This week’s show features a guest co-host, Chris Albrecht, editor at The Spoon. We kick off the show discussing the latest IoT security vulnerability Ripple20 and why you need a software Bill of Materials for your connected products. We then focus on COVID-19 contract tracing, using wireless signals to monitor patients remotely, Intel’s updated robotic vision platform, and my personal robotic nightmare that’s now for sale. Then, we talk about the new Philips Hue gear that’s out and why Chris doesn’t want smart light bulbs. Are you ready for Apple’s WWDC or the launch of a new Wyze product? Plus, Google countersues Sonos, consumers like their storebought routers better, and National Instruments changes its name and a bit of its business strategy. Finally, we answer a user question about making cameras a bit more private.
This week’s guest is Amir Haleem, the CEO and co-founder of Helium, which operates a network for the IoT. Haleem explains why he’s chosen to build a network using a mixture of cryptocurrency, decentralized hotspots and LoRa devices. On the show, he announces Helium’s new tracker hardware and the launch of the Helium network in Europe. We talk about business models, Europe’s IoT efforts, and whether or not I will get any LoRa sensors that can deliver low-power connectivity at a greater distance from my house. It’s a good show.
Per the cam question look at Blue Iris and something like the Wireless Security Camera, Reolink (which is a 3MP cam about the same price as the Wyze. Blue Iris can be tied into you home automation or use other trigger like time of day to switch into profiles like home and away. Profiles can set PTL/Z cams to presets. So for instance turning a cam to a diff direction when you are home. I do something similar with cam in my bedroom which looks at the ceiling when I’m in there and at the cat feeders when I’m not.