Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Internet-Enabled Thermostat

Posted by michael on from the getting-warm-in-here dept.

ptorrone writes "Engadget has a little write-up of what is supposed to be the world's first Internet-enabled thermostat from Proliphix, which has an Ethernet port and a built-in web server and can be controlled from virtually any standard browser. So how long until everything in the home has its own IP address and script kiddies decide to get their kicks messing with your air conditioning during a heat wave?"

5 of 234 comments (clear)

  1. Re:A better solution by mikael · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Cool! Now I don't even have to put down the laptop, get up and switch on the air-conditioning.
    All we need now is an intelligent fridge-freezer which can deliver cool drinks direct to my chair.

    --
    Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
  2. Automated Windows? by LostCluster · · Score: 4, Interesting

    What I've found in my family's ruleset for when we do and don't use our A/C system is that when we decide to disable the A/C, we immediately must open our windows to let in outdoor air... is there any system that could motorize the windows so that they'd open based on the same software that might decide that the outdoor air was too cool for A/C but too warm to let the house be allowed to retain heat by having the windows closed?

    1. Re:Automated Windows? by Solosoft · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually my dad works as a HVAC salesman. The one thing you SHOULD do when your done using your Central AC is leave the fan running. If you let those coils "drip dry" your going to end up with mold in there. Which can make you and your family very sick. People can come in our house with the AC on and normally are quite annoyed by AC and have no problem.

      Just a little tip :) Leave the fan running for ~ 20 - 30 minutes afterwords so the coil can dry. Also it helps circulate the air in the house too (moving all the cold AC air out of the vents and such).

      --
      Solosoft.org - Your Online Resource to Nothing
  3. How long before they can DDOS a powerplant? by jenkin+sear · · Score: 3, Interesting
    " How long before ... script kiddies decide to get their kicks messing with your air conditioning during a heat wave?"


    So what happens when a virus gets into the seventy zillion unsecured windoze boxes out there, and drops every thermostat they can reach to fifty degrees in the middle of august? ConEd in NYC already has a heck of a time keepin gup with mid-day summer loads from all the AC units- you could easily knock out the entire east coast (again) if enough of these thermostats come online.

    hope they put at least a userid and a password on it, and set them randomly at the factory.

    --
    What a strange bird is the pelican, his beak can hold more than his belly can.
  4. It Has To be Said... by galgon · · Score: 3, Interesting

    But Can it run Linux?