Taking over a Dead IoT Company (blog.kchung.co)

Article summary

The article discusses the failure of NYCTrainSign, a company that produced IoT countdown timers for train arrivals. The author acquired one of the signs and investigated the reasons behind the company's collapse, finding issues with the product's engineering, pricing, and business strategy. The author also discovered security vulnerabilities in the sign's software and was able to take control of the company's domain and exploit the signs. The article provides a post-mortem analysis of the company's mistakes and the lessons that can be learned from its failure.

Main themes

• IoT security
• Startup failure
• Hardware engineering
• Business strategy
• Microcontrollers
• Raspberry Pi vs ESP32

What commenters say

• The use of a Raspberry Pi in the sign's design was a poor choice due to its high cost and unnecessary features.
• The ESP32 microcontroller would have been a more suitable choice for driving the LED matrix due to its lower cost and sufficient processing power.
• The sign's design and engineering were underwhelming and lacked consideration for factors like power consumption and storage.
• The company's business strategy, including its pricing and marketing, was flawed and contributed to its demise.
• The use of a Raspberry Pi can be justified in certain situations, such as when prototyping or requiring HDMI output.
• The ESP32 is a viable alternative to the Raspberry Pi for many IoT applications, offering a better balance of cost and performance.