[londons_explore]

Imo, at this point nobody should be designing any wireless protocol that doesn't support full IP networking.

Sure, your Bluetooth headphones only 1:1 connect to your phone... But if they could connect directly to your WiFi router they could keep playing music when your phone goes out of range... Or you could connect them to two phones... Or you could connect them to your TV to get sound from that...

Basically, IP networking still allows direct connections, but also allows far more possibilities.

Same with wireless USB - a wireless USB printer can only print from one host - but a wireless IP printer can be on the network for all to use.

[dodslaser]

Please do not give me more devices that need to connect to my WiFi for basic functionality. These devices add congestion, attack surface, and give manufacturers access to way more information than I am comfortable with. I already have to fight my washing machine, stove, refrigerator, etc. on this.

[_Algernon_]

>Basically, IP networking still allows direct connections, but also allows far more possibilities.

[freehorse]

> allows far more possibilities.

>> attack surface, and give manufacturers access to way more information than I am comfortable with

When your device is on your WiFi you cannot be completely sure what it does (unless you monitor the traffic).

[gbear605]

As opposed to a USB device which requires you to install an opaque driver, which could also phone home? That’s hardly a win as far as security goes.

[immibis]

And requires more configuration! Sure let me just type a netmask into my headphones by tapping the volume buttons.

[DonHopkins]

Hey, is your root password still bazz1l?

I've got a cat named Emacs, but he's not allowed to be a root password.

[stavros]

The main reason why I love Zigbee is that it doesn't support full IP networking. It's about broadcasting standard messages to all the devices, like a message queue, and that's fantastic for the use case.

No firewalls to worry about, no external access, nothing, just all my devices automatically communicating with all other devices.

[ianburrell]

The downside is that need hub and its app to talk from phone to device. Matter using IP means phone can talk directly to device. Thread is separate network and needs bridge, but that can be simpler and generic. Thread/Matter use uncountable IPv6 space.

[explodes]

I don't want to have to expose any of my devices to the entire internet just to use them. Sure one can firewall and block things manually, but I would prefer things were secure by default.

[londons_explore]

The protocol should allow it, even if the implementation perhaps limits users to the local network or some other more sensible security policy.

[tossandthrow]

This directly opposes design principles of secure and correct by construction.

If any of my colleagues would make an overly abstracted solution for a problem and ship it with a dsl to configure it, I would say no, and ask them to solve the problem at hand.

[8n4vidtmkvmk]

The implementation needs to be controllable and simple enough for basic users then. If something is possible, companies will abuse it.

[mort96]

If the protocol allows it, products using the protocol will require it.

[kevin_thibedeau]

You're not going to get low power consumption with IP. That's a problem for small battery powered devices.

[londons_explore]

You will as long as the protocol is designed to be power efficient.

I agree though that existing WiFi networks are hard to connect to from devices where battery life needs to be measured in months.

[ianburrell]

Thread is low power like Zigbee even though it is IPv6 over the same radio. Implementing IP stack takes very little these days.

[fulafel]

Bluetooth had networking already in the early days (PAN).

[londons_explore]

Still there on android phones.

It's so terribly slow it's almost unusable, but does seem to be substantiality more power efficient than running a WiFi hotspot all the time.

[ianburrell]

Which is interesting that nobody has made USB over IP. That over WiFi would be useful for high speed. That over Thread might replace low level Bluetooth.

[numpad0]

I personally don't think this comment would be so outrageously wrong. I for one thought about making a Wi-Fi headphone for couple times.