I’ll start: printers.
I bought an HP in March 2020 when my job went remote and HP bricked it remotely after only 100 pages because I wouldn’t sign up for their subscription program. Ended up trashing a perfectly good printer.
Luckily my library’s close by and I can print there remotely.
TVs
We don’t connect our LG “smart” TV to the internet because “smart” just means advert box. It’s been a much more pleasant experience just using our consoles to control the TV.
You’re TV is smart enough to connect to the internet anyway… It will use your neighbor’s ring doorbell, nest, or other IOT device serving Weave, Amazon Sidewalk or other corporate IOT networks to upload its telemetry anyway.
You just have to connect it to your router and deny it internet access.
I think this is a bit much. It’s not that deep. Not everything is some crazy conspiracy. Also if it was connected to the internet you better believe the screen would be plastered with ads trying to make money off of me. It’s blank therefore not connected.
“It’s blank therefore not connected” makes as much sense as saying “my phone’s screen is off, therefore not connected.” If you’ve got a smart TV, “Off” is more akin to “Standby.” If it’s connected to internet you should assume it’s receiving updates, the latest ad rolls, etc at all times if you haven’t completely firewalled it off.
Can’t speak to them utilizing open APs or mesh networking like Sidewalk but I wouldn’t trust that they couldn’t if they wanted. Thought I’d read up that some of Amazon’s devices even use LoRa which, while low bandwidth, can cover quite some distance.
Dude when the TV is on the Home Screen is blank. Unless I select an Input to a device the TV is useless. You really thought I meant when the screen is off? I think you have some literacy problems.
Not every comment needs to be some IT explanation, go back to your help desk job, thanks.
If you are asking whether or not I draw a distinction between “the screen is blank” and your now clarifying “the home screen is blank” (“blank” meaning “devoid of advertisment,” because what home screen is ever literally blank?) then yes, I do. Words have meaning and “blank” doesn’t mean “no ads on my home screen.”
Maybe I’m the dumbass you’re trying to make me out to be but I’m pretty confident my interpretation of what you said wouldn’t be uncommon, or that there many people who don’t realize a smart TV’s connectivity is always active.