Episode 394: This company thinks TinyML will be big

Amazon is bringing its services closer to the edge with a new product and deal with Verizon, but it’s not the only cloud provider signing a partnership with a carrier. We also discuss Resideo’s executive change and a new smart home hub concept crammed into a thermostat. From there we talk about our confusion with the new Wyze door lock, disappointment with Ring, a crucial service going down, an FBI warning, and why Kevin is unplugging his Wink hub. We end by answering a listener question about how to transfer between smart hubs. The new Wyze lock is $89 but doesn’t have a keypad. Image courtesy of Wyze. This week’s guest is Felicite Moorman, CEO of Stratis IoT. Moorman’s company provides the infrastructure for smart apartment buildings, so we discuss the up and coming trends for connectivity in multi-family housing and how to optimize for security. We also talk about the questions residents should ask when they lease a smart apartment, and what rights they should have. Moorman also explains how smarter buildings can help increase sustainable living and her faith in younger generations. Enjoy the show. Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel Guest: Felicite Moorman, CEO, Stratis IoT Sponsor: Cirrent Could Amazon’s new Wavelength service be good for the industrial edge? Resideo’s CEO is stepping down. How to transfer your smart hubs. Is now the time for sustainable smart apartments? Questions you should ask your landlord when moving into a smart apartment. The post Episode 245: What to ask your landlord about smart apartments appeared first on IoT Podcast - Internet of Things.

5 Dec 201951min

This week Amazon announced several new services ahead of its re:Invent event next week including news about Alexa Voice Services and the IoT elements of the cloud. We also touch base about Wink’s latest problem and try to explain the kerfuffle on lightweight IoT encryption. In smaller news bits, we talk about Wyze killing its person-detection feature unexpectedly, NB-IoT trackers from See.Sense and Flok, Google’s Ambient Mode coming to phones and Black Friday deals. We then review the Philips Hue Smart Button and the RoomMe presence detection devices from Intellithings. We end by answering a listener question about ways to remotely track his parents’ medicine adherence. The Flok is one of several upcoming trackers that will rely on NB-IoT. Image courtesy of Flok. Our guest this week brings us back to where we started, with Sarah Cooper, GM of outcome-driven engineering at Amazon Web Services, coming on the show to talk about how Amazon plans to compete in the industrial and enterprise IoT with cloud and on-premise services. She talks about the latest news, the architecture required for the IoT, and the three laws of building a connected service. Plus, she explains why containers and serverless computing matter so much for the internet of things. You’ll learn a lot. Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel Guest: Sarah Cooper, GM of outcome-driven engineering at AWS Sponsors: Legrand and Schlage Amazon doubles down on the cloud for Alexa What’s up with the lightweight-encryption debate I loved the Hue Smart Button but Kevin didn’t go for the RoomMe sensors How Amazon plans to compete for enterprise and industrial cloud services Amazon’s three laws for architecting services The post Episode 244: How AWS plans to take on the IoT appeared first on IoT Podcast - Internet of Things.

28 Nov 20191h

We kick off this week’s podcast with Kevin’s struggles to get his Google Home to talk to Wink. Then we unpack some of the standards news out from the ZigBee Alliance and the Open Connectivity Foundation, which is introducing OCF-over-Thread.  From there we do a quick update on Ring, talk about a new smart grill from Weber, a new way for Alexa to control your TV, and updates to Eero’s Wi-Fi. We then talk about my experience with the Nanoleaf Canvas lights. One of us had a better experience than the other. We end with an answer for a listener who bought low-cost Wi-Fi bulbs and wants a remote to control them. The new Weber SmokeFire pellet grill has smarts provided by June. Image courtesy of Weber. Our guest this week is Alex Yang, the COO and co-founder of Tuya. Tuya is an IoT platform that provides everything from connectivity to help building out sales channels for end products. Brands such as Energizer, Walmart’s Merkury Innovation, and more use Tuya’s platform to connect their devices. Yang talks about Tuya’s founding, its multi-country headquarters, and its privacy policies. He also shares details behind the recent appointment of former GE CEO Jeff Immelt to the Tuya board and some details about its new deal with SmartThings. Enjoy the show. Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel Guest: Alex Yang, the COO and co-founder of Tuya Sponsors:  Legrand and Afero Wink’s malaise strikes its Google integration … again! Why we might want OFC-over-Thread A fun lighting product that doubles as art Tuya is one of the largest IoT platforms you’ve never heard of Can we trust a Chinese startup with our home data? The post Episode 243: Nanoleaf Canvas review and a talk with Tuya appeared first on IoT Podcast - Internet of Things.

21 Nov 201953min

Wyze makes some of the most reasonably-priced smart-home gear on the market and said earlier this month that it was planning a smorgasbord of new products, which Kevin and I detail in this episode. We then cover low-power wide-area networks with news that Twilio’s NB-IoT network and boards are now generally available and news that Amazon has joined the LoRa Alliance. From there we cover a security flaw, the longevity and reliability of connected home devices and a story about automation and jobs. We close with talk about a fitness company raising $55 million and another attempt at delivering wireless power at a distance. We then answer a question about who should swap out their Nest account for a Google Account. The Whoop 3.0 fitness band is a compelling device with a pricey service. Our guest this week is Michele Chambers Turner, senior director Google Smart Home Ecosystem, who explains why Google had to kill its Works with Nest program and what it means for users. You’ll also learn how Google thinks about privacy, that it doesn’t keep device state data and how it cordons off home data from its advertising network. We also talk about the local SDK and making it easier to add devices to the Google Home network. It’s an essential episode for Google fans. Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel Guest: Michele Chambers Turner, senior director Google Smart Home Ecosystem Sponsors: Legrand and Afero Wyze has a lock, doorbell, scale and more on the way Amazon gets deeper into LPWAN Why Google had to kill Works with Nest What’s inside Google’s Home graph What to expect with Google’s local efforts The post Episode 242: Google explains itself and new Wyze gear! appeared first on IoT Podcast - Internet of Things.

14 Nov 201957min

This week on the show, Kevin and I started with a discussion of reports of how smart speakers can receive remote commands from a hacker with a laser. We then shifted gears to talk about company research showing how much data your smart homes are sending and a brand new network product from Firewalla. Cortana’s pivot to productivity gets a mention, as does Kevin’s take on Google buying Fitbit. From there we reviewed the Twinklys smart lights, talked about new Ecobee features, smart apartment deals and the open-sourcing of Google’s Titan chip. We then answer a listener question about smart garage door opener alternatives for Chamberlain’s MyQ product. The new Firewalla security device is now also a router. Image courtesy of Firewalla. Our guest this week is Lee Odess, vice president of strategic partnerships at Allegion. We start off talking about smart edge capabilities that could be used to make schools, offices and other spaces safer. Then we discuss how smart home device manufacturers have changed their goals when trying to create partnerships. Before, the focus might be on marketing on one-off features, but manufacturers are becoming more sophisticated. Find out what’s new, and enjoy the show. Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel Guest: Lee Odess, vice president of strategic partnerships at Allegion. Sponsors: Legrand and Afero Using frickin’ lasers to hack Alexa What do your devices do while you are sleeping? Why Amazon should have purchased Fitbit Stopping tailgaters at college requires smarts at the edge Privacy is becoming a point of negotiation in the gadget world The post Episode 241: How a smarter edge can make schools safer appeared first on IoT Podcast - Internet of Things.

7 Nov 201958min

This week Kevin and I lamented about the future state of Wink. Its status is almost dead. We also discussed Apple’s renewed interest in the smart home, Google’s rumored interest in Fitbit and Microsoft’s certain interest in improving its credentials for edge IoT. We also talked about security vulnerabilities enabled by smart lights, why you shouldn’t connect a phone to your rental car, and Wi-Fi getting a long-distance boost for the IoT. Particle raised $40 million, Google Home gets a new interface, Alexa can now add dimming to routines, Tile talks to Google Assistant, and a new smart button from IKEA hit the FCC. We also answer a listener question about smart pools. What the heck is up with Wink? We still don’t know. This week’s guest is Massimo Russo, managing director and senior partner at BCG, who came on the show to discuss why incumbent businesses have an advantage in the internet of things. We discuss how existing businesses can take advantage of their data and expertise to offer services that startups just can’t. We also talk about when to partner up with startups and tech firms, and how that can make your businesses even more successful. In the coming era of competing and cooperating, businesses will have to figure this out. Enjoy and Happy Halloween. Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel Guest: Massimo Russo, managing director and senior partner at BCG Sponsors: Nutanix and Afero What to buy if Wink dies What Google should do with Fitbit Microsoft adds  some excellent features to it’s IoT products What big businesses have that startups don’t How to make money on digital twins The post Episode 240: Wave goodbye to Wink? appeared first on IoT Podcast - Internet of Things.

31 Okt 201958min

This week Kevin and I start with an update on Tuya full of a variety of news the company announced at a conference held this week in Shenzen, China. From there we discuss two updates with the maker of Philips Hue light bulbs that means you won’t need a hub with SmartThings or Google Home devices. On the Google front, we chat about builders ditching Nest, missing Google Actions, a new hack, and an updated machine learning board. Nvidia hits our radar this week with machine learning at the edge, as does Shine’s smart toilet device. Kevin shares his review of the Nest Mini and we answer a listener’s question about smart holiday lights. The Shine Bathroom Assistant cleans and detects leaks. Image courtesy of Shine. After all that, join our guest Rose Eveleth, journalist, and creator of the Flash Forward podcast for a discussion about the role science fiction writers play in shaping our understanding of technology, We talk about the role fiction should have in setting tech policy, the different types of sci-fi and where stories should help guide our understanding of tech.  It’s a deep discussion that ends with a few book recommendations. I hope y’all enjoy it. Hosts: Kevin Tofel and Stacey Higginbotham Guests: Rose Eveleth, journalist, and creator of the Flash Forward podcast Sponsors: Nutanix and Afero Tuya’s rapid rise as an IoT platform Nvidia’s edge news was big for telcos and some IIoT Here’s a smart take on the smart toilet My sci-fi may not be your sci-fi What can science fiction writers teach us about IoT? Update on 10/24/2019: In the podcast, we mistakenly noted that the new SmartThings integration with Philips Hue bulbs doesn’t require a hub. Because the SmartThings Hub doesn’t support Bluetooth, a Philips Hue bridge is still required. The post Episode 239: Tuya, toilets and Twinklys appeared first on IoT Podcast - Internet of Things.

24 Okt 20191h 1min

This week Kevin and I discuss the aftermath of the big Google event, covering the new devices, the focus on ambient computing, and changes to the Nest subscription and Works with Assistant programs. From there we cover a new smart lock backed by Lennar Homes and Walmart, a new light bulb from LIFX and more security exploits. We hit on some industrial and enterprise news with an overview of Hitachi’s recent conference. Finally, we answer a listener question about what to include when selling a smart home. The Level Home smart lock hides the electronics inside the door and deadbolt. Image courtesy of Level Home. Our guest this week is Azhar Hussain, CEO of Hanhaa, a company that has created a tracking device for mail, a mobile network operator, and a way to plug sensor data easily into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. We spend most of the time talking about the creation of the ParceLive service which provides subscribers with a postcard-sized device that customers drop into packages before they mail them. The device tracks the package and has several sensors affixed to it that can track temperature, humidity and more.  We talk about creating a sustainable company, the future of Wi-Fi in a 5G world and the engineering challenges associated with building the ParceLive product. Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel Guest: Azhar Hussain, CEO of Hanhaa Sponsors:  Nutanix and HiveMQ Google’s taking its digital assistant beyond the smartphone There are a lot of failed smart locks Let’s talk about data lakes! Why 5G will make Wi-Fi obsolete How to build a sustainable tracking device The post Episode 238: Google’s smart home vision explained appeared first on IoT Podcast - Internet of Things.

17 Okt 20191h 2min