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First thing I do when I get a smart appliance is scan it with nmap. This has revealed some interesting Easter eggs, like my Davis instruments air quality sensors having a local REST API.

Doing the usual scan against my GE washer and dryer shows that port 53 is listening. What could that be for? Is there a way I can at least query their status locally or something?

When I got the washer and dryer I was excited about the smart home features because getting an alert when my laundry is done or starting the washer remotely so the clothes are done when I get home are genuinely useful features. However, last time I checked the app none of that was available, so I just have these Trojan horses in my home spying on me with no benefit in exchange. Their app wanted my freaking mailing address when I signed up for their mandatory account, so the features mentioned above are the least they could offer in exchange for my digital soul. But I digress.

My fridge is in a similar situation. It commits the additional cardinal sin of ONLY being controllable via the app, with no on-board temp or filter status indicators whatsoever.

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[-] early_riser@lemmy.radio 14 points 2 days ago

For those who are saying I shouldn't have bought these half-baked smart appliances, I agree. But I wasn't always this aware of the privacy issues involved. The washer and dryer were purchased before I grasped how problematic cloud-connected always online IoT devices are, and as mentioned in the OP the ability to tell me when my laundry was done seemed like a genuinely useful feature. In the case of the fridge it was an emergency replacement and we took what fit the preexisting niche in our kitchen, and the complete lack of output on the fridge itself necessitated the app.

[-] Tangent5280@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Hey, it might help to get email aliases. Mailbox and fastmail offer them - I think most paid email services do. It helps me keep the services I have to sign up for isolated from my main email.

[-] early_riser@lemmy.radio 1 points 1 day ago

Already do that via a custom domain and SimpleLogin/Proton.

[-] MouldyCat@feddit.uk 1 points 1 day ago

Firefox has Firefox Relay, which lets you create aliases (they call them masks) for one destination email for free

https://relay.firefox.com/

[-] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

Apple also offer a similar service, if you so happen to own an iPhone.

Has been really useful for identifying which vendors and websites on-sold my data!

[-] grauzone@social.tchncs.de 3 points 2 days ago

@early_riser it can get even worse. Some washingmachine manufacturers over here offer more programs to select from if you pay 10 CHF every month to them 😩

[-] early_riser@lemmy.radio 6 points 1 day ago

Nothing pops a vein quite like companies acting like a one-time expense should be a monthly fee. Paying monthly for heated seats in certain cars is where I first heard of this. They already put the hardware in the car. I guarantee they already charged you for the parts and labor to put in those heated seats when you bought the vehicle. No way they're losing money on it in the hopes you start paying them.

But I'll get off my owner's rights soapbox now.

[-] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 20 hours ago

If I had the means, I would buy a car with that "feature" just to hardwire it myself. Out of spite.

I have an EE degree, I know how to properly wire things in a car (done it safely for decades) - heated seats are no different.

this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2025
187 points (100.0% liked)

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