My ‘personal’ preference is to never have ANY Samsung or LG product in my house…
Some Samsung smart fridges stopped working on Tuesday due to a firmware update.
Korean outlets were the first to report the problems, which affect Samsung’s Bespoke AI line of fridges. Star News Korea, per a Google-provided translation, said that most of the affected devices were four-door fridges from 2024 or later.
Affected fridges “suddenly lost power and stopped functioning immediately after” trying to issue a firmware update through SmartThings, Samsung’s smart home platform, per Star News Korea. The SmartThings app then showed the devices as offline. Some users said that their fridge’s internal display was stuck showing the message “Checking SmartThings app during update.”
Full article, HERE from Ars Technica.
Interestingly, it ‘appears’ the test run of the update was ONLY to Korean users, since Samsung is made there (Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea).
Samsung and LG (Seoul, South Korea (Yeongdeungpo District)), both Korean companies, are notorious for ‘strange’ things happening with their products.
TVs that record ‘everything’ even though they are supposedly off, cameras that turn on without commands, etc. And per a friend who used one to do internet searches, suddenly they were getting ads for stuff they had looked up!
Fancy that…
Yeah, yeah, I know there is no security for anything you do online, I get it…
But I also don’t particularly care for my TV or fridge, or microwave reporting what I watch, or taking pictures of me as a slouch around the house. Just sayin…
And I sure as hell don’t want them to connect to the internet through my router! THAT is asking for trouble! And that is also why I don’t have Alexa or any of those in my house, nor do I have any ‘smart’ house features.
Grumpy old fart, security conscious, and, while I don’t stay up on the latest and greatest security and cyber stuff, I do apply common sense.
I’m one of your tribe. I don’t like the idea of others having access to information happening INSIDE MY HOME. What happens out in public space is what it is (I can always avoid going there) but my home is my home. Getting advice from the toaster – nah, I’m good.
Some welcome rain for a change down here in RGV – hope it doesn’t get out of hand.
I keep telling folks about this sort of thing… they just won’t listen. Your smart thermostat. smart light. smart ridge. ANYTHING smart.
I have a friend who got so p!@#$d at his smart thermostat he put a .45 ACP through it…
it ain’t smart letting “smart” junk into your house. a couple of months ago the washing machine lost a basket bearing. it’s 15+ years old and has been repaired several times, so didn’t owe us anything.
you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find a “dumb” washing machine that will work without an interwebz connection.
Total agreement: it isn’t a good idea to let “smart” home technology within your walls. The reliability of washing machines, refrigerators, etc. is bad enough without the likelihood of downtime due to a bad update or an appliance or controller “bricking” itself when an update doesn’t arrive.
By the way, I’ve also resisted all offers of voluntary installation of “smart” meters by our local utilities.
At least you had a choice. Our tiny town in the PNW installed new smart meters without notice, then shrugged.
A few years ago, Amazon shut down some guy’s “smart house” based on a *false accusation* that he *said something*.
https://nypost.com/2023/06/15/amazon-shuts-down-customers-smart-home-devices-over-false-racist-claim/
I am certain that self driving cars will be programmed to detect ‘conservative’ conversational topics and if everyone aboard concurs then the car will accelerate off a steep embankment, or it may begin by refusing to drive to, or ‘charging more points’ to go to *certain* churches at their service times in a system where travel is rationed ‘to protect the environment’. But they will drive you to a rainbow-flag church for fewer points per mile.
I also foresee you and I getting letters from our heath insurance providers telling us we have been slouching, and to watch less (or watch ‘preferred’ programming) and to sit up straight while watching. They may also send you a nasty-gram for buying a half-gallon of ice cream and I’ll bet they’ll be quicker to admonish you if you bought Blue Bell (TX) rather than Ben & Jerry’s (VT.)
None of my vehicles or appliances connect to the internet at home.
I’m maybe sunk cost fallacying on some monitors bought recently, but while the brand has stuff said about their TVs, I vaguely hope that there are not problems with the official drivers for the monitors.
Speakers are transducers, and so with careful design, much can be done.
And South Korea in my view has some majorly suspicious things going on with their government, and hypothetical ties to neighboring communist countries with significant intelligence collection.
Samsung is a Chaebol, they have a lot of companies.
One of the Samsung companies is one of three major manufacturers of memory chips. Another is also South Korean. Which leaves Micron as a US manufacturer.
In purchasing a computer, you are not always free to choose the source of the RAM. I would submit that it might be reasonable to allow something with Samsung RAM chips into the house, while not buying complete systems from Samsung.
With no recourse Xcel installed Smart Meters on our building. Along with that, they stopped putting the meter reading on the monthly bill. “Trust us”.
No smart stuff in my apartment and won’t be. I can rebuild my 2002 Taurus for less than one years depreciation on a new vehicle. I’ve rented vehicles with all the modern electronic “crap”. Doesn’t float my boat.
Samsung made my current smart phone and the company issued tablet for my last job. Dislike both and will never willingly buy anything made by Samsung.
Don’t stop with Samsung. They all have the capability and you know the bureaucrats can’t/won’t resist.
Re a comment above: speakers can work as microphones.
All- Thanks for the comments, and yes, smart meters are EVIL incarnate. They are very hackable, in addition to letting the B&E specialists know when you’re gone on vacation… sigh
Ours is not a ‘smart’ fridge, but it is a Samsung, and we have to run the ice maker through multiple defrost cycles almost weekly, as it freezes/ices up and stops making ice. The next one chosen as it’s replacement will NOT be a Samsung!
I once had a very old refrigerator that had a door that latched, and had a small freezer on top that needed defrosting every once in while. It’s was very old when I bought it, and I sold it still working ten years later. I’m thinking it’s probably still chugging along in a garage somewhere keeping some six-packs ice cold.
Anyone who buys and uses IOT devices has no one to blame but themselves for an miseries they suffer. Most tech savvy people DO NOT own any such devices.
Louis- Yeah, I had one in an apartment. Gave up and just used ice cube trays.
Jess- Probably an old GE.
Dan- Point!
My recently-deceased Whirlpool fridge lasted 35 years. The replacement is also dumb.
A disabled friend fell down while transferring out of her wheelchair alone. Her phone and lifeline button were both inaccessible (not her fault, this time). She called for help using her Amazon Alexa which was in another room. All AI is evil; some is useful.
RE Smart Meters: Irritatingly, my spy, er, smart meter doesn’t display how much juice I’m drawing.
A couple of times I’ve opened the main breaker in my panel and practiced SHTF off-gridding the house for the day. I was mildly surprised to not get any notices from The Electric Company; maybe they aren’t paying attention. If TEC decides to kill my power because they think I’m (fill in blank) then I guess I can stop paying them. Gonna suck without central air conditioning, though.