Best of IoT — 2025

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Article
Jeff Geerling·1y
I won't connect my dishwasher to your stupid cloud
The author bought a Bosch 500 series dishwasher, only to discover that certain features like the rinse cycle, delayed start, and eco mode require using the Home Connect app and connecting the appliance to WiFi. This raises concerns about planned obsolescence, security risks, and the forced reliance on cloud services. The author argues for locally accessible controls on IoT devices, with cloud functionality as an optional add-on.
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Hacker News·1y
Guten: A tiny newspaper printer
Guten is a customized thermal printer designed to print a tiny newspaper every morning at 7:00 AM. This newspaper includes the user's daily schedule from Google Calendar, a poem, and current news from the New York Times. The author is gauging interest to see if others would consider buying and using it.
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Article
Grafana Labs·1y
Dashboards and detergent: How two students monitor laundry machines in a college dorm with Grafana
Two college students developed a system using Grafana and TimescaleDB to track laundry machine usage in dorms. They used internet-connected laundry machines' data, building a real-time dashboard that also records metrics like machine popularity and usage times. This creative approach demonstrates Grafana's versatility beyond typical network monitoring and hints at future integration possibilities with weather data or gamification.
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Article
IEEE Spectrum·33w
Wi-Fi Signal Tracks Heartbeat Without Wearables
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz developed Pulse-Fi, a system that uses ambient Wi-Fi signals to monitor heart rate without wearables or cameras. The AI-powered approach runs on affordable devices like Raspberry Pi or ESP32 microcontrollers, filtering signal amplitude changes caused by heartbeats. Testing with over 100 participants showed less than 1.5 beats-per-minute error rate across various postures and distances up to 10 feet. The team is now working on multi-user support and exploring applications for sleep apnea and breathing rate monitoring.
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Article
Michael Lynch·25w
My First Impressions of MeshCore Off-Grid Messaging
MeshCore enables encrypted text messaging over long-range (LoRa) radios without cellular infrastructure, forming mesh networks where devices relay messages through each other. Testing three devices (Heltec v3, SenseCAP T-1000e, and Lilygo T-Deck+) revealed significant usability challenges: confusing onboarding, poor UI/UX design, limited range (only 5 blocks in suburban areas), and critical components being closed-source despite appearing open. While the concept appeals for emergency communication, the technology isn't yet practical for non-technical users or reliable disaster scenarios.
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Article
Hacker News·1y
Hacking a Smart Home Device
James Warner details his process of reverse-engineering an ESP32-based smart home device to gain remote control access and integrate it with Home Assistant. He discusses network protocol interception, firmware analysis, and how to interpret and modify the device's firmware. His journey includes studying the mobile app, inspecting network traffic, physically disassembling the device, and using various tools for analysis. He successfully decrypts network packets, performs an MITM attack, and logs data to recreate the device’s control logic locally.
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Hacker News·1y
Turning My ESP32 into a DNS Sinkhole to Fight Doomscrolling
The post discusses transforming an ESP32 microcontroller into a DNS sinkhole to block social media sites and combat doomscrolling. The author details the process of configuring the ESP32 as a custom DNS server that reroutes traffic to non-routable IPs, effectively blocking access to specified domains. The project uses the Arduino IDE for programming and focuses on low-level networking and DNS protocols.
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Article
Jeff Geerling·49w
How I monitor and control all my powered devices (Zigbee + HA)
A detailed guide on using ThirdReality Zigbee smart outlets with Home Assistant Yellow for monitoring power consumption and remotely controlling devices. The setup includes 16 outlets throughout home and studio, providing accurate power measurements within 1 watt, reliable Zigbee connectivity, and ApexCharts visualization. The author compares these outlets favorably against Z-Wave and WiFi alternatives, noting their reliability for various devices from NAS systems to 3D printers, with minor drawbacks being delayed updates and firmware update interruptions.
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Article
All Things Distributed·30w
What is USSD (and who cares)?
USSD, a 30-year-old messaging protocol requiring only 2G connectivity, powers hundreds of billions in financial transactions across Sub-Saharan Africa through companies like M-Pesa and Moniepoint. Behind simple menu-driven interfaces on feature phones, these platforms run sophisticated cloud architectures with ML-powered fraud detection and IoT systems. The technology demonstrates how builders solve real customer problems by choosing suitable tools over shiny ones, creating profitable businesses while serving communities with limited internet access and smartphone penetration.
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Hacker News·31w
Comparing the power consumption of a 30 year old refrigerator to a brand new one
A comparison of power consumption between a 30-year-old UPO Jääkarhu refrigerator and a modern replacement using smart plug monitoring. The old unit consumed 2.6 kWh daily versus 0.7 kWh for the new one—a 3.7x difference. Monthly savings of approximately 57 kWh translate to a payback period of about 38 months at 17 cents per kWh. The analysis demonstrates practical IoT monitoring applications for home energy optimization and appliance replacement decisions.
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Article
Hacker News·51w
Air Lab Simulator
A web-based simulator that replicates Air Lab firmware functionality, allowing users to interact with virtual environmental sensors through different simulated environments. The simulator includes device controls, USB connectivity simulation, and menu navigation features, providing a hands-on experience without requiring physical hardware.
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Article
80 LEVEL·29w
Programmer Discovers His Smart Vacuum Was Spying on Him
A programmer discovered his ILIFE A11 smart vacuum was sending unencrypted data including Wi-Fi credentials and home maps to manufacturer servers. When he blocked the data transmission, the device was remotely bricked by the manufacturer. After disassembling it and accessing its unprotected Android Debug Bridge, he found the manufacturer had root access via pre-installed software. The same hardware powers devices from multiple brands including Xiaomi and Wyze, suggesting widespread vulnerability. He successfully restored the device with full local control by removing manufacturer access.
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Hacker News·32w
The Day My Smart Vacuum Turned Against Me
An engineer discovers their smart vacuum was remotely disabled by the manufacturer after blocking its telemetry servers. Through reverse engineering, they gained root access via an open ADB port, found the device running Google Cartographer SLAM software on Linux, and uncovered evidence of remote kill commands. The investigation revealed the vacuum transmitted unencrypted data including WiFi credentials, had pre-installed remote access software (rtty), and could be controlled by the manufacturer without user consent. The engineer successfully restored offline functionality and documented the findings, highlighting broader IoT security and privacy concerns affecting multiple brands using the same hardware platform.
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Article
xkcd·39w
xkcd: Dual Roomba
An xkcd comic exploring the humorous concept of dual Roomba robot vacuums, likely highlighting the coordination challenges or unexpected behaviors that arise when multiple autonomous cleaning robots operate in the same space.
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Article
The Verge·29w
Ikea’s new smart home collection is entirely Matter-compatible
Ikea launched 21 new Matter-over-Thread smart home devices, including the Kajplats smart bulb collection, Bilresa wireless remotes, Grillplats smart plug, and five sensors for motion, doors/windows, water leaks, temperature/humidity, and air quality. The devices work across different brands and platforms, with US availability starting January 2026 for remotes and sensors, and April 2026 for bulbs. Ikea's Dirigera hub now officially supports Matter controller functionality, allowing users to control Matter devices from other manufacturers through Ikea's Home Smart app.
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Article
The Register·21w
New York’s incoming mayor bans Raspberry Pi at inauguration
New York's mayor-elect banned Raspberry Pi devices from his inauguration block party, listing them alongside explosives, weapons, and Flipper Zero devices. While the Flipper Zero has known capabilities for cloning RFID cards and manipulating wireless communications, the Raspberry Pi ban appears less justified since the single-board computers are less portable and conspicuous. Critics note the ban is futile since smartphones could perform similar malicious functions, and it unfairly tarnishes a device widely used in education and creative projects.
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Article
WebDev·1y
GreyOS: The Meta-OS Redefining Cloud Computing
GreyOS is a revolutionary Meta-OS developed by George Delaportas and supported by PROBOTEK. It's a hybrid web and cloud-based operating system built with PHP, JavaScript, and HTML5. Notably, it uses CHAOS Microkernel to achieve massive scalability and supports up to 100 million concurrent users per VM. Its browser-based deployment and cloud-first approach eliminate hardware dependencies, while VeNUS, its enterprise-grade version, offers enhanced security, scalability, and integration capabilities for business needs.
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80 LEVEL·27w
Developer Runs Minecraft On Smart Lightbulb
A developer successfully ran a Minecraft server on a smart lightbulb's BL602 microcontroller by creating Ucraft, an extremely compact server implementation. The binary is only 46-90 KB depending on authentication, with heap usage reaching 20-70 KB for up to 10 players. The project demonstrates creative resource optimization for embedded systems and is available on GitHub with build instructions.
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Hacker News·1y
ggerganov/ggwave: Tiny data-over-sound library
The ggwave library enables communication of small data packets between air-gapped devices using sound. It uses a simple FSK-based transmission protocol and error correction codes for robust demodulation. The library is versatile, supporting numerous uses such as serverless broadcasting, IoT applications, audio QR codes, and device pairing. It works with various audio backends and includes applications for testing and integrating the library in different environments.
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Article
Jeff Geerling·23w
CM0 - a new Raspberry Pi you can't buy
The CM0 is a new Raspberry Pi Compute Module based on the Pi Zero 2 architecture, featuring castellated edges for direct PCB soldering, eMMC storage, and WiFi. Currently only available in China through EDAtec's CM0NANO development board, global distribution is unlikely due to LPDDR2 RAM shortages and supply prioritization for the Pi Zero 2 W. The module targets low-end commercial integration in products like kiosks and signage, offering a complete Linux environment in a postage stamp-sized System on Module.
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Hacker News·30w
Samsung makes ads on $3,499 smart fridges official with upcoming software update
Samsung officially introduces advertisements to its Family Hub smart refrigerators (priced $1,899-$3,499) through a software update rolling out this month. The ads will display on the fridge's 21.5- or 32-inch screens when idle, appearing in a widget that rotates content every 10 seconds alongside weather, news, and calendar information. Samsung states the ads will be contextualized rather than personalized, avoiding user data collection. The update also introduces a Daily Board theme featuring five information tiles and one ad tile.
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Video
freeCodeCamp·1y
IoT Home Automation Project Tutorial
Learn to build a comprehensive IoT home automation system using ESP32 microcontrollers, LEDs, and Servo Motors. The guide covers connecting and configuring components, setting up MQTT communication with a Raspberry Pi acting as both an MQTT broker and a Node.js backend server, managing real-time sensor data using a PostgreSQL database, and creating a live web dashboard for sensor control and data visualization.
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ByteByteGo·52w
How Amazon Key Opens 100 Million Doors Every Year
Amazon Key is a system developed to improve delivery experiences by granting secure access to gated communities and buildings, securing over 100 million unlocks annually. The system has evolved from a serverless architecture to using cellular-connected devices and containerized backends via ECS Fargate to enhance scalability and performance. It is now integrated with third-party platforms, expanding beyond Amazon's delivery services, while maintaining stringent security measures.
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Hacker News·50w
A developer toy from PostHog
PostHog introduces DeskHog, an open-source handheld gaming device built around an ESP32-S3 microcontroller with a color TFT display, WiFi connectivity, and 10-hour battery life. The palm-sized device features a custom 3D-printed case and comes with several pre-built games including Pong variants, idle clickers, and roguelike adventures. Developers can create their own games using AI editors or C++, and the device can connect to PostHog for displaying analytics data. The hardware includes expansion ports for additional functionality and all design files are available on GitHub for DIY builders.
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NetworkChuck·1y
You're Going to Get Hacked in 2025
Cybersecurity threats, including AI-powered hacking, deepfakes, and ransomware, will become increasingly sophisticated by 2025, making it almost impossible to avoid being hacked. Common-sense measures like using password managers, backing up data, updating software, and employing advanced antivirus solutions like Bitdefender can help. To stay safe, it's advised to maintain strict 'zero trust' behavior towards digital communications and stay informed about emerging threats.
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