Brian H Posted July 12, 2016 Posted July 12, 2016 Seem like the Net Gear VueZone line of devices is going to be another casualty of a Cloud Server being discontinued. By Net Gear. http://www.networkworld.com/article/3093439/internet-of-things/throwing-our-iot-investment-in-the-trash-thanks-to-netgear.html?google_editors_picks=true
Teken Posted July 12, 2016 Posted July 12, 2016 Seem like the Net Gear VueZone line of devices is going to be another casualty of a Cloud Server being discontinued. By Net Gear. http://www.networkworld.com/article/3093439/internet-of-things/throwing-our-iot-investment-in-the-trash-thanks-to-netgear.html?google_editors_picks=true Yup, read that when it was published the other day and really had a good laugh. I've said this probably a few hundred times in this forum alone - cloud hosted services which are directly tied to local hardware platforms to operate is truly dumb. As I also stated many times let it all crash, burn, and shut down . . . I am truly eager to see more of these major companies pull the virtual plug on any cloud hosted services which are tied to the users local hardware. It will teach them to read and educate themselves instead of being a mindless iSheep! With more companies shutting down cloud hosted services perhaps in time the tides will swing back to a local first vs cloud first. Sadly, there are truly too many stupid people in the industry that are pushing and embracing this dumb model. As an aside I always find it extremely funny to read these bloggers like in the (author) in this article who obviously have no freaking clue about security - never mind cameras in general. To think there are millions of fools who are pushing their private video to the cloud where anyone can view and access it. I really don't feel sorry for this guy at all because for someone who is supposed to be into technology one would have thought there would have been a glint of common sense when he purchased this toy. What people need to worry about moving forward is the American Government who is pushing for a new model and standard for all IoT devices which essentially provides basic to advanced information regarding the hardware. The American Government thus far has indicated they have no interest in mandating conformity. Yet we all know this is a complete and utter lie and will be used to access billions of peoples homes and businesses moving forward. To think there are highly educated people who believe Edward Snowden is and was a traitor to his country?!?!? The only traitor in this whole mess is the American Government in abusing the bill of rights and the people they are sworn to serve and protect. So very sad . . .
paulbates Posted July 13, 2016 Posted July 13, 2016 When buying network accessed HA products in today's volatile market, a local API as a critical feature . A local api can be accessed from the LAN with no cloud interaction. If the cloud capability goes away, and/or the company goes out of business; you still have control. Products with a local API can be integrated into the ISY via network module or programs like Polyglot Node servers, or Nodelink. Note Polyglot and Nodelink support a mix of products, some of which have a local API and some don't, so you have to check or ask: Some products with a local API - Logitech Harmony, Venstar Colortouch Thermostats, Rainmachine Paul
Teken Posted July 13, 2016 Posted July 13, 2016 To be more specific there are many types of hardware that have some kind of reliance on the cloud. The Insteon HUB for example relies 100% on the cloud to operate which many new users have no clue about. Then you have other products which rely on the Internet to offer advanced features but still allows the end product to function on basic / medium basis. Some of the new smart water irrigation and weather stations are like these which is just fine because its not reliant on a companies dedicated servers - but just having the ability to access known independent services like weather underground, weather bug, NOAA, etc. Then you have infamous heart beat (call home) topology which was very common in video games and consoles along with various pieces of DVD hardware and others. To think people would spend huge sums of money in *thinking they own something* when in fact they only lease the system, hardware, software, is just incredible. Lets see if this trend continues in the next 24 months as it did with that turd of a controller they called Revolv. As the author in the article indicated who ever is in charge of the PR for Netgear clearly didn't use all of their brain cells when they sent that EOL termination notice. LOL . . . What makes them think anyone would spend a dime to a company who offered the end user no service after the sale? Not even a discount to soften the blow their little toy is now paper weight. Ha, love it . . .
lilyoyo1 Posted July 15, 2016 Posted July 15, 2016 I'm with you Teken on this. I don't want my system dependent on something that will (not if) eventually cease to function. The only things that I own that depend on the cloud are my ecobee3's and echos. My thermostats don't matter since I haven't used the app since I bought them and I rarely even use my echos except to play music or add something to my shopping list for when I'm in the store.
Teken Posted July 15, 2016 Posted July 15, 2016 I'm with you Teken on this. I don't want my system dependent on something that will (not if) eventually cease to function. The only things that I own that depend on the cloud are my ecobee3's and echos. My thermostats don't matter since I haven't used the app since I bought them and I rarely even use my echos except to play music or add something to my shopping list for when I'm in the store. Sadly, you and I are obviously the minority in all of this - if this wasn't true there wouldn't be tens of millions of people buying and using these silly things. Gone are the days where a person could purchase and count on a company in offering service after the sale. Never mind a company keeping their promise to supply a service for something which costs a large sum. Its apparent by the authors written reply he didn't learn his lesson the first go round as he indicated it would have been great if they upgraded him or offered a discount on the latest and greatest fad toy they called Arlo. Like WTF?!?!? So let me get this straight - you blog about technology so one would think you know the basics. But instead of using some of that knowledge to guide you in a long term investment to protect your lives and property. You decide to purchase a cloud based toy which offers absolutely no control or privacy?!?! Then, some time later because you were so trusting in a 2nd tier company to keep rolling along offering endless service for a poorly thought out scheme. You would still be happy to have received a discount or a upgrade to the latest and greatest fad product? What did Forest Gump say? *Stupid is - is stupid does* Some people just never learn - I have no sympathy for people who lack any common sense.
elvisimprsntr Posted July 15, 2016 Posted July 15, 2016 My homebrew solution keeps looking better every day. IP cameras with published API and open source ZoneMinder NVR server.
jtara92101 Posted July 15, 2016 Posted July 15, 2016 With more companies shutting down cloud hosted services perhaps in time the tides will swing back to a local first vs cloud first. Sadly, there are truly too many stupid people in the industry that are pushing and embracing this dumb model. Wow, I see we are in agreement! You just don't see it with Echo, though, LOL. What people need to worry about moving forward is the American Government who is pushing for a new model and standard for all IoT devices which essentially provides basic to advanced information regarding the hardware. The American Government thus far has indicated they have no interest in mandating conformity. Yet we all know this is a complete and utter lie and will be used to access billions of peoples homes and businesses moving forward. To think there are highly educated people who believe Edward Snowden is and was a traitor to his country?!?!? The only traitor in this whole mess is the American Government in abusing the bill of rights and the people they are sworn to serve and protect. I'm not THAT paranoid, though. My concerns is not so much with our current government, but some future one. Once the data exists, many will want to get it in their hands. Right now, if is mostly commercial interests grubbing for data to tell them what we buy, and when and where we buy it - in hope they can entice us to buy more stuff than we have in the past. But what would a Hitler (NOT referring to Donald Trump, but if the shoe fits...) do with access to the fine-grained detailed data of what we do every minute of every day? Can we even count the ways that data could be mis-used? Some future government (or other interests) that's not so nice as ours to it's citizens might misuse that data - in a year, 10, or 20 years. Once the data is out there, it is out there. Like that uncovered pool, it is an "attractive nuisance". Not only might it be misused, it will ATTRACT misuse. That's why I think it's important that this fine-grained data not go any further than it needs to. How many people are installing "security systems" that are shipping data off to "the cloud" where it might be misappropriated by thieves who would love to know when you are likely to not be home? (Or even insure it with certainty - if available in real-time.) What we watch, who we communicate with, what we say to them, where we are and when, what we buy (when and where), what we eat, all is now being collected. Put all this mundane information together, and it is incredibly valuable to the corrupt, dishonest, or power-hungry! And... nobody seems to care! I am guilty! I got a Nest. I left my Venstar behind at my old place. (I did bring the Insteon module to sell on Ebay...) The Venstar/Insteon module are too much of a pain to integrate. The Nest just works. There is a price to pay for that. But Google says they are not evil. Well, I don't think Google is evil. But I think lots of evil people would love to get their hands on their data! BTW, one very good thing that came as a result of Snowden. Prior to Snowden, Google didn't encrypt traffic on their private fiber. They had been naive', and somehow thought that their private fiber strands were there private fiber strands. All that traffic passing under the ocean, unencrypted - an attractive nuisance. They didn't realize it's perfectly feasible to send down divers to tap the fiber, and has been done. And, with so much private data on a few fiber strands - why would you NOT - if you are evil? Or even if you simply feel you have a compelling need? Google now encrypts everything - even on their "private" fibers.
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