We start this week’s show with a quick update on Amazon’s Sidewalk and then focused on the smart home news from Apple’s WWDC event earlier this week. We’re excited about third-party devices getting Siri support. We then cover the EU’s thoughts on anticompetitive behavior by IoT device companies, as well as the launch of a new standard that allows for low-power, highly-dense, mesh networks for 5G and Bluetooth. While on the topic of networking, we explain why Qualcomm’s new cluster of IoT chips is pretty cool. Then we talk about Google backing off AR Measure and Helium getting a new customer. I also review the new Nanoleaf Elements light panels and explain why you might want them, despite their cost. We close by highlighting a caller’s demand for two-factor authentication on smart home devices, specifically the Moen Flo products.
Our guest this week is Paulus Schoutsen, the creator of Home Assistant, a smart home platform for DIYers. He talks about why he built the service as well as plans for new hardware later this year. We also discuss his plans for the Matter protocol and difficulty implementing the available Matter code on Github. Schoutsen also shares his recommendations on what buyers should look for in a connected product, especially one that connects back to the cloud. We end with a bit about Home Assistant’s business model, and with me asking for his help on a common listener question. It’s a fun show.
Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Paulus Schoutsen, the creator of Home Assistant
Sponsors: Bsquare and Edge Impulse
- Apple’s bringing Siri to more devices and opens up on Matter
- The EU isn’t keen on walled gardens in the smart home
- This new low-power, highly-dense wireless network is worth a look
- The folks at Home Assistant are working on new hardware
- Will Home Assistant support Matter? You betcha!
So now we just need to know whether Matter devices that are NOT HomeKit-certified can be included in HomeKit automations, or whether it’s just in-app toggles and Siri, like what you get with HomeKit accessories if you don’t have a hub.
Woo hoo!
Answering my own question, today’s Developer session on HomeKit and Matter established that:
1) matter will have a parallel path into the HomeKit framework
2) scenes and automations will be usable with matter devices on the same basis as HomeKit accessories: that is, you have to have HomePod mini, an Apple TV, or a plugged in iPad to act as the hub
3) on boarding the matter device will look identical to on boarding a HomeKit device
4) Matter status like is the door locked or is the sensor open will be available in the same way as HomeKit accessories and can be carried via Siri or an app
5) if you are using a different hub that has an iOS app, that app could use the HomeKit/matter framework to connect matter devices to that hub and provides an instant interface which is pretty cool
All of the above available through the developer preview of iOS 15.
So far the only thing that has been verified to be still in development is the ability to use custom characteristics in matter. Those are not yet supported through this framework but they do intend to do so in the future.
So lots of interesting stuff. Of course all of this requires iOS, so android users will need to find an alternative solution.
https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2021/10298/
So let’s see if I’ve got this right: Kevin says that his reason for opting out of Amazon Sidewalk is:
He doesn’t have any devices that would give him benefit from Sidewalk, so he is opting out.
I thought the purpose of Sidewalk was to enable neighbors to help each other by, for example providing a wider net of coverage for outdoor security cameras, finding pets that have strayed away, or helping return a loved one who has wandered away due to dementia. Isn’t this comparable then to what neighbors did for each other on a neighborly basis in pre-electronic days?
If so, then in those pre-electronic days shall we assume that Kevin would not participate in helping one of his neighbors search for their lost dog because he doesn’t have a dog? Or for their neighbor’s missing Mom who is suffering from dementia since his Mom is in perfect health?
“Why should I help in looking for their dog? I don’t have a dog, so they couldn’t reciprocate in kind to me?”
“Why should I help search for my neighbor’s missing Mom? My Mom is in perfect health?”
“Why should I help my neighbor extend his security coverage? I have a private agency protect my house?”
I think that’s a reasonable argument. I’m always happy to help people that I know in my community. Even random people. But there’s generally little “cost” to that other than my time in that specific moment. Blanket help takes away my choice to help and frankly, in my little neck of the woods I doubt most people currently have devices or trackers that do or will work on Sidewalk. As I see more adoption, then I’ll certainly revaluate.
I apologize if my comment came across as a personal attack, Kevin. I certainly didn’t intend it that way, but having made yourself an example in describing your position, it seemed like the only way to make my response relevant was to respond to you as that example.
To follow up, when you say: “…in my little neck of the woods I doubt most people currently have devices or trackers that do or will work on Sidewalk. As I see more adoption, then I’ll certainly revaluate.” in my humble opinion that brings to mind why opting out IS relevant to those of us who look forward to using Sidewalk, because it will not succeed for those of us who will benefit unless and until it achieves critical mass. Without defaulting to “in” I have serious doubts that Sidewalk, or any similar “finding” service, would ever have a ghost of a chance to achieve critical mass.
Are there relevant precedents? When “Find My…” was first introduced by Apple, wasn’t being “in” as a “finder” the default position? What about Airtags – do iPhone owners have to “volunteer” to be “finders” or is it the default position? I don’t know the answer, so I am asking.
The difference is that Sidewalk is using your home WiFi, Apple’s Finder options don’t.
“ According to Apple, Find My’s background Bluetooth location tracking feature uses just tiny bits of data piggybacked on existing network traffic so there’s no impact on device battery life, data usage, or privacy.”
Even if Sidewalk has the same level of encryption, using up to 500 meg of WiFi every month is not trivial, whether it’s looked at in terms of energy use, potential cost for those on metered accounts, or potential interference.
Both Apple and Amazon products have added greatly to my quality of life (I’m quadriparetic), so my reaction isn’t based on which company is involved. But access to the WiFi network in my home is very different from a Bluetooth beacon ping while I’m out.
I think it’s a bit more like:
“Why should I use the electricity on the account I pay for to leave my porch lights on all night just in case one of my neighbors is coming home late and finds the spillover light helpful as they walk into their own house?”
Most of the applications aren’t emergencies. And there are reasons, environmental and other, for choosing not to use electricity—or WiFi— “just in case”.
LoRa is by definition low power, but WiFi certainly isn’t, at least as currently deployed.
And just as porch lights cause light pollution, more WiFi network traffic can cause issues of various kinds.
Sure, it’s likely not a big deal: but “not a big deal” isn’t engineering best practices either. Or necessarily best for the longterm health of the community.
I’m sure if someone’s Mom was missing, most of the community would be glad to help. But that’s not what most Sidewalk use cases will be. And there are “good neighbor” arguments for not leaving the porch lights on all night as well, particularly resource conservation.
As long as we live in a culture which allows individual control (and individual billing!) of these resources, it seems a little unfair to shame someone for not signing up to share them. Street lights are a community resource, paid for from a community budget. Porch lights—and WiFi in many places—are not.
If Sidewalk is a community essential, it should be paid for by a shared budget, and regulated for the community good. If it isn’t, opting out is an individual choice, regardless of someone’s reasons.
Submitted with respect.
Well said!