4 ms·

Just don’t connect your TV to the internet. Yes I know there is a theoretical capability for it to connect to unsecured WIFI. No one still has unsecured WIFI

Just don’t connect your TV to the internet. Yes I know there is a theoretical capability for it to connect to unsecured WIFI. No one still has unsecured WIFI anymore

peacebeard 11mo ago
This theoretical capability could connect to a neighbor's WIFI in an apartment or condo.
- raw_anon_1111 11mo ago
  Every router shipped these days either by the cable company or separately is configured with a password by default.
  - jermaustin1 11mo ago
    And a guest wifi that is password free on by default. All it takes is a neighbor to get a new router from the ISP. I just had to turn my guest wifi off because I noticed a lot of bandwidth on it (likely coming from our neighbor who was bragging about cord cutting).
    - raw_anon_1111 11mo ago
      Even that WiFi is gated by having to have an account with the ISP at least it was with Comcast.
      - SoftTalker 11mo ago
        what stops Comcast and TV makers from making a deal to use it?
        raw_anon_1111 11mo ago
        So now Comcast is going to make a deal that TVs can use their guest WiFi network without logging in but only to send surveillance information?
    - gambiting 11mo ago
      >>And a guest wifi that is password free on by default. I've literally never seen a router with a guest wifi enabled by default, from any ISP or otherwise - is that a common thing where you live?
      - raw_anon_1111 11mo ago
        It was common that Comcast has a separate WiFi guest network where anyone with a Comcast account could sign in and use it.
    - deleted 11mo ago
      [deleted]
  - peacebeard 11mo ago
    It's anecdotal, but I live in an apartment and while most of the WIFI networks are password protected, not all are.
    - Loughla 11mo ago
      My Wi-Fi isn't. I live about 2 miles away from my closest neighbor, so it was an inconvenience. The trick was finding TV's and what not that don't need an Internet connection. Vizio was the only brand I could find that still had just dumb tv flat screens, believe it or not.
      - hsbauauvhabzb 11mo ago
        I would have thought modern devices would complain about unencrypted enough that putting even the password 123456 would be less painful
afarah1 11mo ago
That's not a good answer, unless you just want cable. YouTube, Netflix, etc won't work. Buying hardware is paying extra which is already a deterrent, but anyway just shifts the problem to that piece of hardware - is the stick vetted to not do any harm? Other solutions are often impractical or overly complex for non-technical people. I haven't seen any good answers to date. I guess your TV just shouldn't spy on everything you watch? Seems like a reasonable expectation.
- EduardoBautista 11mo ago
  I trust Apple’s business model.
  - garciasn 11mo ago
    For now. They’re about to undergo a CEO change, again. Who knows what will happen in the future, particularly if the shareholders expect the perceived value provided by enshittification.
    - merely-unlikely 11mo ago
      John Ternus, SVP of Hardware Engineering, is considered the front runner for CEO right now. The board wants a more product oriented CEO this time. Things could change but makes me optimistic.
    - josegonzalez 11mo ago
      Its not like they change CEOs every year - Tim Cook has been CEO since 2011.
- xdennis 11mo ago
  I just connect it to a computer and watch YouTube without ads and movies without anti-piracy warnings (from a store I go to-rrent them).
  - afarah1 11mo ago
bradfitz 11mo ago
Until they start using Sidewalk/LPWAN type things automatically instead of your home WiFi.
- leetbulb 11mo ago
  Pretty sure some already do this.
crote 11mo ago
We've already had TVs which only started serving ads after a few months of use. What's stopping them from selling TVs which stop working if it hasn't been able to connect to the mothership for a few weeks? And instead of a full brick, let's just downgrade to 360p and call it an "expiration of your complementary free Enhanced Video trial".
- gruez 11mo ago
  >We've already had TVs which only started serving ads after a few months of use. What's stopping them from selling TVs which stop working if it hasn't been able to connect to the mothership for a few weeks? Same thing that prevents your phone manufacturer from adding a firmware level backdoor that uploads all your nudes to the mothership 1 day after the warranty expires. At some point you just have to assume they're not going to screw you over.
  - inetknght 11mo ago
    > At some point you just have to assume they're not going to screw you over. That'd be quite naive in my opinion.

Just don’t connect your TV to the internet. Yes I know there is a theoretical capability for it to connect to unsecured WIFI. No one still has unsecured WIFI anymore

peacebeard 11mo ago

This theoretical capability could connect to a neighbor's WIFI in an apartment or condo.

raw_anon_1111 11mo ago
Every router shipped these days either by the cable company or separately is configured with a password by default.
- jermaustin1 11mo ago
  And a guest wifi that is password free on by default. All it takes is a neighbor to get a new router from the ISP. I just had to turn my guest wifi off because I noticed a lot of bandwidth on it (likely coming from our neighbor who was bragging about cord cutting).
  - raw_anon_1111 11mo ago
    Even that WiFi is gated by having to have an account with the ISP at least it was with Comcast.
    - SoftTalker 11mo ago
      what stops Comcast and TV makers from making a deal to use it?
      - raw_anon_1111 11mo ago
        So now Comcast is going to make a deal that TVs can use their guest WiFi network without logging in but only to send surveillance information?
  - gambiting 11mo ago
    >>And a guest wifi that is password free on by default. I've literally never seen a router with a guest wifi enabled by default, from any ISP or otherwise - is that a common thing where you live?
    - raw_anon_1111 11mo ago
      It was common that Comcast has a separate WiFi guest network where anyone with a Comcast account could sign in and use it.
  - deleted 11mo ago
    [deleted]
- peacebeard 11mo ago
  It's anecdotal, but I live in an apartment and while most of the WIFI networks are password protected, not all are.
  - Loughla 11mo ago
    My Wi-Fi isn't. I live about 2 miles away from my closest neighbor, so it was an inconvenience. The trick was finding TV's and what not that don't need an Internet connection. Vizio was the only brand I could find that still had just dumb tv flat screens, believe it or not.
    - hsbauauvhabzb 11mo ago
      I would have thought modern devices would complain about unencrypted enough that putting even the password 123456 would be less painful

afarah1 11mo ago

That's not a good answer, unless you just want cable. YouTube, Netflix, etc won't work. Buying hardware is paying extra which is already a deterrent, but anyway just shifts the problem to that piece of hardware - is the stick vetted to not do any harm? Other solutions are often impractical or overly complex for non-technical people. I haven't seen any good answers to date. I guess your TV just shouldn't spy on everything you watch? Seems like a reasonable expectation.

EduardoBautista 11mo ago
I trust Apple’s business model.
- garciasn 11mo ago
  For now. They’re about to undergo a CEO change, again. Who knows what will happen in the future, particularly if the shareholders expect the perceived value provided by enshittification.
  - merely-unlikely 11mo ago
    John Ternus, SVP of Hardware Engineering, is considered the front runner for CEO right now. The board wants a more product oriented CEO this time. Things could change but makes me optimistic.
  - josegonzalez 11mo ago
    Its not like they change CEOs every year - Tim Cook has been CEO since 2011.
xdennis 11mo ago
I just connect it to a computer and watch YouTube without ads and movies without anti-piracy warnings (from a store I go to-rrent them).
- afarah1 11mo ago

bradfitz 11mo ago

Until they start using Sidewalk/LPWAN type things automatically instead of your home WiFi.

leetbulb 11mo ago
Pretty sure some already do this.

crote 11mo ago

We've already had TVs which only started serving ads after a few months of use. What's stopping them from selling TVs which stop working if it hasn't been able to connect to the mothership for a few weeks? And instead of a full brick, let's just downgrade to 360p and call it an "expiration of your complementary free Enhanced Video trial".

gruez 11mo ago
>We've already had TVs which only started serving ads after a few months of use. What's stopping them from selling TVs which stop working if it hasn't been able to connect to the mothership for a few weeks? Same thing that prevents your phone manufacturer from adding a firmware level backdoor that uploads all your nudes to the mothership 1 day after the warranty expires. At some point you just have to assume they're not going to screw you over.
- inetknght 11mo ago
  > At some point you just have to assume they're not going to screw you over. That'd be quite naive in my opinion.