Native vs Web App for IoT Devices

Recently I was chatting with a friend about a new WiFi router. I hadn't heard of it and he sent me a link to it. The first thing I noticed about it was that the configuration was done via an iOS or Android app. As an iOS developer, I know that a native app is going to generally provide a better user experience than a web app. However, as a consumer, I shy away from devices that only have a native app interface. If the app stops working, isn't updated quickly when an OS gets updated, or the company stops supporting the app, I'd be out of luck. In addition, I like being able to configure devices using my desktop machine and most devices don't have a Mac app for configuration.

The native apps are great, but they have to be secondary to a web interface for any IoT device. I mentioned this to my friend and he understood right away my point. I look at the serial to Ethernet gateway I have that I bought used 3.5 years ago and is likely not made any more and am glad that it has a web interface. Granted it is a very specialized device on my network, but the web interface is the only reason that I'm still able to use it. If it were a device that I wanted to look at more often, like a router that I needed to control various aspects of it, the lack of a web interface makes the device a no go in my opinion.

I wish that more companies would implement web interfaces first for their IoT devices and have native apps as secondary interfaces. I'm not saying that all apps should be web apps; in fact, I believe that native apps provide a better user experience. I am saying that web apps should always be a backup option in case the native app isn't available or doesn't work.

Keeping Network Devices Updated

Some time ago, IPv6 disappeared from my home network. After a bit of research, I found out that Time Warner Cable had a problem with my cable modem (Motorola SB 6183) and IPv6 so they pushed out a firmware that disabled IPv6. Recently I read in the Time Warner forums that a firmware update would be out soon that has this fixed.

This got me thinking about IPv6 on my home network. While I'm not sure exactly why I need it, I'm curious about it. Do all my devices support IPv6? Should I move everything to IPv6? Both of these questions are not my focus right now as my IPv4 network is fine, and I don't want to put my head around it. What this did bring up, however, is the availability of updates for devices on my network; not just IPv6 support, but security and stability fixes.

My network has a large number of devices from a number of manufacturers. I have 7 video cameras, 7 Squeezebox devices, 3 Macs, 3 iPhones, 5 iPads, a sprinkler controller, Apple TV, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, serial to Ethernet adapter, 3 WiFi access points, 2 managed switches, printer, a Vera, and a partridge in a pear tree. These devices range from being a few months old to some being many years old. How do they get updates? Are they still made? As a tech person, I try to keep on top of all the updates and keep my network secure.

One of the problems with keeping all these devices updated is that some of the manufacturers are no longer around or the devices are no longer supported. Does this pose a security risk? Devices that update their firmware automatically like the Amazon Echo make this whole upgrade issue moot (until the company goes out of business or moves on). What does the average person do with all these devices? The simplest solution for devices that don't update their own firmware, unfortunately, is to replace them every few years. This is a complete waste, but potentially the only solution. The problem is going to get worse as more and more devices are put on the network.

What do other people do to keep devices updated? Maybe I need a quarterly update day to check all my devices.

Review: Plantronics BackBeat Fit Headphones

It seems that every year I look for better headphones for running. The last 4 or 5 years, all the headphones that I'ved used have been wireless, but something either happens to the headphones or there is something that I don't like about them. This summer was no different than past summers in that I wasn't satisfied with the headphones I had. My previous pair were the Plantronics BackBeat Go. They performed adequately, but I was never able to keep them in my ears and spent time on my runs adjusting them. Sometimes they stayed in and required little adjustment, but most of the time, they just kept falling out. I initially liked them and was able to have them properly positioned, but that might have just been a fluke. I had bought them at Costco so that I could try them out and if I didn't like them, they'd go back. However, they worked OK and I ended up keeping them for about a year.

Flipping through the Costco magazine recently, I saw that they were selling the Plantronics BackBeat Fit with a $20 discount. Like last year, I decided to give them a try. With Costco's generous return policy, I had nothing to lose. (I used to hate going to Costco, but now I go on an almost weekly basis.)

Like most Bluetooth headphones these days, pairing was pretty easy; granted not as easy to pair as Apple's AirPods, but easy enough. I paired the headphones and the sound is decent. I'm not an audiophile and when I'm running, it almost doesn't matter as long as they play. The controls on the side are fairly easy to work, but the volume up/down button (it is 1 button) is a little small. Skipping tracks requires a double tap of the button on the left ear. I would have rather that button just require a push and hold as I skip tracks fairly often when there is music I don't want to hear.

One of the things I've noticed on the headphones is that there has been a firmware update for them; this is a first for me on running headphones. The one feature I noticed with the update is that when I goto the next track by double tapping the button is that a voice says "next track". Also, when I power them on, a voice gives estimated play time which is great instead of just high, medium, or low battery charge.

The headphones fit well over my ears and don't move when I run. They left small marks on my ears where they rested, but I barely noticed them. They were comfortable and I didn't feel like I spent time futzing with them while running.

Pros

• Comfortable.
• Don't move when running.
• Voice prompt for battery usage is useful.
• Decent play time.
• Can be paired to multiple devices.

Cons

• Volume button is a little small.
• Advancing tracks requires 2 taps which is sometimes hard to do while running.

Summary

Many times when I get something new like this, I write the review during the "honeymoon phase" and have very little critical to say about it. While that is true here as well, the design of these headphones is what will keep me using them. They are similar to a pair of Motorola headphones that I had a few years ago, but those had a stiff piece of plastic connecting the sides which dug into my head. I liked the design on those as they stayed in my ears. I'm quite hopeful that these live up to the hype.

At the discounted price I got at Costco (they were on sale), buying them was a no-brainer. At regular price, I can say without a doubt that they are better than the JayBirds I had before that I couldn't get to stay in my ears. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these for anyone that wants wireless headphones for use when running or working out.

Review: Feit 48ft. LED Outdoor String Lights

Recently my neighbor has been redoing his backyard and I saw that he put in low voltage lights around the perimeter of it. This made me a little jealous as I only put in low voltage lightning under parts of our deck and not around the perimeter. While I do have floodlights in the backyard, they are for security lightning and not really lighting the backyard when we use it. So, my choices for adding lights were quite limited.

I remembered that Costco had some string lights, so I looked online and found some Feit LED string lights. I ordered 2 sets of these and they arrived last week. I chose these over the cheaper incandescent ones because of the lower power consumption, plastic bulb covers, and ability to dim them. After getting the lights, I strung them up without reading the instructions (what could they say besides plug them in?). They looked nice, but there was a lot of tension in the wire and the connection between the 2 sets had a lot of stress that didn't make it secure.

So, I decided to glance at the directions and it said that for spans over 24 feet, that the lights should be secured to a cable or wire. That made a lot of sense. This past Saturday, I prepared my parts list, went to Home Depot, and went about securing the wire rope to a pole, my house, and our deck. It was a clean install, just a bit time consuming. I then used small black zip ties to attach the string lights to the rope. One huge advantage of using the wire over just supporting the lights from the ends was that they didn't sag.

When it finally started getting dark, I turned on the lights and lit up the backyard. Even though the lights are about 15W each strip, they put out a significant amount of light. My wife loved them and I was pretty pleased with my work. The next evening we had friends over and we got positive comments about the lights which made me feel like putting up the lights was another good decision.

The lights appear well constructed, are UL listed (the transformer/rectifier is UL listed for being rainproof, but I have it in an outdoor box with a cover).

Pros

• Put out a lot of light.
• Dimmable.
• Can choose from a few colors. (Not sure that is a pro.)
• Wireless remote to turn the lights on or off.
• UL listed.
• Low power consumption.

Cons

• For longer spans, an extra wire/cable is needed which adds to the expense and makes installation harder.
• Wireless remote seems a bit flakey.
• Colors other than the white are pretty useless.

Summary

If you're looking for a way to light up a backyard (or even a front yard), these lights should do the trick. I noticed yesterday that Costco sold them in the warehouse which would have saved me $10 shipping. Of course with anything plugged in outside, make sure it is UL listed. This set of lights meets that requirement for me. I'm quite pleased with the results and am not sure why I didn't think of it sooner. Buying them from Costco made the purchase a no-brainer because of Costco generous return policy; there is nothing to lose by trying them.