Blackout warning: Philips “Smart lightbulbs” can be switched off by malware

http://www.welivesecurity.com/2013/...witched-off-by-malware-and-wont-come-back-on/

 

Yeah, makes me want to get one of those internet controlled locks for my front door.

 

Yeah right.....Or Not

 

No, you don't

http://www.majorgeeks.com/news/stor..._security_wing_at_florida_prison_(video).html

 

I'm looking at the picture at the top of the "we live security" article, the couch in the middle of the floor specifically. Where do the lites under that couch get their power? Does it plug in? If so, why make the control wireless? Why not send the control signals thru the power line.
If it's not plugged in or direct wired, can I assume the power is stored in batteries? How are they recharged? Does that mean you have to plug in your furniture to recharge it? If it does use rechargable batteries, I have to assume that they're lithium batteries. If this became commonplace, we don't have enough lithium to supply such a demand, not without strip mining half the planet.
If the power is delivered by a magnetic field or microwave, I wouldn't want to sit there in that field.

I don't see this or the wireless control of other appliances, locks, etc being that practical. Most of it is little more than a minor convenience with too many negative factors as tradeoffs, the security examples cited earlier being just one of them.

 

Well, obviously the point is being able to turn them on/off from anywhere (even if you're not at home, I suppose).

They are made to connect to standard sockets and thus would be powered by whatever you use for your "offline" light bulbs, but of course these have embedded hardware to accept wireless signals. The kit comes with a base unit that connects to the LAN, and acts as the hub to send signals to the lights. So instead of each bulb being its own device on the network with its own IP address, only the hub gets addressed and then it interacts with the lights.

 

If I read this right, the couch in that picture has to be plugged in? If so, for that image to be feasible, there needs to be an outlet under that couch in the floor or an extension cord coming to it?

 

Still hear about crooks who drive down a street with a transmitter opening garage doors that have automatic openers, also others who look to tap into your wifi, wireless telephone.

 

The couch thing is a Lightstrip: http://www.zdnet.com/philips-expand...ghting-with-lightstrips-and-bloom-7000019084/

 

This light strip requires a power cord which largely defeats the purpose of wireless control. Since the lights are not truly wireless, it would have been better if they'd run the control signals through the power line and avoided the problems that come with wireless.

 

How does it defeat the purpose? The whole point is being able to control the lights from any wirelessly connected device like a phone or tablet, even if you aren't home. I agree that it's a minor convenience and I wouldn't buy it, but that's what it is.

Running the signals through the power line would require having a transmitting device plugged into the wall, and you'd need one at every location where you want to control the lights. Then you'd have to get up out of your chair to turn it on or off, and that's just too much of a hassle!