The Internet: Your Next Remote Control 154
Makarand writes "According to this article on NewsFactor, a Hungarian company, Timothy Technologies, wants to turn the Internet into a pervasive Remote Control. This device, called
FlatStack, allows users to operate home appliances using the web. The FlatStack is an entire web server on a tiny circuit board which can be connected to the Internet and wired to the device needing remote control. Later versions of FlatStack will connect to appliances wirelessly. The FlatStack, with a variety of applications at home, can also be adapted in offices, factories and agricultural settings. It is expected to sell for around $75."
My control is... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:My control is... (Score:2)
Re:My control is... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:My control is... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:My control is... (Score:1)
Re:My control is... (Score:2)
Worried... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Worried... (Score:4, Interesting)
This technology is much better for ovens, heating systems, VCRs/PVRs, pet food dispensers or whatever. Not that I'd trust an remote control connected to the net to control any of these things. It can all be achieved with a timer.
And no, I'm not humor impaired. But it seems that every time an article gets posted on slashdot, the only posts that get moderated up are the +1 Funny.
Re:Worried... (Score:3, Insightful)
OK-- This one scares the hell out of me-- After all, not only could an attacker do a DoS attack against the appliances you use for your own livelihood, but could conceivably burn your house down!
It is possible to have sufficient security for things like this, those measures would be intrusive enough that it would probably kill the market.
Re:Worried... (Score:1)
Re:Worried... (Score:2)
"Damn, I forgot to set the timer this morning."
Re:Worried... (Score:2)
Well, since you ask, you could load it up at your convenience and run it at 2am (assuming you don't sleep next to it) when the burden on the power system is mimized.
Still, i don't see the average homeowener wiring one of these up to any major appliances.
Re:Worried... (Score:5, Funny)
Just what it would try to do with a toaster or microwave to ENLARGE YOUR PENIS is too scary to think about.
Re:Worried... (Score:1)
be....
Re:Worried... (Score:1)
Re:Worried... (Score:2)
Already invented at Viola systems (Score:5, Informative)
Also already invented for XXX (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Also already invented for XXX (Score:2)
Re:Also already invented for XXX (Score:2)
While it's a novel approach to keeping the home fires burning, I think it would suck to come home to a note that says "Honey, you know I love you, but I'm leaving you for Slashdot."
Text (Score:1)
And the article (Score:2, Informative)
The FlatStack is a tiny circuit board with an embedded operating system that functions as a Web server. The device connects to the Internet and, in turn, can receive commands through an ordinary Web page. The user logs on to the Internet, opens the Web page and is presented with various options. For example, on a hot day, one can log on to the Web page, check the current temperature at home and turn on the air conditioner remotely, so that the area will be cool by the time the user arrives home. Likewise, the user can switch on a coffee maker, TV, lights or any other home appliance to which the FlatSstack device is connected.
Vast Universe of Uses
And while uses are nearly unlimited for consumers, the FlatStack is also applicable in industrial settings, including offices, factories and agricultural arenas. Wherever there is an electronically controlled device, the FlatStack can be used.
Still, the sophisticated technology that powers FlatStack will remain outside of the user's view, as in nearly all other embedded systems. "You, as a user, will never be able to see it," Meta Group vice president Steve Kleynhans told NewsFactor recently when commenting on similar Smart Home devices. "The only thing you'll ever see is the interface they [graft] onto it." For FlatStack users, this is good news, as the Web interface is particularly simple and easy to use.
Timothy Not Home Alone
Timothy Technologies, however, is not the only high-tech company with the vision of extending the power of computing to the home. At the recent Comdex trade show, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) chairman Bill Gates announced, "Today, the home environment is one where the PC is starting to play a bigger role."
To that end, a new class of computers equipped with the upcoming Microsoft XP Media Center Edition will be able to remotely control televisions, DVD players and display digital images. The new version of Windows XP will make its debut on PCs produced by Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) that carry a price tag of several thousand dollars. By contrast, the FlatStack offers similar remote capabilities and retails for somewhere between US$75 and $100, while offering a key benefit that the Microsoft/HP system does not.
Fitting into the palm of a hand, FlatStack can remain mostly unseen and does not take up space in the home. The Microsoft/HP system, on the other hand, is relatively large and obtrusive in comparison, though it does offer some bells and whistles not offered by FlatStack.
All your house are belong to Bill Gates (Score:1)
So if I use this... (Score:5, Funny)
Probably not, but possibly... (Score:1)
Only if your VCR kicks out a tape and knocks you in the skull with it, like what happened to Arsenio Hall in "Amazon Women on the Moon"...
Re:So if I use this... (Score:2)
Imagine the day when people will be able to post links to Cowboy Neal's toaster [foo.bar] for posting redundant articles!
Re:So if I use this... (Score:1)
yeah
Hammer / Nail (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Hammer / Nail (Score:1)
Ugh.. (Score:4, Funny)
But imagine if someone's robbing your house and you happen to switch on the lights or something from the web or turn on the music or the tv. If the robbers won't have a heart attack, your house will forever be free of any disturbances.
"Hey, that house looks good, look at that TV! Let's take it!"
"Are you crazy? Haven't you heard? it's the 'haunted' house!"
Re:Ugh.. (Score:2)
Re:Ugh.. (Score:1)
Unfortunatly some states (CA being one) you can't use deadly force to defend your property. You can only use it to defend your life (or families, etc). Whether or not you were defending your life can actually be very subjective...
Its not like TN where you can shoot trespassers after dark (or so I've heard- may just be a myth).
Re:Ugh.. (Score:1)
KABOOM! (Score:2)
While that can't be done with this device which is a retrofit to existing hardware, the devices where this will be built in at the factory are on the way, complete with diagnostic modes to allow remote troubleshooting.
Re:Ugh.. (Score:2)
That's nothing. I'm working out a system where I can have my refridgerator chase people out of my house when it senses motion... then return itself to it's regular position.
Might not sound terribly useful to mose people, but it'll be a hell of a lot of fun to hear them try to explain it to the police.
Hmmmm.. (Score:2, Funny)
a Hungarian company, Timothy Technologies
Draw your own conclusions about
Re:Hmmmm.. (Score:2)
from the well-named-company dept.
You're very perceptive..
Better excuses (Score:3, Funny)
Reason for eating out:
"Someone hacked into my fridge...."
DriveMeInsane.com (Score:5, Interesting)
A rather cool site that has been setup so you can control a good number of devices and cams in this guy's home. Even his lawn sprinkler. He has had a remote control car with a video cam on it and soforth that you can drive around his house. Definately a must see.
-- AcquaCow
Re:DriveMeInsane.com (Score:2, Funny)
i dont find it that usefull except ... (Score:2, Interesting)
Jeez, get a setback thermostat (Score:2)
Cool (ha-ha), requires no thinking, and cheaper. Occam's Razor baby.
And you can even economize by one "l" in useful.
Screw that (Score:4, Interesting)
I carry the thing with me everywhere anyway.
Bluetooth anyone?
A script kiddies dream! (Score:1)
Re:A script kiddies dream! (Score:2, Funny)
alternatively, spend twelve bucks on a couple of timers to turn lights on and off when you're gone, about the only conceivable use that is actually worth something...
??? Do we really NEED this? (Score:4, Insightful)
If it was made for local control, this might not be such a problem, since a central regulating computer could work with it. However, if it's using a web server, this screams 'inefficient' for that kind of use, and would be much better using something along the lines of UPSd or even some kind of peek-poke method, like we used for IO address manipulation. Otherwise, it wouldn't even work very well for home automation.
Re:??? Do we really NEED this? (Score:2)
Not to be a skeptic, but I'm not sure it's even appropriate for most "home automation" applications: For most tasks like laundry and cooking, a human already needs to be there to do a lot of the prep work (carrying the clothes to the appliance, preparing the ingredients, etc.). If no one's in a room, then the lights should probably not be on anyway, so remote light-switches seem almost wretchedly excessive to me.
The only thing I think "home automation" is good for is directed climate control with a centralized appliance (i.e., furnace, but this would require a lot of manual override ability in the event that the automation mechanism failed), and home entertainment (centrally-located media store with streaming media to all viewing centers in the house).
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I always thought a house was fer livin' in. Seems if yer already livin' in it, remote activation of them thar lights an' things would be kinda superfluous....
Re:??? Do we really NEED this? (Score:2)
The only other way that such a complex system could seemingly be useful is if voice control matured to a point where you would want a central computer listening to what you said when you're in the house, to let you begin to preheat the oven, or to lower the temperature on the freezer if you're coming home with a large supply of food to put in it, etc, but beyond that, I'm not really sure.
Re:??? Do we really NEED this? (Score:2)
Although I would certainly respect the hack, this is largely unnecessary as most (at least high-end) modern washers have these capabilities built-in. You might be able to convince me that connecting my Maytag to the (firewalled) Internet is useful because it can download new data (as it becomes available) on how to change its cycle behavior depending on different stains, but you would be hard-pressed to make me believe that remote control was the right design over an embedded solution for controlling the actual washer.
Re:??? Do we really NEED this? (Score:1)
hi-tech self sabotage (Score:3, Funny)
Husband: "Hi honey, I'm going to be home around 5:00, what's for dinner?"
Wife: "My special meatloaf."
Husband: "Mmm. I can't wait!"
(husband goes to remote admin webpage and turns off the fridge)
Re:hi-tech self sabotage (Score:2)
Re:hi-tech self sabotage (Score:1)
Re:hi-tech self sabotage (Score:1)
Bells and whistles... (Score:2, Funny)
What are the Microsoft bells and whistles? BSOD, the ability to tell Microsoft who raids the fridge in th middle of the night, also who watches the p0rn channels.
**Yawn** (Score:1)
nothing new (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.siteplayer.com/ [siteplayer.com]
Re:nothing new (Score:1, Funny)
Imagine, something stale being posted on slashdot that isn't really news. holy fucking shit get me the president, ripley, and call guiness. This is almost a news story unto itself and should be posted on slashdot in about a month or two.
Security impact (Score:1)
Re:Security impact (Score:1)
Re:Security impact (Score:1)
Baby steps to big brother...
Do we really want this? (Score:2, Interesting)
I can do that for a fraction of the cost...... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:I can do that for a fraction of the cost...... (Score:1)
any server on your equipment is illegal
Not on my service...DirectTV DSL [directtvdsl.com] is the best.
Read the agreement more carefully... (Score:2)
If other people can access your server you have a problem...can anybody think of any servers that aren't public access.
SSH perhaps? X tunnelled through it? I think that would work, don't you? Nobody can access that service without username and password, or if you're really a security nut, a public key and passcode.
Re:I can do that for a fraction of the cost...... (Score:2)
bastards.
Re:I can do that for a fraction of the cost...... (Score:2)
Not overly impressed ... (Score:1, Interesting)
X10?! (Score:1)
Uh, I was doing that a couple years ago with X10. Mind you it didn't have the embedded web server, but nonetheless the web control worked and even over my 28.8K dial-up it was sufficiently fast to control the lights.
The advantage from X10 is their stuff works most of the time, they've been doing it for a while and have a large assortment of stuff. The disadvantage is you are then contributing to their pervasive pop-under ads. I stopped buying from X10 when they started the ads.
Re:X10?! (Score:2)
Its a shame actually, as its the only thing that X10 does well. Those cams they advertise everywhere are crap.
-Restil
LonWorks/Echelon does it better (Score:2)
LonWorks was supposed to be the mainstream system for home control, with backing from some big companies. It never made it. It's become popular in some niche markets, like controlling lights, HVAC, and signs in railroad passenger cars, subways, and such. (The noise immunity is quite good, so it will work in subways.) It's used in industrial control. But it's gone nowhere in home automation.
Excellent Xmas gift.. (Score:5, Funny)
.. for my ex-wife, I hope it's programmable.
if $ExWife in $Bathtub {
drop $HairDryer in $Bathtub;
power 1 $HairDryer;
sleep 120;
};
Hackers: How to get a house cheap (Score:3, Funny)
"Hello? Hi Jim, how are you? Well, it's pretty bad here. The lights keep switching on and off and the coffee maker won't shut off. The washing machine keeps overflowing. Every time we turn the oven off, it comes on again. When we turn the thermostat up, it gets colder in here. Last month's electric bill was $15,000.00. We think the place is haunted and just decided that we're going to sell it to the first person to make an offer, no matter how low it is.
(Ding dong...)
"Jim, I've got to go. There's someone at the door."
I believe no-one has noted... (Score:2)
Uh oh .. watch out ... (Score:1)
before this devices give a FlatStack overflow !
Not a big deal... (Score:2)
I think people are affraid of the term web server because it combines two strong buzz words.
A pure and simple text web server is actually very easy to implement. It's an 'ask a question, get text back' protocol...
Unless they plan to stream out MPG feeds from your toasters, creating such a circuit might be just as simple as the circuitry in a fancy watch.
(It's not a novel concept either)
I can see it now... (Score:2, Funny)
***click***
---Flush---
***click click click***
---Flush flush flush---
My Wife (in the shower): That's it! I'm divorcing you!
----
The difficulty of a system is only comparable to the ingnorance of the end-user.
The point being? (Score:1)
Egads! (Score:3, Insightful)
Uh... (Score:5, Informative)
Residential War Driving... (Score:2)
> appliances wirelessly.
It's been done more than once - TINI (Score:2, Informative)
lost remote? (Score:3, Funny)
is nobody else worried what happens when one of those bratty kids misplaces the remote?
This is just what I've always wanted! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:This is just what I've always wanted! (Score:2)
use this network to change channel on my TV, which is set 9 feets away from me.
Heh, I was so proud of my technically-challenged wife the first time she forwarded a joke email to me. We share an office, and our computers are four feet apart. She sent it out to the Midwest and back, instead of just asking me to turn around in my chair and read it off her screen.
Cool, but... (Score:2)
Why would I buy this version if the next version's gonna be easier to integrate with wireless?
Reminds me of Adam Osborne's Famous Blunder [denbeste.nu].
Surfin' into the future! (Score:1)
There's something better out... (Score:1)
Lord, just make sure MS doesn't get ahold of it (Score:2)
I shudder to think of the senseless violence I would cause when my coffee pot BSOD'd.
HERE IS WHY THIS IS GREAT!!!! (Score:4, Interesting)
AND THIS IS THE KICKER!!! Once people are using stuff like this, then cable companies must be forced to change their policies to allow servers. Think about it! If the middle-class masses all want to use this to control home security, lights, etc, then the cable company would have to allow a major desire of millions of people to be allowed. Well, not "forced" to, but it's a shot. So anything that needs servers running in the house over broadband gets a vote "yes" from me.
MisterHouse (Score:1)
Blah (Score:2)
Get a fucking CLUE people.
Ok, if you are too inept to know how to secure anything right, yes i would worry about having this too. If i was you in that situation, id worry about most of the things normal people do through out the day.
[saracsm]
Oh my god with one small piece of metal a person can get access to my whole house, and another piece of metal gives them access to my car?? The horror! Wont someone think of the security?!
[/sarcasm]
Yes, give an idiot power and the idiots power can be exploited. By adding the internet in there, that still wont change anything.
Does this mean the world shouldnt have this ability? NO!
I for one would love to have remote access control and monitoring for my whole home.
I however would also make sure it was secure.
Just because you arnt security experts and so trust M$ to do all of your security work for you and their ineptness lets you down does not mean that is how everyone else would be as well.
Use some comon sense. If your oven is attached to the internet, and that gives it the possibility of starting a fire, well it sounds to me like one should build in safeguards that CANT be overwritten by the remote control to prevent that from happening.
An oven already wont get hot enough to simply burst into flames.. and if it can, that is far from a problem with how it is controlled.
I would also love for my car to be remotely monitored and controlled.
Imagine the 'bad-ass' points you would get by foiling a car thieft this way.
Do i worry that some script kiddie could break in and use this aginst me? Of course i do, thats why i think of all the ways one may go about doing that and add measures to stop it ahead of time.
Would i trust MS to make something like this secure? No.. Would i trust this guy? Depends, if i could look over his work I may be convinced to trust him. If i couldnt, no i would not.
Would this stop me from adding my own security in front of all these appliances? Never on your life.
When people come up with new abilitys and resources for doing things such as this, we also must come up with new ways to make sure they arnt abused incorrectly. The two come hand in hand.
But at the same time, one generally learns/discovers the way to do something before how to use it correctly. Security will come very shortly after, and just because something can be abused is no excuse to stop its existance or not continue learning.
Fossil-rific (Score:1)
Reminds me of a cartoon onetime (Score:2)
We Control The Vertical...And The Horizontal (Score:1)
Privacy issues? (Score:1)
And hey, that's just the FBI. I'm sure there would be no commercial applications of such domestic data mining, of course not. Eesh. Count me out of this latest modern convenience.
iopha
Hack my House (Score:1)
Well, the only things that have implemented this in real life so far as I know are
In general, I'd be very concerned about implementing this. I don't let http requests into my firewall, and I'm not sure I'd like to start, script kiddies or no. Comcast just bought my attbi service, and they're thinking about service caps. My toaster, washer, dryer, fridge, microwave, furnace, answering machine, TiVo, CD Burner, etc. could use up my cap just replying "No, there is no formmail.pl" every twelve seconds.
Hmmm.. that list at least has a few things worth implementing: a nice speech-to-text on my answering machine would be good, and the remote-programmable thermostat is nearly a must-have. Add to that something to feed and let out (and entertain) my dog, and I nearly don't have to come home for a night.
S-E-C-U-R-I-T-Y!!! (Score:2)
So where's the SSL and the firewall?
If you can't figure out why this needs to be protected with a password enabled-SSL link and a firewall built into the microserver, you're invited to hook your hot tub to one (and PLEASE point a webcam at it), hook it up to the Net, post the IPs for both the webcam and the hot tub here, and climb in for a nice, long, relaxing soak.
Request to /. editors, if anyone actually does this, PLEASE make sure the article goes up IMMEDIATELY.
If the designer didn't think of this, he should be the first one to try this.
Notification (Score:2)
Notification
It would be great to know when:
Your wash load is done.
Your washer has stopped, unbalanced load
The clothes in the dryer are ready. (repeat until clothes removed)
garage door is open
Refrigerator temperature high - door open
To a lesser extent:
Your toaster has popped
Garbage disposal has run for more than 1 minute
The food in the microwave is ready and has cooled for a while
Some appliances that would be nice to control are:
Thermostat, especially to know when somebody's home and when NOBODY is home
water heater on/off
Just the fridge door open could pay for the entire sensor (ever lost a fridge full of food?)
So notification is the real key here, not toasting bread through the internet.
Aren't there cheaper on-chip solutions? (Score:2)