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How I upgraded my water heater and discovered how bad smart home security can be (arstechnica.com)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I continue to be amazed that anybody connects their appliances to the internet.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

That, with some API tinkering and an email address, a bad actor could possibly set its temperature or make it run constantly.

Opening a tap triggers the exchanger, heats up the water (with natural gas, in my case), and the device has to push it through the line to where it's needed.

When I went into the utility closet to shut off the hose bibbs for winter, I noticed a plastic bag magnetically stuck to the back side of the water heater.

The Control-R Wi-Fi Module must be installed for recirculation to operate,” read the intense yellow warning label.

The tone of the language inside (“DO NOT TOUCH,” unless you are “a properly trained technician”) did not match that of the can-do manual (“get the most from your new module”).

I installed the device, went through the typical “Connect your phone to this weirdly named hotspot” process, and—it worked.

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