702020-10-21T23:25:00.044-07:002020-11-04T23:00:38.560-08:00Dynamic links<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ongoing updates</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Holding page for ongoing updates on topics that may have interest to subscribers</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Podcast</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This <a href="https://lists.pocketcasts.com/12a746f3-ff34-44f4-babd-f7cb22e1dcce" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link </a>works fine on Android. Apple users sometimes get prompted to download and pay for an app. Did we mention we don't like Apple's monetization policy. If that happens, search for the podcast by name on your favorite and free podcast player. It's an additional step, but worth it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our Listening Statistics</span></h4><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsi75U58OMRMNjxXHxclP2fjmsZKbnANIV6D3T64gZgnmwRxTy4G0vpVnu6-MsjmeGG0w2olsCfQoaIa2NfrKDALq4ZU_TBA0NkMwpU33bkLEVkCggyZbNxa8pOPe_FdxuVFXfZhkO1E/s1617/Screenshot_20201022-014636.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img alt="Podcast listening stats" border="0" data-original-height="1617" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsi75U58OMRMNjxXHxclP2fjmsZKbnANIV6D3T64gZgnmwRxTy4G0vpVnu6-MsjmeGG0w2olsCfQoaIa2NfrKDALq4ZU_TBA0NkMwpU33bkLEVkCggyZbNxa8pOPe_FdxuVFXfZhkO1E/w346-h400/Screenshot_20201022-014636.png" title="Podcast listening stats" width="346" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Privacy</span></h3><p><a href="https://inteltechniques.com/data/workbook.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Personal Data Removal Workbook </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">& Credit Freeze Guide</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Security</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Everybody should use a VPN</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>IoTinHomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15046133755187877328noreply@blogger.com1Los Angeles, CA, USA34.0522342 -118.24368495.7420003638211554 -153.3999349 62.362468036178846 -83.0874349tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9109697692232010547.post-67103412361451877742020-10-21T21:30:00.012-07:002020-11-05T21:04:33.174-08:00Home Assistant Review<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px;">Home Assistant Review</span></h2><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px;">If you have been thinking about making your home smart, with automation and have experienced the frustration of switching apps to perform simple tasks, its time to take a look at Home Assistant.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Home Assistant (HA) has come a long way, since we first looked at it many years ago and has become exponentially better over the past year. To date it has been rock solid and stable as any production system. At the time of writing this blog, the released version is 0.116.4. While setting up and using the system can seem overwhelming, the platform provides a blank canvas that can be customized to your individual needs.</span></p><h4 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Comparisons</span></h4><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">We have been using a home automation system for a decade now. The system has been operating flawlessly and has scaled well over the years, however there are limitations that HA helps to overcome. There a many competing products in the marketplace, and some that no longer exist or changed their business models (e.g. </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.techhive.com/article/3337249/lowes-will-shut-down-its-iris-by-lowes-smart-home-platform.html" href="https://www.techhive.com/article/3337249/lowes-will-shut-down-its-iris-by-lowes-smart-home-platform.html" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1242ee; display: inline-block; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none; word-break: break-all;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lowes Iris</span></a><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">, </span><a data-mce-href="https://blog.wink.com/wink-blog/2020/7/8/update-on-the-upcoming-wink-subscription" href="https://blog.wink.com/wink-blog/2020/7/8/update-on-the-upcoming-wink-subscription" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1242ee; display: inline-block; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none; word-break: break-all;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Wink</span></a><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">). Other larger players in this space are unnecessarily overprices and have subscription fees. Most are cloud based, overpriced, prone to hacking (</span><a data-mce-href="https://www.consumerreports.org/hacking/ring-doorbell-accounts-may-be-vulnerable-to-hackers/" href="https://www.consumerreports.org/hacking/ring-doorbell-accounts-may-be-vulnerable-to-hackers/" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1242ee; display: inline-block; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none; word-break: break-all;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ring</span></a><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">) and more focused on revenue and selling your data. Security and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) systems are focused on preying on consumer fears and have closed or proprietary systems with high premiums and lack flexibility. The other giants in this space, force you to lock into their ecosystem, which once again requires giving them your security, privacy and data.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></strong></p><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Home Assistant Platform</span></h3><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Your starting point is </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.home-assistant.io/getting-started/" href="https://www.home-assistant.io/getting-started/" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1242ee; display: inline-block; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none; word-break: break-all;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">here</span></a><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">. The simplest, minimal cost approach is to use a </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.home-assistant.io/hassio/installation/" href="https://www.home-assistant.io/hassio/installation/" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1242ee; display: inline-block; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none; word-break: break-all;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">virtual machine</span></a><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> (VM) and run it on an old or existing computer. In our experience, we immediately saw that we could integrate a few cameras, some Bluetooth devices and an existing zwave controller, into a single platform and obtain some real benefits from automation. However, running the system virtualized had some limitation in our use case.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">The next step, was to run HA on a physical device. Choosing a device depends on how much work you expect the system to perform. For most of us a </span><a data-mce-href="https://amzn.to/3lL0qJT" href="https://amzn.to/3lL0qJT" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1242ee; display: inline-block; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none; word-break: break-all;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Raspberry PI4</span></a><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">, will be more than sufficient to perform the required tasks.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Getting the PI4 running was easy and restoring the backup from the VM meant that any setup was not lost. Initially, we used a slower SD card and later upgraded to a </span><a data-mce-href="https://amzn.to/3iXbPUc" href="https://amzn.to/3iXbPUc" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1242ee; display: inline-block; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none; word-break: break-all;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">higher performance SD card</span></a><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">. Over the past year, there have been significant performance improvements to the platform, which has also helped in providing a user experience, which has less frustration, lag or delays during navigation.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">We chose to run InfluxDB to capture data from all Internet of Things (IOT) devices, so that we could monitor and interrogate historical data, trends and issues. Most end users would not require this, however for us, it was important to view historical data for anomalies, e.g why did the battery in the sensor suddenly die. There are a number of other add-ons that we chose to run on the PI4. System and power utilization have been within acceptable parameters for a device that is the size of a deck of cards and provides significant benefits, like Ad blocking for the entire home.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">At this point, it is important to mention, that part of the reason that we like HA, is the added benefits of privacy and security, when compared with products that the major technology and security companies have. Your HA system is run inside your home and the data is not stored in the cloud, where hackers can, and will get access to it. It’s not a question of if, but when.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">“Major’ updates are released monthly, with minor update in the days following. You can choose to update as often as they are released or wait few days in the event of any new bugs being discovered and resolved. The release notes are comprehensive and transparent, with user feedback.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Accessing the system remotely can be done though the optional Home Assistant could service. In our situation, we chose to opt for running a VPN server on the home router for remote access.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></strong></p><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Community</span></h3><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">The community and </span><a data-mce-href="https://community.home-assistant.io/" href="https://community.home-assistant.io/" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1242ee; display: inline-block; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none; word-break: break-all;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">forums</span></a><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> are extremely helpful, should you run into any issues or looking for ideas and feedback. There are some amazing smart people that are willing to share their ideas, feedback and assistance.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></strong></p><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">What could be better</span></h3><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Official SSD boot support. SD cards are known to fail and SSD’s provide better performance. Lack of support has been partly due to the delays in the Rasberry team releasing support for the </span><a data-mce-href="https://github.com/raspberrypi/rpi-eeprom/blob/master/firmware/release-notes.md" href="https://github.com/raspberrypi/rpi-eeprom/blob/master/firmware/release-notes.md" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1242ee; display: inline-block; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none; word-break: break-all;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">bootloader</span></a><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> feature. HA has released a </span><a data-mce-href="https://github.com/home-assistant/operating-system/releases" href="https://github.com/home-assistant/operating-system/releases" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1242ee; display: inline-block; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none; word-break: break-all;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">beta</span></a><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> that does support SSD, however we plan to wait for an official version.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></strong></p><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Automations for a smart home</span></h3><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Turn on the coffee machine, when the cell phone is unplugged (only between the hours of 6am and 10am). Switch off the coffee machine after 30 minutes.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Tell Google home mini to make an announcement 1 hour before sunset.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Power on the bedroom plug at 10pm.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Movie mode - one click to switch off lights on power on the television.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Email notification in the event of a power failure and when UPS is discharging. Separate text message when the UPS charge drops below a predefined threshold.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">High priority notification when the front door is unlocked and we are not home. Similar alert when the garage door is opened.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Switch the thermostat to a lower setting when we leave home and increase temperature when we arrive.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bed time. Switch off all lights and set the thermostat temperature to not warm the house.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Set the thermostat to a predefined temperature one hour prior to the alarm set on the Android phone.</span></li></ul><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></strong></p><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lessons learnt</span></h3><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Take regular backups – you never know when a SD card could go bad or there is an unforeseen event. Setup an automation to copy the backup file to a separate device.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Review the release notes. When something stopped working, it was clearly our fault for not adjusting settings or reading the notes. However, we were not alone and the community soon posted an explanation, solution or workaround.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">The information is constantly changing, it is easy to get overwhelmed. It is important to step back and determine your individual requirements and needs.</span></li></ul>IoTinHomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15046133755187877328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9109697692232010547.post-5163743876823514972020-10-21T00:23:00.026-07:002020-11-06T01:48:49.495-08:00Fundrise Review<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">After reading the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Rich+Dad&i=stripbooks&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&linkId=118c1fa8fa413e2ed7f8b652ca552c67&tag=iotinhome-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rich Dad books</a> in the early 2000's we were confident that investing in real estate warranted further research.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We found <a href="https://fundrise.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fundrise</a> in early 2019 and spent time researching, learning and reviewing. After a few emails and conversations, we reached the conclusion that it was something worth considering. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The ability to allocate funds to multiple goals provided an additional level of confidence that the investment would be diversified and provide a balance between income and capital growth. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We were willing to allocate a small amount to access and monitor real world performance and would have gladly allocated further funds and referred friends to the platform.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fundrise experience</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The platform, like many in the emerging fintech, proptech and crowdfunding space is a great concept and provides an entry into a market that was not previously accessible to the average investor. The alternatives are to directly own real estate or participate in syndication. In our opinion, the simplest method is to invest in the real estate sector is through an ETF. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As an average or beginner investor the website, tools and information are compelling and informative. There is a a high level of transparency and we clearly understood that this would be a long term investment (~5-10 years). Our perception and interpretation was that investments would provide a low percentage of return initially and would grow over the years from appreciation in the underlying assets. Makes sense - a developer has to plan, obtain permits, build and then sell/rent a property. This could take months or years. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fees</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fundrise charges a advisory fee for providing access to the platform and funds, same as any brokerage providing access to a mutual fund or ETF. They were also clear from day one, of an early surrender charge, should an investor choose to redeem/cash out early. Think of this as a early termination fee on a bank CD.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In recent years, almost all stock broker platforms have dropped their commissions to zero. Fundrise and the crowdfunding space feels like the early days, think 1990s when you had to call a broker to buy a share and commissions were common and in some cases significantly higher.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Timeline</span></h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Initial starter portfolio </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3gL-pXqsYZ77srhOQ18nmFtxSBYtQIzv9sIgXVY0xmD5T67_7erkSUhGnwvrx2IyFGusjoNfIemVRzuzzRM9CfFXqauokL-RIviYfAL6kDMarI78ITdQX6uk6Vgl11IbLNDTsjTHWYk/s889/FR-1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Initial starter portfolio" border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="889" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3gL-pXqsYZ77srhOQ18nmFtxSBYtQIzv9sIgXVY0xmD5T67_7erkSUhGnwvrx2IyFGusjoNfIemVRzuzzRM9CfFXqauokL-RIviYfAL6kDMarI78ITdQX6uk6Vgl11IbLNDTsjTHWYk/w400-h208/FR-1.JPG" title="Initial starter portfolio" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Subsequent investment</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">We choose a different goal for the secondary investment and ended up with the following additional allocation.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguE1VmmWIcfsP35UbHkdp_W1hnOVf95rSUtiGIJ4_kGMjN0uol3LQL2Wkvx58h1TlRzHcueTq9Mdc-78IJfj80yfgAbTORtoWGlO4cXu1Pv88m5OYv_4U-ZCjrfIXolEqF9gyQRkV7nSc/s883/FR-2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Long term growth portfolio allocation" border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="883" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguE1VmmWIcfsP35UbHkdp_W1hnOVf95rSUtiGIJ4_kGMjN0uol3LQL2Wkvx58h1TlRzHcueTq9Mdc-78IJfj80yfgAbTORtoWGlO4cXu1Pv88m5OYv_4U-ZCjrfIXolEqF9gyQRkV7nSc/w400-h255/FR-2.JPG" title="Long term growth portfolio allocation" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Performance</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Returns are calculated and paid out 10-15 days after the quarter end. To date, returns have been on in the low single digits. The challenges of 2020 have also reduced return, as expected. We opted to have the return paid out, instead of reinvested. Payments have been on time and meet expectations. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAQ1zqlgAC7k-lgViaRwbb2Hf1dG4H8UhKvYFbUG04fqaYlyjoNG-BZewVnRdT95pW7QazHnuydFhfEr5hHepwcLm2qfbfAEIpbMRYgcJZy1aiRwUroG-6Swt1FjkXUkYte6aAJ75_eQ/s1022/FR-performance.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img alt="Year to date return" border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="881" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAQ1zqlgAC7k-lgViaRwbb2Hf1dG4H8UhKvYFbUG04fqaYlyjoNG-BZewVnRdT95pW7QazHnuydFhfEr5hHepwcLm2qfbfAEIpbMRYgcJZy1aiRwUroG-6Swt1FjkXUkYte6aAJ75_eQ/w345-h400/FR-performance.JPG" title="Year to date return" width="345" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tax</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Annual tax reporting documents were provided in a timely manner.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A typical investment in an ETF, produces a single consolidated tax statement of dividend and capital gains. </span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fundrise investments, based on your portfolio selection, invest in properties in multiple states. As designed and selected, right ? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In initial conversations and discussions on the tax consequences, we understood that they would provide a single K1. It turns out that they really meant a single K1 for each individual investment in the portfolio. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What this means is that an investor has to submit additional tax returns for multiple states. The additional tax preparation cost could significantly offset any gains.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><h3><span style="font-family: verdana;">Should you invest?</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you plan to invest a larger amount, where the returns are sufficient to offset the tax preparation costs, and are willing to lock up your investment for 5-10 years, the platform has potential to provide decent income and growth. We highly recommend pursuing a diversified portfolio or stocks and bonds as a primary "bucket' first. Consider a real estate ETF for additional tilt/exposure to the sector. </span></div></div>IoTinHomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15046133755187877328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9109697692232010547.post-88398264141552292342020-09-07T20:00:00.004-07:002020-11-05T21:26:40.445-08:00How to Setup a Smart Home on a Budget<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px;">Smart Home on a Budget</span></h1><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px;">Most smart home technology products, in isolation, look great at first glance and can definitely make our lives easier, more secure and even save time or money. It is only when we look deeper or have used the product for some time that we realize the true cost.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sometimes the product comes with a monthly subscription fee. It is critical to include the total cost over time to determine if the product really adds value.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Factors to consider</strong></h3><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Trial or promotion periods - product price is discounted. On the surface this may seem like a great deal, but consider the motives of the manufacturer. How are they making money for their shareholders?</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Subscription fees - over the past decade, technology companies have realized that a regular monthly subscription fee, provides a more predictable cash flow and makes shareholders happy. This boosts the share prices, executive meet their targets and get their bonuses</span></li></ul><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Privacy – companies sometimes sell the product at a loss, break-even or for minimal margin. Why would they do this ? Your data, habits, trends, demographics are all commodities that can be sold.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Security – how often are the smart devices updated. If the manufacturer stops providing updates after a few years, the consumer is now vulnerable.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lack of integration – does this product work with my other IoT devices?</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Dedicated application – Mobile apps have been known to collect more information than required for functionality.</span></li></ul><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Examples</strong></h3><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Security – Smart TV (no names mentioned). Purchased in 2012. The manufacturer did not release any updates, ever. This device required an internet connection and should it be compromised, an attacker or hacker might have access to your internal network.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">How many aging devices do you have that have not been updated?</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Solutions</strong></h3><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Most of us choose to use these products, however, we need to consider the consequences. What are we willing to give up for convenience and is it worth it. This is an individual decision and depends on your own situation, budget and circumstance.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ideas</strong></h3><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hard mute smart speakers – most have a button or switch to do this. It does mean that you can’t speak commands to the device, but it can still be used for streaming music or announcements.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Disable wifi or internet for older smart tv that has not been updated in years. Yes, it’s a dumb tv, however it can still display content from another device, eg chromecast, roku</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Cameras – disable the old port forwarding setup. This was a great option in the past, however it is only a matter of time, before this vector is compromised, due to an expired certificate or other vulnerability and suddenly the hacker has access to your home devices.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">When remote, VPN to your home network.</span></li><li data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Setup automated alerts to notify via text, twilio or your notification or choice, while not directly connected to your home. You can always VPN in and check on history or criticality.</span></li></ul>IoTinHomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15046133755187877328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9109697692232010547.post-91846528668076527322020-08-05T16:30:00.019-07:002020-11-05T20:33:43.179-08:00Mutual Fund Fees<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mutual Funds Background</span></h1><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mutualfund.asp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mutual funds</a>(MF) have been around for decades and the fees have dramatically decreased over the last few decades, due to the rise in popularity of</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/etf.asp#what-is-an-etf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ETF</a>'s</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">MF got a bad reputation for charging a load to purchase the fund and after the bad press and regulation changes, they were still know for hiding the fees under section 12b-1. Expense ratios (another fee), also dropped over time and there are some low cost funds that are almost equivalent to ETF's</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Recently, while researching investing in real estate, we learnt that the "same" investment was available through Fidelity. This gave us the added perception of confidence that the investment had pass Fidelity's compliance and scrutiny to be listed on their platform. However, after further investigation, we found the following info on their website. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SVlRnko2s3CJ2O2h9fTPlPk_DJh5mAKQEbkV6bEA2Js_AfMmyFlYNQB9IkEg5QSclW9M6BvbQxscjwKid1ffS6hNz0hJqueqJexqe7-tpjslJefkqvAv7z8YXcGaqkEg84fV8d1RSoA/s753/fidelity+mutual+fund+fees.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fidelity Mutual Fund Fees" border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="688" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SVlRnko2s3CJ2O2h9fTPlPk_DJh5mAKQEbkV6bEA2Js_AfMmyFlYNQB9IkEg5QSclW9M6BvbQxscjwKid1ffS6hNz0hJqueqJexqe7-tpjslJefkqvAv7z8YXcGaqkEg84fV8d1RSoA/w365-h400/fidelity+mutual+fund+fees.JPG" title="Fidelity Mutual Fund Fees" width="365" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: xx-small;">Source - https://fundresearch.fidelity.com/mutual-funds/fees-and-prices/66538B719</span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>IoTinHomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15046133755187877328noreply@blogger.com1