Enforced IoT

A sign on a wooden door that says We Have Aircon

First of all, let me say I ❤️ technology. I make my living off it 💰

However, I don’t like when we’re not given a choice 😡 You see, my newly installed Samsung 🇰🇷 air conditioner can not be programmed without a mobile app 🤦‍♂️ The A/C machine must be hooked into the WiFi network for it to start/stop at the time of your choosing.

I grabbed the remote, read through the 3 manuals included in the box and there’s no way to set up a routine to turn it off and on. With the company providing electricity at home I’ve set a 2-hour free tier. In those two hours, I enjoy free electricity, while the rest of the day has a slightly higher cost. With this, I want to turn on the AC and other electrical devices in the 2-hour span to get some free juice.

The new Samsung machine has a great remote UX, I was surprised with the ease of use 💯 Very few buttons, clear screen, and text indicators. Perhaps too simple… So simple that, as I said, can’t be programmed. Here’s how I had to do it:

  1. 📲 Download the Android app.
  2. 📝 Sign up for an account.
  3. 📶 Connect to the nearby device (the AC).
  4. ⚙️ Configure the A/C with the WiFi password.
  5. 😤 Use the newly installed app to setup the A/C.

This is overkill. Now I have an extra app on my phone, I have a possible vulnerability on my network and if the internet goes down my A/C won’t turn on automatically 😩

On the Internet Of Things topic, I also had to buy a new fridge ✌️ Luckily I could choose one without any smart features. Regular old simple buttons for temperature. That’s it. No LCD screens, no internet… Just cool my damn beer 🍺❄️

Ricard

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *