They can vacuum. They just need to get up and press the button on top of the Roomba.
Ideally it should let me set up port forwarding on my router to talk to the vacuum from the outside too.
Of course, you should build your own bridge to connect them to (rather than using the bridge of a big tech company).
For Zigbee you can use the Conbee [0] and for Z-Wave you can use the Z-Stick [1] to build your own bridge.
Furthermore, some of the cheaper WiFi devices that are based on the ESP8266 chip can be flashed with a custom firmware called Tasmota [2] to make them cloud-free.
[0]: https://www.phoscon.de/en/conbee2
Devices based on the popular ESP8266 can also frequently be freed from their cloud overlords with community-made firmware [0], [1] and used as proper Intra-o-T devices.
I decided a while back that I would have no part in this Inter-o-T madness and I think it was a good choice.
[0]: https://github.com/arendst/Tasmota
[1]: https://esphome.io/
Heh, just noticed you linked Tasmota as well while I was writing this. Good project, I use it too!
If both the phone and the device are in the same network, they can communicate just fine.
I dumped my Wink Hub for one after they did their bait-and-switch for subscription fees. Never been happier with home automation.
Nah, Internet is great for updates.
The problem, while it doesn't fit a description as slogan-friendly as yours, is the reliance on centralized servers as essential for routine operations rather than just for optional (though potentially important) updates, and this isn’t an engineering problem but a deliberate business decision to enable X-as-a-Service business models (whether paid for via recurring subscription, ongoing user data, or both.)
Actually, that's exactly where their business exists.
I think you're both right.
I'd explain, but it's none of my business.
Ah, hell, why not. You see, he made it his business to point out that the phone-vacuum communication has no business going through Amazon servers, there's simply no need.
Imagine having to fiddle with iptables to use your vacuum. I think I'll just get up and press that button manually...
In a cloud-bullshit-free world, a UPNP-style autodiscovery/port could be useful, perhaps with Urbit-style access control.
The amount of people that do not want any cloud controlled devices is quite significant.
It is also a huge waste of energy to have my device contact Amazon to set a value. Voice interfaces can be nice, but only very few customers seem to be interested. It also adds costs for customer support and you need maintenance on apps and services.
I work in that space, although it is true that IoT is not central to the products, so I don't know about the latest trends. Luckily it is just a feature we like to show of on expositions.
For me a line is crossed if people add security cameras directly connected to vendor networks. If that is allowed I should also be able to install my laser with 100w optical output power and face detection. I have a right to security after all.