IoT news of the week for Oct. 21, 2022

Why Netatmo’s video doorbell won’t support HomeKit Secure Video: Yet another smart home device isn’t getting a previously promised Apple HomeKit feature. This time it’s the Netatmo Video Doorbell. Even though it works with HomeKit, adding the HomeKit Secure Video (HSV) feature has been such a challenge that the company has given up on the problem. What’s the issue? Apple’s requirements stipulate that HSV cameras must continuously encode video at 30 fps. Unfortunately, speeding up the camera’s encoding from the default 2 fps to 30 fps causes overheating issues. This is a shame, because Netatmo’s outdoor cameras do support HSV. Perhaps Netatmo put too much confidence in the doorbell’s processor or overlooked the requirement when designing the product. Either way, if you were waiting to welcome HSV to your home for this doorbell, you can now stop. (9to5 Mac)

There’s another smart light strip choice on the market: Cync, owned by Savant, this week introduced its new “Dynamic Effects” products, with the first being smart light strips. Available now with a starting price of $89.99, the Cync Dynamic Effects Strip and optional extensions come in both indoor and outdoor models. Expect to pay double for the outdoor-capable, multicolor light strips, although they are twice the length of the indoor units. If you opt for indoor strips, you can synchronize the LED strips to music. Look for more Cync Dynamic Effects products in 2023. (Cync)

Did you hear about Google’s newest operating system? The engineers at Google never seem happy enough with readily available operating systems; I guess that’s why they build their own. The latest one is called KataOS. You won’t use KataOS on a phone, tablet, Chromebook, or a server, though. This effort is squarely aimed at running machine learning (ML) on embedded platforms and is a microkernel. That means it’s orders of magnitude smaller in size than, for example, the Linux kernel that powers computers and servers. I could see small sensors using KataOS for on-device ML in the future — that is if Google actually delivers the software. Given how long it took the company to develop and ship Fucshia with its custom kernel on a Nest Hub, I figure we have at least five years to wait and see. (The Register)

So long, Eero Secure: Although Amazon announced a few weeks ago that the $30 Eero Secure subscription plans were going away, it’s worth a reminder. Amazon, which acquired Eero’s mesh router business in 2019, has already stopped accepting new Eero Secure plan subscribers and is transitioning existing customers to its $99 yearly Eero Secure Plus service starting Nov. 15. For the past few years, I’ve used the less expensive Eero Secure plan, which includes parental controls, ad blocking, and network activity data. I still want those services, but now they’ll not only cost more but I’d also be paying for things I don’t want or already have. Eero Secure Plus adds subscriptions to Malwarebytes antivirus software, 1Password’s password manager (which I pay for separately today), and Encrypt.me’s VPN service. I guess I’ll have to make the same decision that many of you will wrestle with: Is the new plan worth the extra expense? (The Verge)

Texas sues Google over biometrics gathering: Well here’s an issue I’ve wrestled with ever since I added a connected camera to my smart home. How do I disclose to guests that they may be on camera and, more importantly, how do I get their consent? I still don’t have answers. And neither does the Attorney General of Texas, who sued Google this week for capturing biometric data “from Texans through its products and services like Google Photos, Google Assistant, and Nest Hub Max.” Texas law requires consent prior to getting such data. So the case revolves around capturing, storing, or using biometric identifiers through voice or facial recognition. I’m looking forward to seeing the outcome of this case. (Ars Technica)

More security for OT networks: Cybersecurity firm Radiflow this week announced a partnership with ST Engineering to provide network segmentation solutions to operational technology (OT) customers. The approach is similar to but broader in scope than a smart home owner segmenting their home network to isolate traditional internet activities from smart home device connections. In that case, the idea is that if a sensor or camera is compromised, only other devices on that same device network could potentially be infiltrated. Although like most smart home owners I worry about such intrusions, Radiflow and ST Engineering are focused on protecting OT assets such as production lines, utilities, and fire control systems. They also say their joint effort fully supports Singapore’s CCOP v2 standard and will be shown off at the upcoming GovWare 2022 event. (World Pipelines)

U.S. ready to tackle healthcare cybersecurity: Segmenting networks works well for devices but less so for private data. So the U.S. Health and Human Services department is starting to work with healthcare companies and hospitals to create minimum cybersecurity safeguards. I didn’t realize that, according to the FBI, the U.S. healthcare industry in 2021 battled ransomware attacks more than any other industry in the nation. Now that I do, I’m wondering what took the White House so long to start addressing this. Expect new healthcare cybersecurity standards and guidance soon. (Health IT Security)

Another week, another funding round for robots: Ambi Robotics raised $32 million this week in a new funding round. What stands out to me about this deal isn’t the amount of funding, but the company itself, which uses simulations to teach robots how to complete tasks. They can “pick and pack,” for example, in a warehouse. Not only is it easy to train the robot’s brains, but it’s also getting easier for them to handle fragile items. Ambi’s latest robots are using a “soft touch” end effector (think: fingers) to deftly lift and carry products that previously required gentle human hands. (TechCrunch)

Here’s an open source tool to test your IoT platform: Companies deploying fleets of IoT devices already test the security and functionality of those devices. (At least I hope so.) But how can you test for bottlenecks from all of that data moving around? Enter EMQX, which checks to see if your IoT platform can handle massive amounts of MMQT messages to and from connected devices. Although my little DIY projects generate message data, I’m not deploying them at scale. However, if I were in charge of managing thousands, tens of thousands, or even more connected devices, I’d be all over a tool like this. It looks relatively simple to set up and use, so if you’re the ruler of all things IoT at your company, it’s worth a look. (OpenSource)

The European Space Agency endorses 5G in space: This week, Sateliot gained the European Space Agency’s endorsement to deploy 5G satellites for IoT network coverage. Sateliot plans to launch low-orbit nanosatellites to provide 5G coverage for IoT devices. The 5G NB-IoT network is expected to provide coverage in ground areas that either aren’t or can’t easily be covered. Think of receiving shipment data from cargo ships on the ocean or sensors in remote regions where cellular coverage isn’t readily available. I can endorse that, too. (Total Telecom)