Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/09/02/this-encrypted-camera-keeps-ta.html
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Nice that it’s encrypted, but this still sounds like the setup for a Japanese horror movie.
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Discount IOT hardware. Surely if it’s being sold by BoingBoing it’s “one of the good ones.”
This is why we can’t have nice things.
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Encryption is becoming a meaningless marketing word like ‘digital’ was a couple of decades ago. Now it is rare to hear about ‘digital’ amplifiers even though most amps are now class D. Of course anyone sending private video over the internet should be using encryption, but that does nothing to defend against every other exploit. We need at least a marketing word for ‘all known exploits get rapidly patched’. Not because it would identify good products but just because it would at least get consumers thinking about it.
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Probably real estate agents should advertise a property for sale this way now: “The house comprises a living room with a dining area and a kitchen, a small living room, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry, a terrace and also ENCRYPTED CAMERAS to watch over your home and keep hackers from peeping in even if you are travelling in Europe”, not as usual. They don’t even need to take a photo with furniture, instead, they can use an app http://styledstagedsold.blogs.realtor.org/2018/08/20/see-how-virtual-staging-transforms-a-cold-vacant-condo-into-a-warm-welcoming-home/
- View footage from your smartphone w/ the WiFi client
- Keep your footage private w/ multiple encryption protocols
The hell does this even mean? Is there some web service where I can access this remotely? Can the provider view my streams?
I have Arlo cameras and I hate them. The service is absolute shit, the cams are totally unreliable when I need to use them and they shockingly don’t give any audit log as up when the cameras are accessed.
I’d love to replace them but the lack of battery is a deal breaker as I’d have no good way to power them short of running cables through my attic which is not an idea I’m particularly fond of.
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Perfect for keeping an eye on the contents of your crypt.
Seriously - a camera is a physical device, not data. It can’t be “encrypted”.
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Is there a good story about why you regularly use battery powered cameras in your attic?
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I’d have to run cables through my attic to power them is what I meant.
Yeah, ideally Cory should sign off on these things. Not sure the other guys at BB know what’s what when it comes to security.
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Keeping tabs on my home? But what if someone steals it?
It needs an ‘eye of Sauron’ frame.
Why do people feel the need to install CCTV in their homes? I can understand how desirable it may be for those with babies so they can easily keep an eye on their child from their phone/tablet if they have to be in a different room, though it opens up a quandary of privacy questions as that child gets older, not just for the cameras in their room but also the others sprinkled across the house in general.
I can imagine insurance is pushing this mainly, offering discounts for those who install these devices and preying on those paranoid about the safety of their homes regardless of what the crime statistics actually state for their neighbourhood.
There have been times when I’m away from home for a while (a week or longer) and I irrationally imagine returning home to find the place ransacked. Looking at a camera feed might make me feel better in those situations. Not enough to spend money and time installing cameras, though.
My wife and I traveled off-continent last year for nearly a month while our 17-year-old cat was ill and clearly dying – to the point that she stayed rooted in one (high) place. I put up a camera to monitor how she was doing and to speak to her. The camera stayed up for another week or so after we got home, until her suffering finally persuaded us to pull the plug. I saved a few of the videos, including the one when we arrived home from our trip, and the very poignant scene of the empty space after she was gone.
The camera has now sat for over a year, unplugged and entirely forgotten. (We do still remember the cat!)
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Indeed. “Encrypted” could just mean a self-signed SSL cert on the admin interface (which could have a SQL injection vulnerability and still be “encrypted”).
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Every “review” of this camera that I can find lists the same specs and selling points, without giving you important details about the camera’s power source (battery vs A/C) and remote streaming/storage capabilities. There’s also only one review on Amazon, which is just weird for a camera that is supposedly so highly rated.
Considering that every website out there is marketing the heck out of this device right now, I’m guessing BB cares more about jumping on the affiliate bandwagon than truly offering its readers a vetted product.
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Ugh. Big brother and little brother can just stay outside.
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