Best of IoT — October 2025

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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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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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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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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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The Verge·32w
The iPad just got the chip it needs to be a smart home controller
Apple's new M5-powered iPad Pro includes the N1 wireless networking chip, bringing official Thread protocol support to iPads for the first time. While the immediate use case appears to be simplified setup of Thread smart home devices without requiring a separate border router, this addition hints at the possibility of iPads returning as Apple Home hubs. The N1 chip combines Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support, and will likely appear in future Apple smart home products like the Apple TV and HomePod Mini 2.
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