from Hacker News

Teardown shows Nest Cam is always on even when you think it’s off

by swatthatfly on 11/26/15, 5:18 PM with 31 comments

• by CM30 on 11/26/15, 10:41 PM

  Take it as you will, but some of the comments in the article are saying that the only things left active are the wifi functionality to remotely switch the device on again, and that the 'camera' part is completely disabled as you'd expect.

  So at the moment, it's a bit less ominous than the title suggests.

  That said, I do find it irritating how many devices seem to want to be on permanent 'standby' nowadays, especially given all the talk about wasting electricity. Or the related worries about spies being able to remotely activate devices because they're not completely off.

• by listic on 11/27/15, 10:33 AM

  I don't like paying money for devices and services that are able to steal my data and/or spy on me.

  I would like a security camera that is not able to connect to the outside world (when I'm back, it would allow me to see what was happening when I was out). I guess it should be allowed to the local network.

  Does anyone have a recommendation for a good one?

• by swiley on 11/27/15, 12:56 PM

  You can't really know what it does because the firmware is closed. Firmware on devices like this is an example of why open source is so important.

• by upstandingdude on 11/27/15, 3:00 PM

  How do I know the article is sensationalist shit? "vice president of teardowns at ABI Research"

  I am Senior Vice President of making spiteful comments at my house.

• by callesgg on 11/27/15, 2:20 PM

  "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"