IoT garage door opener maker disables customer’s service after bad review

Re:IoT garage door opener maker disables customer’s service ... by ryandrake on Tuesday April 04, 2017 @08:48PM (#14038707)

> In an IPv4 world, with domestic networks connected through NAT and a dynamic IP, external servers are going to remain a thing, because the problem cannot be solved without an external server.

It can be solved, but the setup UX might not be great. Wouldn't you just have an "Advanced" UI that allows you to input the public IP address of your home network? The IoT device itself could take it from there and set up the correct firewall and forwarding rules over UPnP, or you can do it yourself. It's a one-time setup. Despite it being dynamic, how often does your ISP-provided IPV4 address actually change?

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Re:IoT garage door opener maker disables customer’s service ... by munin on Tuesday April 04, 2017 @08:53PM (#14038734)

> how often does your ISP-provided IPV4 address actually change?

About once a week. This also presupposes that every customer of your home automation gets an external IP address with a router they control. What if you don't? What if you only get an internal or private IP address from your building or whatever?

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Re:IoT garage door opener maker disables customer’s service ... by tomc1985 on Tuesday April 04, 2017 @09:21PM (#14038878)

Well, you can set up Dynamic DNS or (my favorite method) set up a persistent reverse SSH tunnel from the NAT-ed client to a world-facing server.

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Re:IoT garage door opener maker disables customer’s service ... by pavel_lishin on Tuesday April 04, 2017 @09:29PM (#14038920)

You're welcome to walk my mother through this process.

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Re:IoT garage door opener maker disables customer’s service ... by flukus on Wednesday April 05, 2017 @03:47AM (#14040460)

What would a venn diagram look like between people like your mother and people that want home automation? My mother is still firmly in the "why would I want an automatic garage door?" category.

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Re:IoT garage door opener maker disables customer’s service ... by pavel_lishin on Wednesday April 05, 2017 @10:37AM (#14042374)

I think something like an automatic garage door opener is a reasonable thing for someone to want; same with, for example, a smart HVAC system or potentially security cameras.

It obviously drops off sharply when you start getting into the Bill Gates territory where monitors on the walls adjust their artwork to suit the people currently occupying the room, or modifying the light levels, etc. But all the previously mentioned stuff seems like a reasonable thing to want, the same as an automated washing machine or a microwave oven became standard items.

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