Ask HN: Is it possible to maintain privacy while owning “smart” appliances?
I&#x27;ve been resistant to using smart appliances like speakers, plugs, lights etc due to security and privacy concerns. Plus, I have no issue with hitting a light switch when I walk into a room, I think it&#x27;s a pretty natural UX.<p>Now that I&#x27;ve moved to an apartment that doesn&#x27;t have very good light switch setup, I&#x27;ve decided to try using smart plugs and Dash buttons to simulate a light switch.<p>As I tried to optimize for privacy (not purchasing plugs&#x2F;lights from Amazon and not using an always listening voice assistant) I found out the smart plugs I bought are made by a Chinese company that grabs all my data, including my wifi network name and password. I was having a little fun playing with these switches, buttons, and a Pi but things aren&#x27;t as customizable as I had hoped (I can&#x27;t make the dash toggle the lights, only on or off) and the privacy issues make me want to scrap this whole smart house thing altogether.<p>Anyone have similar experiences? Is there currently a way to maintain privacy and have functional smart appliances or will they all report back to some big brother somewhere? Seems like I should just be able to use devices that just talk over my local network (or even a web server I maintain) but maybe that&#x27;s naive thinking.<p>What is your smart home setup?