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> [Philips Hue Bulb] A $50 light bulb that requires a $60 base station, proving my point entirely I'm not sure what this has to do with the article. Philips Hu

> [Philips Hue Bulb] A $50 light bulb that requires a $60 base station, proving my point entirely I'm not sure what this has to do with the article. Philips Hue uses ZigBee Light Link, not WiFi, and I'm pretty sure the steep price tag has nothing to do with hardware costs. As for WiFi, it is exciting to see hardware like ESP8266 open up previously cost-prohibitive possibilities for hackers. My biggest complaint about using WiFi for IoT-related projects is the fact that every marketable WiFi-enabled device has it's own (often cumbersome) association/inclusion process. Perhaps that's a feature - enabling more options for wireless network security, but when it comes to user experience, the standard bluetooth pairing process makes WiFi association feel like pulling teeth for the average consumer. Maybe we just need a good WPS replacement.

hagope 11y ago
I agree that setup for WiFi IoT products is a total pain. The simplest method I've seen is what WeMo uses...out of the box device is an Access Point, you connect, then enter your own network credentials...still takes a few minutes, but beats requiring another hub.
- CamperBob2 11y ago
  This could be so much easier if Microsoft hadn't f---ed up their Bluetooth Low Energy implementation in Windows. BLE is a much better fit for a lot of these applications than WiFi, but by forcing users to deal with pairing, Microsoft has completely blown off its biggest advantage. Very frustrating from a device maker's point of view, and consumers literally don't know what they're missing.
hlfshell 11y ago
I was mistaken on the ZigBee, thanks for the correction. I will also agree that the setup is a pain in the butt for most of these things. I think that's why the Chromecast's and Dash's ultrasonic methods are interesting. Perhaps a low cost NFC one touch setup would be really cool, but any method I think of requires an extra app. But maybe that's not a bad thing?
- jasonlaramburu 11y ago
  What is the provisioning process (aka pairing) like for the ESP8266? Can it be modified?
  - jbuzbee 11y ago
    Depends on the firmware. At least one starts up initially as an access point. You connect to it, hit a web page, enter your network credential, reboot and it's online.

hagope 11y ago

I agree that setup for WiFi IoT products is a total pain. The simplest method I've seen is what WeMo uses...out of the box device is an Access Point, you connect, then enter your own network credentials...still takes a few minutes, but beats requiring another hub.

CamperBob2 11y ago
This could be so much easier if Microsoft hadn't f---ed up their Bluetooth Low Energy implementation in Windows. BLE is a much better fit for a lot of these applications than WiFi, but by forcing users to deal with pairing, Microsoft has completely blown off its biggest advantage. Very frustrating from a device maker's point of view, and consumers literally don't know what they're missing.

hlfshell 11y ago

I was mistaken on the ZigBee, thanks for the correction. I will also agree that the setup is a pain in the butt for most of these things. I think that's why the Chromecast's and Dash's ultrasonic methods are interesting. Perhaps a low cost NFC one touch setup would be really cool, but any method I think of requires an extra app. But maybe that's not a bad thing?

jasonlaramburu 11y ago
What is the provisioning process (aka pairing) like for the ESP8266? Can it be modified?
- jbuzbee 11y ago
  Depends on the firmware. At least one starts up initially as an access point. You connect to it, hit a web page, enter your network credential, reboot and it's online.