IoT news of the week for Dec. 8, 2017

We’re beginning the race to the bottom: Last month we included the $20 Wyze camera on our IoT gift guide because it was cheap and good. This week the New York Times explained how the creation of Wyze owes a lot to Amazon — both its platform and its culture. I thought the columnist made a lot of good points about the future of devices, and many of them tie into my own belief that next year we’re going to see price competition in the smart home heat up. This will challenge startups and pressure established companies to drop best practices around security as they try to lower prices to meet their more nimble competition. But it could lead to greater adoption. (NYT)

Who does the subscription economy leave behind? As we consume more products as services, whether it’s our doorbells or our cars, I wonder what this means for wealth and the ability to get ahead. For many, a car or a home or equipment is a capital investment in their future. To stop owning it and pay by the night, mile or otherwise transfers a capital expense into an operational expense. How does this affect people who strive to own something so they can build wealth on it? This article is from last month, but it’s one of the first I’ve seen asking these questions. I’d like to see more. (Jalopnik)

Nothing is safe: Apple’s HomeKit framework that allows Apple phones to control specific Apple-certified smart home devices has a bug that can allow hackers to remotely control some of your devices. Apple has disabled the remote access for shared users until it can issue a patch, which is mildly inconvenient for users but done with an eye for security. The bug comes on the heels of a bad week for Apple, which has faced the disclosure of several embarrassing vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, my Belkin gear still hasn’t been patched from the KRACK vulnerabilities of a few weeks back. (PCMag)

New developer rites of passage: Inspired by the Paper Signals project, my friend Alisdair Allen took a trip down memory lane trying to catalog how development has changed by looking at what rites of passage define each era. From writing a text editor to building a connected button, Allen’s perspective is a good framework for understanding where we are and how far we’ve come with computing services. (Hackster.io)

Researchers turn miles of dark fiber into a gigantic earthquake sensor: Science is so cool you guys. And this proves that even unused internet infrastructure can become part of the internet of things. (Berkeley Lab)

Looks like Microsoft is now talking about its IoT security project: Microsoft came out with Project Sopris back in April. The vision was to boost IoT security by marrying the hardware and OS together. In one sense this a particularly Microsoftian vision bringing shades of Wintel to mind. On the other, it’s a trend that CISOs at large companies are interested in and makes a lot of sense. Last spring, Microsoft wasn’t ready to discuss Sopris on the record, but now it appears to be willing to share more details. The main new element here is that Microsoft allows its Sopris powered microcontroller OS to reboot processes or the entire MCU if it’s compromised. That allows always-on devices to get those pesky OTA updates without forcing the owner to restart and potentially reset it. (Wired)

Here’s a fun security question to answer: I have no idea what Terence Eden does as a day job, but every time I’ve seen him, he’s experiencing the challenges of a smart home and eloquently explaining them. One of his recent posts caught my eye because it’s a good question to ponder as we’re seeing more devices lose manufacturer support thanks to shutdowns or simply an unwillingness to carry on with a particular device. He asks why there’s no HTTPS for the internet of things. Specifically, one that users can control. (Terence Eden’s Blog)

I will not be giving Amazon my key anytime soon: A few stories this week made me question the wisdom of the Amazon Key program that combines a connected door lock and an Amazon security camera to let Amazon delivery drivers drop off packages inside your home. The Washington Post didn’t like the gear while HuffPo ran a story about an Amazon driver pooping on some person’s driveway. For an alternate viewpoint, a former colleague of mine did like the camera and Alexa integration.

China’s Xiaomi is seeking an IPO: I hate these stories because most companies like Xiaomi, that are a certain size and maturity, have to go public. So it’s not news they they are seeking to do so. However, I’ll note this here since Xiaomi is becoming a player in the smart home, and as price competition hits, it could become a contender. (Bloomberg)