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I bought a Vizio TV knowing this... But it lives it's life without any internet access at all courtesy of my firewall. And this isn't limited to Vizio at all,
by seized 5y ago
I bought a Vizio TV knowing this... But it lives it's life without any internet access at all courtesy of my firewall.
And this isn't limited to Vizio at all, a lot of new Samsung's have a higher price AND ads on it's home screen.
- inetknght 5y ago> it lives it's life without any internet access at all courtesy of my firewall TVs now and in the future come with cell radios too. No need to worry about a pesky customer's firewall getting in the way of profits!
- andrei_says_ 5y agoHow does one disable/block something like this? What legislation can we introduce to ensure that we own a device after paying for it? Where “ownership” also means disabling nonessential functionality of our choice?
- MerelyMortal 5y agoOpen it up and remove the card/chip.
- inetknght 5y agoThat's not feasible right now, and certainly not in the future.
- MerelyMortal 5y agoNot feasible for the average person, but it was very easy to do for my LG TV.
- netr0ute 5y ago> How does one disable/block something like this? Watch this video: https://youtu.be/urglg3WimHA https://youtu.be/urglg3WimHA
- morelisp 5y ago> What legislation can we introduce to ensure that we own a device after paying for it? Right-to-repair legislation should be adopted to include something similar to the GDPR's anti-coupling rules so this can be verified at a deeper technical level; the TV manufacturer should be forced to make it work even if you disconnect all modems, network cards, etc. The GDPR alone is sufficient for legal protection, the TV manufacturer can't stop you from using the TV just because you refuse consent for data processing - but not protection against bugs, bad actors, or companies operating outside Europe. Anything impacting hardware is more likely to improve conditions everywhere, even if only enforced somewhere.
- DrammBA 5y agoCould those cell radios be used for free internet?
- seized 5y agoThat keeps being mentioned but there hasn't been been a solid example. And I think it'll be a while before the lower end TVs at Costco have that, especially with our cell costs in Canada. And I'm sure there will be an antenna to unplug, SOC that can be wrapped in a faraday cage, etc.
- throaway46546 5y agoWhy have it on the network at all?
- seized 5y agoI unblock it every once in a while for firmware updates. And I think it would prompt on startup if it wasn't connected to wifi.
- throaway46546 5y agoYou can firmware update over USB. My Vizio never complains about not having network connectivity.
- Rd6n6 5y agoMany devices like these use cellular chips these days to get around that, and to make installation and setup easier