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1500 questions
130
votes
4 answers
How can I stop Alexa from ordering things if it hears a voice on TV?
According to The Register, lots of Amazon Echo devices were accidentally triggered by a presenter saying 'Alexa ordered me a dollhouse'.
Telly station CW-6 said the blunder happened during a Thursday morning news package about a Texan six-year-old…
Aurora0001
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56
votes
8 answers
Securing small home automation setup
I have a small home automation lab (that I keep saying I'll expand, but haven't). In this setup, I have a control system to control lights (utilizing the x10 protocol), blinds, a Nest thermostat and two web cams.
With the recent record setting DDoS…
Andy
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49
votes
9 answers
What is the simplest programmable IoT device that can connect to Wi-Fi?
I am trying to build a cheap asset tracker that can be powered by a battery pack. All I need the IoT device to do, is to connect to known WiFi network access points. I have access to the backend system that manages the WiFi access points.
I…
rams
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48
votes
6 answers
When and why to use MQTT protocol?
I am developing a device which measures temperature, humidity and mass. Currently it uses HTTPS to upload data to a remote server. Now I know that there is a protocol called MQTT which is claimed to be the "protocol of Internet of Things".
In what…
Bence Kaulics
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46
votes
13 answers
Are there any smart electrical plugs with an open API?
My friend and I are in a university and we have been asked by the agriculture professor to create automated watering systems for plants. We want to have control over the grow lights so are there any commercial product that has an API that I can turn…
Trevin Corkery
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40
votes
5 answers
Can I monitor my network for rogue IoT device activity?
In order to mitigate or manage the risk from having some of the devices on my home network compromised, is it feasible to monitor network traffic so as to detect a compromise?
I'm specifically interested in solutions which don't require me to be a…
Sean Houlihane
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38
votes
16 answers
Where can I harvest energy in my home to power my wireless sensors?
I was reading this article, "Five Building Blocks of Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Nodes" (shared on IoT Meta) about energy harvesting in IoT.
It lists a couple of harvestable energy sources for example:
thermal energy
vibration energy
I am…
Bence Kaulics
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37
votes
4 answers
What is the difference between IoT and "Industry 4.0"?
When reading about IoT, I often stumble upon the phrase "Industry 4.0". But what is the exact definition of it? Is "Industry 4.0" just a phrase for an IoT application in an industrial environment?
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
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5 answers
Is there a fully open source platform for IoT presentation and visualization?
I have decided to use the AWS IoT communications platform in order to talk with our sensors.
However, when it comes to visualization, I was hoping it wouldn't be necessary to reinvent the wheel.
As you can see in the above picture, the IoT…
SeanJ
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36
votes
5 answers
How to use English Alexa Skills on my German Echo Dot
I want to use English Alexa skills on a German Echo Dot. But when I switch to US English to access English skills I get this problem:
Die ausgewählte Spracheinstellung stimmt nicht mit den Einstellungen Ihres Amazon-Kontos überein.
Daher werden…
Helmar
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35
votes
7 answers
What classifies a device as IoT?
IoT stands for Internet of Things.
Would a fitbit or device that connects to a mobile phone or computer through Bluetooth the be considered IoT? What about radio controlled devices?
What classifies a device as an Internet of Things device?
10 Replies
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33
votes
5 answers
When to use Wi-Fi over Bluetooth or vice versa in an IoT system?
Basically when it comes to IoT, the two main communication methods which come to my mind are either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. I know that there are others as well like ZigBee, Z-Wave but I would like to stay at either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth as they are…
Bence Kaulics
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32
votes
5 answers
Can I ask Alexa to turn off its microphone by voice command?
Is it possible to build a custom skill that would be equivalent to pressing the microphone on/off button on the top of the Amazon Echo?
I know from this article on How-To Geek that such voice command is not available by default:
One feature we…
Bence Kaulics
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32
votes
8 answers
How much power do smart sockets consume themselves?
I see a lot of Wi-Fi sockets or plugs etc, but no one ever mentions how much power they consume themselves. They are typically connected to Wi-Fi constantly, waiting for commands. Does this not take power?
I know it's probably (hopefully) less than…
David d C e Freitas
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31
votes
3 answers
Is the Amazon Echo mic mute a hardware switch?
I recently got my hands on an Echo Dot.
I'm hesitating to install it, since I'm concerned about my privacy.
According to Amazon's privacy notice, they may use all data they capture.
I've noticed that the Amazon Echo comes with a mic mute button,…
FMaz
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