Tesla’s app outage exposes the bigger problem of IoT
Your smart device needs to be dumb too
The failure of the app exposes bigger problem with IoT connected devices
Rest assured, the Tesla problem is resolved. But I can’t help wondering why Tesla didn’t learn from the smart lock and connected device fiascos that have plagued other industries.
The problem is that connected devices, as much as we’d like to think otherwise, are fallible, and they’re likely to fail at the worst possible time.
I’ve been an IoT journalist for a fair while andthere are twosmart devicesI tell people never to buy — door locks and pet feeders.I’ve writtencountless storiesaboutsmart locksthat either inadvertently lock people in, out, or don’t lock at all.
Whether it’s arriving at a rented Airbnb only to find yourself locked out due to an app glitch, or discovering all your rental properties have been simultaneously unlocked because of a software upgrading error — it happens far too often.
Also on my internet of shit list is smart pet feeders. Take one brand: thePetnetautomated pet feeders should feed your cat using preset timers controlled by an app. Great idea… until they experienceda bigsystem failure in 2016, thenagainin 2020. For most loving pet owners, that’s just too big a risk to take.
Tesla’s got bigger things to deal with
So, yeah, the Tesla app debacle is small fry, really. It’s not likea Tesla bricking it on a highway.
I’d add that any goodsmart lock design includes backup strategies and fail-safes. An example might be allowing a user to store two versions of firmware on the same device, so if one does not operate correctly, they can revert to the other —just like how escalatorsstill provide their basic function while broken.
At least Tesla owners could operate their cars by other means — they just didn’t have them handy at the time.
But we’re entrusting Tesla tech with an awful lot of tech that if it fails, has the ability to end lives. If they can’t get a simple connected app right, what does this mean for the long term?
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart ci(show all)Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart cities, and the future of alternative energy sources like electric batteries, solar, and hydrogen.
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