NEWS YOU CAN USE: Those Sleeper Cells you bought

[P. Aaron]

Smart Gadgets are Like Sleeper Cells in Your Kitchen
Most people don't know their gadgets can already talk to one another, and even be controlled remotely by their utility company.

If you bought a major appliance in the last three years, odds are it was "smart," even if you didn't know it. Meaning: it probably contains a wireless radio that can broadcast and transmit over a small personal area network, sending out information about a device's status and energy use, as well as receiving commands that alter its behavior.

Many appliances that don't even announce they have this capability are equipped with it, says Mike Beyerle, an engineer at GE whom I recently interviewed about GE's coming Nucleus home energy management system.

Smart Gadgets are Like Sleeper Cells in Your Kitchen - Technology Review

[Valiant Bandit]

I sell appliances.

Maybe that's why new appliances blow in terms of reliability. lol

[MJ5150]

We bought a thermostat for our furnace with WiFi. We can control it from our Android/iPhones and a website. Maybe our power company is the one connecting in and cranking up the temp. All this time, I've been blaming my wife.

-Mike

[P. Aaron]

Originally Posted by MJ5150

We bought a thermostat for our furnace with WiFi. We can control it from our Android/iPhones and a website. Maybe our power company is the one connecting in and cranking up the temp. All this time, I've been blaming my wife.

-Mike

The utilities will power residences down during peak usage times, dialing back the amount of time your A/C runs during very hot afternoons for instance. That's called 'interruptible service'. Nothing new there but can these 'radio signals' be hacked for nefarious purposes?

Of course not! They're perfectly safe and help save energy.

[Relic]

Does a vibrator count as an appliance?
Oh the possibilities

[P. Aaron]

Originally Posted by Relic

Does a vibrator count as an appliance?
Oh the possibilities

Gotta mainline yer devices to know. Of course, if your toys draw more than a basement grow room, you'll probably get noticed...by all the wrong people.