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Smart Homes

All articles tagged with #smart homes

IKEA switches from Zigbee to Thread, fully embracing Matter for smart homes

Originally Published 6 months ago — by Hacker News

IKEA is shifting from Zigbee to Thread for its smart home products, adopting the Matter standard, which is seen as more open but has limitations such as device incompatibility and licensing costs. The move has sparked debate over the openness and security of Matter and Thread, with concerns about closed ecosystems, device certification, and network fragmentation. Despite some frustrations with current smart home ecosystems, many users value the stability and flexibility offered by platforms like Home Assistant, which can integrate various protocols and devices, though they face challenges with device reliability and network complexity.

technology technology home-automation matter smart-homes technology thread zigbee

Unveiling the Hidden Dangers of Smart Home Security

Originally Published 2 years ago — by Study Finds

A major study conducted by IMDEA Networks and Northeastern University has revealed alarming security and privacy threats within smart homes. The researchers found that IoT devices and mobile apps in smart homes can inadvertently expose sensitive data, such as unique device names, UUIDs, and even the geographic location of households. This information can be exploited by companies involved in surveillance capitalism without the users' knowledge. The study highlights the need for better protections in smart homes and calls for action from manufacturers, software developers, IoT and mobile platform operators, and policymakers to enhance the privacy and security of these devices.

technology technology iot-devices local-network-protocols privacy-concerns security-threats smart-homes technology