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Your washing machine could be sending 3.7 GB of data a day — LG washing machine owner disconnected his device from Wi-Fi after noticing excessive outgoing daily data traffic

https://www.tomshardware.com/networking ... data-a-day

Because how else can they control how much water you use to clean your clothes. Or flush your toilet?

According to the story, Johnny never determined what was going on.

Well, I have an LG washer, but I never gave it the access to my web service modem.
I never setup the WIFI on it.
No way does it know what service is mine or the password to connect.

So I guess I am safe.

Well, this actually shows it being done with your cell phone, so is it also able to do it by cell phone service?
https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... MdFJY,st:0

As we say in the southern US.
If you really need this to run your washer.
Ain't you special

Flash wrote: Sun Jan 14, 2024 1:58 am

According to the story, Johnny never determined what was going on.

It is probably monitoring your internet usage and feeding the info to Google

One of my buddies has a smart pot (thermomix). He recently complained that when he had a problem connecting to the internet, he couldn't cook anything. I asked him why he bought one for crap. He replied that everyone is buying it now and he bought one too.

I cook on a gas or electric stove. I don't need to be hooked up to the internet to make dinner.

I have read on a non-reliable source that these things can be used a very small scale blockchain devices. They're basically useless individually, but if every LG washer in the world was doing a little chugging at the cost of the owner rather than LG (or whomever is in control of the data usage) that can add up to a lot of computering.

IMHO, it was probably reporting a fault, or had a fault. If this much data was going through from every machine, more than one person would have noticed, I think....

Here in Connecticut the Yale New Haven Hospital and the Yale group of hospitals are concerned and are addressing the problems of networked medical equipment being hacked.

Seeing demonstrations of what is possible....is frightening. MRI machines to heart monitors and all in between are becoming network connection capable, and are not built to be secure.

I recently bought the cheapest H-P laser printer at Best Buy. When I got it home I discovered that it has to be connected to the Internet by Wifi to work.
After I gave it my Wifi password I began to get notices from my ISP for the first time ever that I was about to use up my data allowance for the month. So I turned the printer off. I don't know yet if it was the cause.

Hackers could infect network-connected torque wrenches to install ransomware

@Flash

HP is becoming increasingly known for it's consumer UNFRIENDLY policies and products. No good reason on earth that a printer has to be connected to the internet. Ran into a similar thing with a friends Netgear router, it forced you to create a Netgear account including IP info before you could configure and use it. It's now living another life in a recycle bin. I did keep the AC adapter which didn't require the Netgear account.

wizard

@Flash I have read a story that someone's HP printer stopped working. They contacted HP support and were informed that the printer has been disabled because their credit card had expired

We are in danger of companies selling equipment that they can render via some internet-of-things command unusable after a year or two. Hopefully legislation will work against such tactics; at least Apple received financial punishment for that iPhone that became purposively 'slow' after a year or two of use (though the inbuilt slow-down mechanism was not controlled remotely as far as I know).

I'm far from happy, even, about printers containing 'genuine ink cartridge' detection software that forces purchase of only 'genuine' brand consumables. Older HP printers like my Deskjet 2540P work fine (and great quality print in practice) with unbranded consumables at less then half the official HP cartridge price - long may it keep running.

I will be moving to the likes of eco-tank (Epson), such that I can refill with bulk ink, or similar offerings from Brother, as long as Linux friendly enough.

p310don wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 3:48 am

@Flash I have read a story that someone's HP printer stopped working. They contacted HP support and were informed that the printer has been disabled because their credit card had expired

A commercial for HP printers flew on Polish television: "HP printers are so smart that they will order the ink themselves before they run out". So a full account and a valid credit card is essential. Without cash there is no printing.

Hmm. Well, I can believe that H-P might require a credit card for an inkjet printer. I only print about a page a year, so every time I wanted to print something with an inkjet printer, the cartridge would be dried out. I bought a laser printer because it doesn't use ink. Laser printers use the same principle as a Xerox copier, transferring dry "toner" powder to the paper. The toner powder is already as dry as can be, so it should keep just about forever. H-P didn't ask me for a credit card, just built the printer so it has to be connected to the Internet to work at all. I'm told that all printers are that way now.

@Flash

I'm told that all printers are that way now.

I think I'll call BS on that, Brother printers do not have that requirement last I checked.

wizard

Flash wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 8:33 pm

Hmm. Well, I can believe that H-P might require a credit card for an inkjet printer. I only print about a page a year, so every time I wanted to print something with an inkjet printer, the cartridge would be dried out. I bought a laser printer because it doesn't use ink. Laser printers use the same principle as a Xerox copier, transferring dry "toner" powder to the paper. The toner powder is already as dry as can be, so it should keep just about forever. H-P didn't ask me for a credit card, just built the printer so it has to be connected to the Internet to work at all. I'm told that all printers are that way now.

Not all operate under the same principles as HP. Canon does not require an internet connection but it is optional during printer setup. Canon has it to update firmware. HP uses it to get a copy of everything that gets scanned and printed, as well as the other things already mentioned. Two months ago my sis bought a Canon Megatank G3270 for her windows7/11 household to replace her old HP that finally died after 15 years, she is very happy with it. Here is a review of that printer https://www.techradar.com/reviews/canon-pixma-g3270