Every TV is a dumb TV when they’re not connected to the internet, no?
this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
56 points (92.4% liked)
Privacy
31809 readers
365 users here now
A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.
Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.
In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.
Some Rules
- Posting a link to a website containing tracking isn't great, if contents of the website are behind a paywall maybe copy them into the post
- Don't promote proprietary software
- Try to keep things on topic
- If you have a question, please try searching for previous discussions, maybe it has already been answered
- Reposts are fine, but should have at least a couple of weeks in between so that the post can reach a new audience
- Be nice :)
Related communities
Chat rooms
-
[Matrix/Element]Dead
much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
Some TV's connect automatically to open networks to upload data
I'd like to see a source on that claim.
Regardless, another option is to hook it up to a dummy wifi network that doesn't connect to anything and then hook up whatever to an input.
i found a source, it is a random reddit post though https://web.archive.org/web/20210601000527/https://www.reddit.com/r/security/comments/bpjky4/worried_about_your_smart_tv_listening_in_simply/
They do? Do you have any examples of this? This is an enormous security fumble if any wi-fi device does something like this.
Worst case you can also just open up the TV and disconnect the wifi module.
im thinking about getting a nice tv and desoldering the wifi chip, but its kinda intimidating. like would it even display an hdmi feed if the wifi chip is gone
remember wifi devices have an attenna, instead of removing the chip, soldering resistors to the antenna (or replacing it w/resistors) will drain it of power (more or less). no attenna power, no signal to connect; no signal to connect, no wifi.
though honestly tv wifi does a pretty good job at dropping signals on it's own. most tv's have a wifi OFF capability, always assumed that ... worked?
some samsung tvs would autoconnect to open wifi networks, and that couldnt be disabled.
Wow that is crazy.
im not sure about all TVs but my sony TV has a laptop style wifi chip that you can just unplug
I'm going to need a source on that so I can avoid those kinds of TVs.
not the most trustworthy source but heres one https://web.archive.org/web/20210601000527/https://www.reddit.com/r/security/comments/bpjky4/worried_about_your_smart_tv_listening_in_simply/
I have a VLAN with a dead gateway
If you are in the U.S. and have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore nearby, there are often lots of "dumb" flat screens to be had for a song. If you don't mind a slightly older bit of hardware.
I have an LG and it functions just fine without being connected to Wi-Fi. You can also monitor and block any attempts to phone home at the DNS level with something like pihole.
where this tv is going, the individual doesn't have network control
You can get a commercial display, but you'll bed a separate TV tuner and speakers to make it the same function as a TV since it's just a dumb display.
...bed a separate TV tuner and speakers...
Do I bed them immediately, or should I buy them dinner first?
That was supposed to be "need" but autocorrect apparently had something to say about it. I won't edit it because it's funny and then your comment won't make sense
I think this is up to each individual tuner and speaker. I don’t want to speak for all of them.
Dinner or drinks first, or it's likely to not work out. But I wouldn't care about a TV tuner, so you can safely cut dinner (but leave in at least a drink or two...I mean come on)
This (https://amzn.to/3Ei1ZJy) is probably the best "dumb" display I'm aware of. Kind of a dying species since consumers generally buy smart displays and tvs/etc rely heavily on the subsidization they get from both data collection and economies of scale.
Try to give a name and model. An interesting privacy suggestion on a non privacy respecting website means folk are forced to click it.
Sceptre 65" 4K Ultra HD 2160p LED 4X HDMI 2.0 HDTV 3840x2160, Metal Black 2018
Can confirm Sceptre 65" Class 4K UHD LED TV HDR U650CV-U is a solid dumb TV
Have owned this for 15 months and am very pleased with it as a screen. Do strongly recommend using a soundbar or other solution for audio.
I did get this from walmart for $432 (about $200 cheaper than amazon link) https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sceptre-65-Class-4K-UHD-LED-TV-HDR-U650CV-U/48874705
What I did was just buy the tv I wanted for the hardware and block it from internet access by Mac address, then plugged it into the network with eth. I then put dns blocks on every request it made (I log things before blocking them, and did this on the scenario a kill switch gets messed up or something) and installed the media software from there. Smart tv made private.
So easy!
If it doesn't have to be a TV but just a screen a monitor may be an option. Otherwise I'd look at eBay or something like that where people are selling old ones.