3rd Party Apps & Privacy

Hardware
1

I was wondering if someone can help me understand how to preserve privacy and ensure continued operation where 3rd party apps are concerned.

For example, the Ecobee thermostats and the Bestway spa filters require you to create an account with them to gain access to enable a network connection with HomeAssistant.

  • Once connected, do vendors have access to knowing when we’re using our devices? IOW can Ecobee track when we run our AC or set the system to ‘away’?
  • What happens if any given vendor decides to no longer support the devices we use and/or they shut down their servers through which we connected our devices to HA?
  • How does HA prioritize requests made via the device, versus via the HA interface, for example if changes are made to temperature directly on the thermostat versus the HA control?

Thanks in advance for your help!

2

Avoid purchasing any device that requires a cloud based integration.

All problems solved.

4 Likes
3

In my case, it’s too late, and many times there just aren’t any such devices, it seems everything is ‘cloud based’ nowadays. So, still looking for the above answers to understand the particulars.

4

Depends on the device very much.

ZWave, zigbee, esp32 not at all. No cloud.

If your device requires cloud. Guess what… :sunglasses:

Whatever happens on the cloud side of the conversation is able to be used by the service provider…

Id it’s a cloud device that requires thier cloud. *poof

There is no priority. There is only what the integration says. If the integration services local first. There you go. If it serves cloud there ya go.

Theres no one answer to your question it is ALL a vendor by vendor question you have to ask yourself before you spend your money.

1 Like
5

This is simply not true.

6

Anyway, we can’t answer your question.
Only th vendors of the specific device can.

7

The only cloud dependency I have now is my thermostats, which I bought before I installed HA. My first foray into WiFi smart plugs was running locally, until the manufacturer pushed a firmware update which forced them to the cloud. Never again! Now it’s just Zigbee devices whenever possible, and ESPHome if necessary. Z-Wave would also work locally, but I got started with Zigbee so that’s what I buy.

But to answer the bigger question, HA doesn’t add any security issues you don’t already have by running the existing cloud-connected devices in your home.

For example, Honeywell has lots of information about my thermostats. But they had that anyway. The HA integration just makes it easier for me to retain some of that information locally, too. Not to mention control the thermostats from the dashboard, rather than having to open the manufacturer’s app or web site.

1 Like
8

You could say the only real extra security you get with HA is the ability to use HA to control your devices, so you do not have to have a tracking v ndor app installed on your mobile phone.

2 Likes