5 ms·

Just don't connect it to the network or agree to any of the license clickthroughs, it can't do things behind your back then. HDMI and the RF tuner can still wo

Just don't connect it to the network or agree to any of the license clickthroughs, it can't do things behind your back then. HDMI and the RF tuner can still work fine.

fsflover 5y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28583761 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28583761 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28045189 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28045189
- jimjams 5y ago
  ... "don't connect it to the network", means don't connect it to the network, via a Roku-router or wlan or whatever. Don't buy one with other networks either, if they exist...
elsherbini 5y ago
I cant find a source, but I remember a discussion here on a brand of smart tvs that still phone home by connecting to other nearby smart tvs that are connected to a network, even if you don't connect yours to the network.
- theshrike79 5y ago
  It was Samsung TVs that will automatically connect to any open Wifi nearby to get their ads updated, even if you tell it not to.
  - chubot 5y ago
    Really? Source? Which models? I just bought a Samsung 4K TV a month ago. I didn't connect it to wi-fi or do any setup. I just plugged my computer in. I have not seen any ads. It seems to work fine offline in all respects. If it actually did this I would definitely return the TV. In case it matters it was this Q60A "QLED" 43 inch 4K TV: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-43-class-q60a-series-qled-4k-uhd-smart-tizen-tv/6453192.p?skuId=6453192 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-43-class-q60a-series-ql...
    - lpapez 5y ago
      I got this exact same model today. Never gonna connect it to wifi anyway, seemed perfect.
    - theshrike79 5y ago
      Can't find a better source since the subreddit where I got the info is now private for some reason: https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/bpr6xs/if_you_choose_to_not_connect_your_samsung_smart/ https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/bpr6xs/if_you_choo... Basically Samsung TVs at least used to grab any open Wifi to connect to if you don't provide them with credentials to your own. Also there is no way to fully disable the wifi. The solution was to set the connection to manual configuration and set all addresses to 0.0.0.0. Of course this is not an issue if the only network your TV can see is your own, more of a problem in apartments where there might be 20 wireless networks available at any time.
thoughtsimple 5y ago
I have a Roku that I block from the internet. It blinks an obnoxious red led to complain it can’t phone home. I need some gaffer’s tape to cover it up I guess.
- IG_Semmelweiss 5y ago
  What is your usecase? Trying to understand the point of having apps without the wifi. I have noticed a marked increase in youtube ads in the roku app. Prob due to roku has updated itself without permission. Now i dread having to deal with pihole hacks + routers to fence it out of our home network :/
  - boardwaalk 5y ago
    They said internet, not wifi. Perhaps some Roku apps can play media from your local network? Plex, or a built-in media player?
- runjake 5y ago
  This is what I did for my TCL Roku TV: just taped over the annoying blinking light. If enough people do this, I anticipate that in the next model, they'll replace that blinking light with an forced on-screen overlay.
  - dmd 5y ago
    I have a TCL Roku 6-series. If you do a factory reset, and from the start don't let it connect, then you won't get the blinking light. You only get the blinking light if you take away access after having given it.
    - jrm4 5y ago
      I was curious about this -- I've been digging and I can't find a solution, is it possible to tell these things to jump straight to HDMI once you turn them on? Or are you always stuck with at least that one homescreen jump. Trying to make this thing as "dumb" as possible.
squiffsquiff 5y ago
You know that some devices essentially "require" network connectivity for initial setup? E.g. https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/tv/smart-tv-set-up-without-internet-or-smart-phone/td-p/2331626 https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/tv/smart-tv-set-up-witho...
- rapsey 5y ago
  So give it a network connection for initial setup then take it away?
  - squiffsquiff 5y ago
    So you'll still have all the adverts, they just don't update?
    - flatiron 5y ago
      I had to do that. My Samsung couldn’t leave “demo mode” or whatever without going online first and would restart itself every hour. I just let it register and blocked it from coming out my router. It stays quiet like that. I believe removing the wifi showed some nag when booting that I had to deal with. Real scummy stuff.
    - bee_rider 5y ago
      Annoying, but at least it isn't feeding your information in to the weird ad-driven panopticon (we'll leave that to the content providers!)
    - rbanffy 5y ago
      > they just don't update? That's a cursed scenario...
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - mindslight 5y ago
      Buy it from a place with free returns. Then if it insists on showing cached ads after the network is pulled (or any other undesirable behavior), just return it. This won't help you find a better model, but it will save you from needing to research these obscure details in too much depth. . o O ( I wonder if some hostile antifeatures go away if you buy a TV in the US but then activate it from an EU IP address ).
SamuelAdams 5y ago
HDMI cables now come with 10/100 Ethernet built in. So it could connect via your devices connection. So pay attention to the hdmi cable you use.
- periheli0n 5y ago
  They have been for a while. But are these actually used for IP connectivity? If that was the case, a laptop’s HDMI port should show up as network interface, which it doesn’t, at least not on my machine.
- xattt 5y ago
  There are no receivers on the market that act as HDMI Ethernet network switches.
- ARandumGuy 5y ago
  Are there any examples of TVs doing this, or is this just a hypothetical? There are some TVs that will try to connect to the internet via non-obvious means (Samsung TVs were mentioned elsewhere in this thread). TV manufacturers aren't spy agencies though. They're not going to put in that much effort to sneak an internet connection, when most users willingly connect their TVs to WiFi anyway. If I can't find an article about a given TV sneaking in an internet connection, I would be pretty confident that it doesn't.
  - KennyBlanken 5y ago
    > They're not going to put in that much effort to sneak an internet connection, The profit from collecting data on you and displaying ads on the TV is greater than the profit from the sale of the TV. They absolutely will go to whatever lengths they can. https://www.cnet.com/news/as-smart-tvs-become-the-only-option-your-privacy-choices-fizzle-out/ https://www.cnet.com/news/as-smart-tvs-become-the-only-optio... https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/10/22773073/vizio-acr-advertising-inscape-data-privacy-q3-2021 https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/10/22773073/vizio-acr-adver...
- danudey 5y ago
  I've been looking for years and I have yet to find any systems (TV, receiver, or injector) which actually take advantage of this feature.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

Just don't connect it to the network or agree to any of the license clickthroughs, it can't do things behind your back then. HDMI and the RF tuner can still work fine.

fsflover 5y ago

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28583761 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28583761 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28045189 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28045189

jimjams 5y ago
... "don't connect it to the network", means don't connect it to the network, via a Roku-router or wlan or whatever. Don't buy one with other networks either, if they exist...

elsherbini 5y ago

I cant find a source, but I remember a discussion here on a brand of smart tvs that still phone home by connecting to other nearby smart tvs that are connected to a network, even if you don't connect yours to the network.

theshrike79 5y ago
It was Samsung TVs that will automatically connect to any open Wifi nearby to get their ads updated, even if you tell it not to.
- chubot 5y ago
  Really? Source? Which models? I just bought a Samsung 4K TV a month ago. I didn't connect it to wi-fi or do any setup. I just plugged my computer in. I have not seen any ads. It seems to work fine offline in all respects. If it actually did this I would definitely return the TV. In case it matters it was this Q60A "QLED" 43 inch 4K TV: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-43-class-q60a-series-qled-4k-uhd-smart-tizen-tv/6453192.p?skuId=6453192 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-43-class-q60a-series-ql...
  - lpapez 5y ago
    I got this exact same model today. Never gonna connect it to wifi anyway, seemed perfect.
  - theshrike79 5y ago
    Can't find a better source since the subreddit where I got the info is now private for some reason: https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/bpr6xs/if_you_choose_to_not_connect_your_samsung_smart/ https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/bpr6xs/if_you_choo... Basically Samsung TVs at least used to grab any open Wifi to connect to if you don't provide them with credentials to your own. Also there is no way to fully disable the wifi. The solution was to set the connection to manual configuration and set all addresses to 0.0.0.0. Of course this is not an issue if the only network your TV can see is your own, more of a problem in apartments where there might be 20 wireless networks available at any time.

thoughtsimple 5y ago

I have a Roku that I block from the internet. It blinks an obnoxious red led to complain it can’t phone home. I need some gaffer’s tape to cover it up I guess.

IG_Semmelweiss 5y ago
What is your usecase? Trying to understand the point of having apps without the wifi. I have noticed a marked increase in youtube ads in the roku app. Prob due to roku has updated itself without permission. Now i dread having to deal with pihole hacks + routers to fence it out of our home network :/
- boardwaalk 5y ago
  They said internet, not wifi. Perhaps some Roku apps can play media from your local network? Plex, or a built-in media player?
runjake 5y ago
This is what I did for my TCL Roku TV: just taped over the annoying blinking light. If enough people do this, I anticipate that in the next model, they'll replace that blinking light with an forced on-screen overlay.
- dmd 5y ago
  I have a TCL Roku 6-series. If you do a factory reset, and from the start don't let it connect, then you won't get the blinking light. You only get the blinking light if you take away access after having given it.
  - jrm4 5y ago
    I was curious about this -- I've been digging and I can't find a solution, is it possible to tell these things to jump straight to HDMI once you turn them on? Or are you always stuck with at least that one homescreen jump. Trying to make this thing as "dumb" as possible.

squiffsquiff 5y ago

You know that some devices essentially "require" network connectivity for initial setup? E.g. https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/tv/smart-tv-set-up-without-internet-or-smart-phone/td-p/2331626 https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/tv/smart-tv-set-up-witho...

rapsey 5y ago
So give it a network connection for initial setup then take it away?
- squiffsquiff 5y ago
  So you'll still have all the adverts, they just don't update?
  - flatiron 5y ago
    I had to do that. My Samsung couldn’t leave “demo mode” or whatever without going online first and would restart itself every hour. I just let it register and blocked it from coming out my router. It stays quiet like that. I believe removing the wifi showed some nag when booting that I had to deal with. Real scummy stuff.
  - bee_rider 5y ago
    Annoying, but at least it isn't feeding your information in to the weird ad-driven panopticon (we'll leave that to the content providers!)
  - rbanffy 5y ago
    > they just don't update? That's a cursed scenario...
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - mindslight 5y ago
    Buy it from a place with free returns. Then if it insists on showing cached ads after the network is pulled (or any other undesirable behavior), just return it. This won't help you find a better model, but it will save you from needing to research these obscure details in too much depth. . o O ( I wonder if some hostile antifeatures go away if you buy a TV in the US but then activate it from an EU IP address ).

SamuelAdams 5y ago

HDMI cables now come with 10/100 Ethernet built in. So it could connect via your devices connection. So pay attention to the hdmi cable you use.

periheli0n 5y ago
They have been for a while. But are these actually used for IP connectivity? If that was the case, a laptop’s HDMI port should show up as network interface, which it doesn’t, at least not on my machine.
xattt 5y ago
There are no receivers on the market that act as HDMI Ethernet network switches.
ARandumGuy 5y ago
Are there any examples of TVs doing this, or is this just a hypothetical? There are some TVs that will try to connect to the internet via non-obvious means (Samsung TVs were mentioned elsewhere in this thread). TV manufacturers aren't spy agencies though. They're not going to put in that much effort to sneak an internet connection, when most users willingly connect their TVs to WiFi anyway. If I can't find an article about a given TV sneaking in an internet connection, I would be pretty confident that it doesn't.
- KennyBlanken 5y ago
  > They're not going to put in that much effort to sneak an internet connection, The profit from collecting data on you and displaying ads on the TV is greater than the profit from the sale of the TV. They absolutely will go to whatever lengths they can. https://www.cnet.com/news/as-smart-tvs-become-the-only-option-your-privacy-choices-fizzle-out/ https://www.cnet.com/news/as-smart-tvs-become-the-only-optio... https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/10/22773073/vizio-acr-advertising-inscape-data-privacy-q3-2021 https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/10/22773073/vizio-acr-adver...
danudey 5y ago
I've been looking for years and I have yet to find any systems (TV, receiver, or injector) which actually take advantage of this feature.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]