I love this.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_LmKiWSC1E

i like the upgrade there, these are one thing i can agree with.... i also like that they are also still using sodiums along the road there (near the residential areas)

I just really don't see a significant benefits versus cost from this kind of system. Looks more like unreasonably complicated system if used in large scale. Then there is a matter of network security. Sooner or later there would be a bunch of script kiddies turning on all lights at once (or atleast that was the first thought that came in my mind what would be cool). How simple something like that would be is just a matter of how the controlling is implemented.

I would say that within 10-20 years regular cars have become so much more sophisticated atleast in more wealthy countries there are better car integrated system or possibly even robot cars you don't have to drive yourself.

But this is just IMHO

The actual emergency device does not have to be tied to the lanterns. It can be a photocell with everything including the flasher built into it. The part about the lanterns is BS anyway

For the communication it can be done as an IOT device, or use its own wireless network (on one of the bands allready allocated to police use) which would cut down on any script kiddies access to it, unless they also get a transmitter for the same band. (not saying it is impossible to do, just less accessible for most kiddies and for attacks over the internet)

This have to be used sparingly however, or else after a while everyone will ignore it

I have a feeling that a lot of the people won't know what the red flashing is for, so they might have to make a big announcement over a little thing.

The actual emergency device does not have to be tied to the lanterns. It can be a photocell with everything including the flasher built into it. The part about the lanterns is BS anyway

For the communication it can be done as an IOT device, or use its own wireless network (on one of the bands allready allocated to police use) which would cut down on any script kiddies access to it, unless they also get a transmitter for the same band. (not saying it is impossible to do, just less accessible for most kiddies and for attacks over the internet)

This have to be used sparingly however, or else after a while everyone will ignore it

The problem with dedicated networks (rf or fixed) is that it's usually pretty costly solution.

You can get SDR device capable for transmitting on ebay or similar places with not that much money and it's not very hard to build one with pretty common pats. Other than that is just software and snooping the communication standart etc. After that same thing can be used to burglar cars by copying wireless door openers code.

This kind of system, ofcourse, can be made very secure and fool proof but that aint cheap and because of that there is usually  corner cutting done. Thats why I think it's more wiser to implement such system for smart/robot cars in the near future. It's way more effective and cheaper.

The IoT is a major coming safety concern which, unfortunately, many people don't have clue about. It's just a matter of time because as of now, most of IoT things are still pretty simple like with smart tv you cannot really do much of a harm. Something like washing machine or dishwasher with IoT could be used to flood the house if there is no any hardware prevent for that. Few years ago there was some cases where some houses lost heating in the middle of winter because heating system controller that had been connected to internet was hacked.

this is why i refuse to buy a smart TV, or any modern device they throw a computer into.... one i dont want them hogging bandwidth and two... why the (...) do you need a computer in a dishwasher,fridge, washingmachine ect? ...  i personally have no need, or what for such a thing

i have a laptop, thats all i need

All of the stuff related to IoT is unnecessary and causes more harm than good. Tesla Motors is a good example of this topic, regarding to automobile.
I think the only reasons behind developing of this crap thing, is the same reasons why LEDs replacing good old lighting: These thing are "Hi-techish" and cool. And since Apple launched the iPhone, there is a trend to computerize everything. Thats why I so hate the current technology.

Yep, and pretty much every radar detector since 1996 has a safety warning system built in, and radar detectors are pretty common place since they are legal to own and operate here, and yet not one single emergency vehicle has the transmitter, So I don't see these lights taking off any time soon here, they can't even get the  traffic lights to work correctly here with emergency vehicles so they stopped implementing them... But it is a cool use of nothing more complex then a Philips Hue driver and larger led array, can't wait for the script kids to see if they can get it to flash red and green at Christmas and purple and orange for Halloween (and yes the philps hue's are easy to hack, and I can't see these being a whole lot more complex. More then likely it won't take much more equipment then a software defined radio and a laptop to figure it out as the fire trucks drive by and a BladeRF x40 or a HackRF one)  

Ash with a HackRF one you can transmit and receive anything between 1 MHz to 6 Ghz and the BladeRF x40  will do 300 MHz to 3.8 GHz both have police bands included at no extra charge and for a full featured radio setup you won't anything cheaper then the HackRF one it's under $300 USD with full functionality, you can even use it as a IMSI catcher and send cell phones in range text messages and read the replies (not legal but it is fully capable of doing it and it is tempting to use it in traffic to text the people around me nice messages like the light is green so stop looking at your phone, that would more then likely freak them out.)  

By the time your radar detector goes off, it's already too late. 

By the time your radar detector goes off, it's already too late. 

The safety warning system will go off about a mile away, it's not pop radar/laser (lidar) to catch you speeding its just warning you there is an emergency vehicle approaching like a fire truck or ambulance..

The problem with dedicated networks (rf or fixed) is that it's usually pretty costly solution.

You can get SDR device capable for transmitting on ebay or similar places with not that much money and it's not very hard to build one with pretty common pats. Other than that is just software and snooping the communication standart etc. After that same thing can be used to burglar cars by copying wireless door openers code.

This kind of system, ofcourse, can be made very secure and fool proof but that aint cheap and because of that there is usually  corner cutting done. Thats why I think it's more wiser to implement such system for smart/robot cars in the near future. It's way more effective and cheaper.

The IoT is a major coming safety concern which, unfortunately, many people don't have clue about. It's just a matter of time because as of now, most of IoT things are still pretty simple like with smart tv you cannot really do much of a harm. Something like washing machine or dishwasher with IoT could be used to flood the house if there is no any hardware prevent for that. Few years ago there was some cases where some houses lost heating in the middle of winter because heating system controller that had been connected to internet was hacked.

The electronics are not expensive. The RF band can be used on one of the existing bands used for police (or other government use) so there is no cost of band licensing either. Is the big cost in something else ?

Sure you can get transmitter. but :

 - This immediately limits the potential threat only to script kiddies located within RF reception range from the system, vs. the entire planet otherwise

 - Many "script kiddies" talentz max out at using an exploit code made by somebody else, or using a bruteforce attack using tools made by somebody else, step by step according to an existing howto they find on the internet made by somebody else. This is my observation as a sysadmin and as a former forum moderator in a local IT forum. Setting up the transmitter would be beyond their capability. It is not a lock against the one that will actually know what he is doing, but effective at cutting off most of the actual "script kiddies"

Basic "proper" security is not going to cost any much. There are single chip solutions capable of doing proper access control by key. What else you need ? (It may not be very DDOS proof, but DDOS on this system simply means back to how we live today without it, not disabling of something we actually depend on)



I think the biggest problem with IOT is that you dont own the controls, as proven by the IOT door opener case (Link). The control have to be done locally, say on my home server, using a system that i can fully trust and that does not represent anyone else's interests - corporations or whoever

For example in the smart fridge case, it have to come blank from the factory, and then i add to the list the specific products i want it to automatically order, specifications (what size of pack i want, list of acceptable equivalent products from different brands), how low to get before reordering, max acceptable price, where to order from and so on. In fact, not doing anything smart - just running a block of few if-else's, of a size that could fit in a human readable way on a single screen

The security is a 2nd. But that is manageable with just basic firewall rules e.g. block everything incoming altogether, only send out orders

The reliability is a 3rd. I may prefer something with no single electronic component - Just compressor and some electromechanics, and this is a legit choice "even in 2017". Or i may want something with smart features, but want it built reliably - High grade components, possibly 50Hz transformer power supply (instead of less reliable switching power supply) and so on



Lodge, how many are like you out there ?

As long as not too many, the key based security will deal with you all. Atleast you won't have kids from another US state, Israel, Russia and China all at the same time trying to play with the new toy, even if the only thing they manage to do is DDOS it

The last part you can do with just a good video projector on the roof, and some wall in front of the cars... ^_^

i have a new idea.... if i ever get a 50KW HPS... i will DDOS all the streetlights!

Ash the issue is not so much a couple of scriptkids, yes they basically follow someone else's work and codes, but there will be someone who will hack it just to prove a point, these IOT devices are not secure, in an endeavor to hold the manufacture responsible, they are hacking pretty much everything they can get there hands on, from the NEST thermostat, the I-Robot vacuum cleaner, Philips HUE lighting and lots more items,  Yes people want secure devices, and this isn't done to be evil, it's just to prove a point, or there is the flip side to this, the first comment on the video was, why didn't we think of this ? So the simplest solution is to exploit it and make a much better (more secure) device, this exploit will normally be made public if they don't get the desired results (Sales of there product in place of someones else's.) So then the original manufacture has to fix the firmware, but then that begs the question of can they fix it or does it open new exploits, and at what cost, and sales impact, and most important are they still in business lots of this new LED stuff is put out by the fly by night companies they tend to come and go pretty quick..

But yes they are cool and they are a good idea, but how secure are they ? And with the addition of all the electronics what fail safes and security measure have they put in place, I know they claim to use GPS but did they think to use L5 codes, probably not because the receivers cost more, so it's open to hacking with a small handful of parts under $20.. And they more then likely didn't even get a GLONASS enabled unit, again cost and are they ready for semi-codeless ? And I know they didn't get access to the P and Y coding...   

And people like me, not many, but I think these IOT devices need lots of work before they become "reliable," and I'm like you, I like a simple fridge with a compressor and manual controls, when I see the carton of milk is empty I just head to the store for more or just drink the wine I make, I don't need an app of that, and when everything else around me fails I just move the food to the old Ammonia absorption fridge that runs on propane and it will work for the next year before needing to be refueled, and if the heater in winter time stops working the old kerosene heater as much as it smells is only a match strike away from producing heat, and when it's -40 the smell is not as bad as the cold, and really if the thermostat is acting up I'd just twist the red and white wires together and that will force the furnace to turn on but there is no app that will replace common sense, and those that lack it can sit in the cold and shiver, nature can teach some pretty hard lessons..   

I really dislike the trend of making everything smart. I also worry about driverless cars in the future. I don't want a computer driving me around, what if it glitches and causes a crash? 

I have a Sangamo time switch from the early 1970s that still works daily and it is electromechanical meanwhile I just three out a 9 month old digital time switch after it went bang and died.