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I'm making a smart home device. Is there a solution to the domain/IP problem? I'm not the embedded guy on the project but my thought was to use a domain name a

I'm making a smart home device. Is there a solution to the domain/IP problem? I'm not the embedded guy on the project but my thought was to use a domain name and have it check a DNS every hour. That would solve it?

airstrike 7y ago
Make it offline-first. And allow a local connection to edit config files, letting users point it to an arbitrary IP. That might solve it.
- crooked-v 7y ago
  To add to this, a good idea would probably be either a physical "allow access" button on the device (think like the clicky button on top of the Philips Hue hub), or a secure random password physically printed on the device that's the default access password.
TeMPOraL 7y ago
Don't make the network a hard dependency. The device should work as fully as possible even if offline.
- aliveupstairs 7y ago
  Not only should it be offline-first, but it also should have fallbacks options like self-hosting.
- crooked-v 7y ago
  Also, if it supports any outside protocols (for example: Airplay speakers) those should still work on a totally isolated network out of the box.
anon463637 7y ago
Think carefully and lock-it down (not as an afterthought), because unsecured IoT can be exploited to cause devastating harm. Phoning home should be disclosed and disable-able because you're opening up an attack surface and a privacy risk. And, if there's no clock synchronization, it will be impossible to check the validity of X.509 certificates used in https:// https://. You should support APIPA and Zeroconf. Bonus points for Bluetooth to allow configuration from a mobile app. The mobile app should also be able to securely download and send a firmware update. ZigBee is also low-power and mesh oriented, but will need a bridge/gateway to the internet to be connected. Device pairing like NetVue cameras having QR barcodes and/or Bose headphones with NFC might be Good Ideas™ too.
jnwatson 7y ago
The device can simply startup as an WiFi access point with a preset name. The only requirement is that a user must have a WiFi client.
stazz1 7y ago
What info are you using? If it's weather, let me pick a provider. If it's satellite imagery, let me update the domain if necessary manually. If it's something that only you provide, put it on github. If it constantly needs updating, find a place that will re-index it. Doi.org is a suitable solution for a lot of things, is there a case that i am not covering?

airstrike 7y ago

Make it offline-first. And allow a local connection to edit config files, letting users point it to an arbitrary IP. That might solve it.

crooked-v 7y ago
To add to this, a good idea would probably be either a physical "allow access" button on the device (think like the clicky button on top of the Philips Hue hub), or a secure random password physically printed on the device that's the default access password.

TeMPOraL 7y ago

Don't make the network a hard dependency. The device should work as fully as possible even if offline.

aliveupstairs 7y ago
Not only should it be offline-first, but it also should have fallbacks options like self-hosting.
crooked-v 7y ago
Also, if it supports any outside protocols (for example: Airplay speakers) those should still work on a totally isolated network out of the box.

anon463637 7y ago

Think carefully and lock-it down (not as an afterthought), because unsecured IoT can be exploited to cause devastating harm. Phoning home should be disclosed and disable-able because you're opening up an attack surface and a privacy risk. And, if there's no clock synchronization, it will be impossible to check the validity of X.509 certificates used in https:// https://. You should support APIPA and Zeroconf. Bonus points for Bluetooth to allow configuration from a mobile app. The mobile app should also be able to securely download and send a firmware update. ZigBee is also low-power and mesh oriented, but will need a bridge/gateway to the internet to be connected. Device pairing like NetVue cameras having QR barcodes and/or Bose headphones with NFC might be Good Ideas™ too.

jnwatson 7y ago

The device can simply startup as an WiFi access point with a preset name. The only requirement is that a user must have a WiFi client.

stazz1 7y ago

What info are you using? If it's weather, let me pick a provider. If it's satellite imagery, let me update the domain if necessary manually. If it's something that only you provide, put it on github. If it constantly needs updating, find a place that will re-index it. Doi.org is a suitable solution for a lot of things, is there a case that i am not covering?