[gduffy]

My quip about QR codes was kind of tongue-in-cheek, but any step that can be eliminated should be and there are just better ways to do it. QR codes can also fail in interesting ways, e.g. bright sunlight or cracked screens.

Most QR code based setups were just transmitting wifi credentials in plain text. That's insecure, and it doesn't solve the pairing problem, only the wifi connection. There's actually a fair bit of 2-way data that needs to be exchanged to provide the best experience. And sure, you could start streaming encrypted setup information through animated QR codes, but there's better ways to do it.

Not to mention that we're talking about Wyze cam, which has been filled with hilarious(ly scary) security flaws since day one. Be careful with those things...

[crooked-v]

Probably the best UX I've seen in this area is Hue, where to add a device or confirm access to a hub you physically push a clicky button on the hub within a certain time limit.

A close second would be Apple TV, where to add a remote you hold it next to the device (presumably some kind of short-range Bluetooth thing).

[oh_sigh]

Right - just to be clear my point wasn't about the security of wyze cam(security? lol), but about the ux for setup involving a qr code, which could be seamlessly extended to pairing specific devices. I'm sure you could use other means to transmit the relatively small number of bits to pair the device as well which could overcome most device limitations, for example by having a black and white flashing screen held in front of the camera (I had a watch in the 90s that could do this), or encoding messages through an audio channel.

[gduffy]

I've got a table of a zillion different methods with myriad categories of benefits and drawbacks. And a weighted scoring system. And ... I may be slightly obsessive about this topic! :)

[TeMPOraL]

Would you mind writing them down and sharing somewhere? This would be beneficial to any ethical IoT maker.

[gduffy]

I'll try when I get a moment. I think it might actually be better and easier to open-source SW and HW modules that do the right things.

[TeMPOraL]

I think it might be a good way. OS designs are a boon for the free market too, as they separate out concerns and allow independently competitive submarkets to exist.

One potential challenge I faced myself with my DIY attempts at IoT hardware was dealing with power. I'm not an electrical engineer, and I don't trust myself enough to plug anything to mains power - and I don't trust random OH stuff you can order soldered from China either.