BBC Radio 2

@BBCRadio2
BBC

We discuss controlling all the devices in your home with your mobile phone. #r2vine pic.x.com/O9hx7aTFpp

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But! There was a twist. Could I demo some of my tech on the radio?

Most IOT kit is portable - but is usually tied to a specific WiFi network. I wondered about the logistics of reconfiguring several bits of kit to work with the BBC's guest WiFi network. Setting up the gadgets can be a laborious task even under optimal conditions. And I'd only have a few minutes to get into the studio to prepare.

A brainwave struck! I'd seen Sam Machin present some home automation hacks at #BathCamp - he'd cunningly used a portable MiFi. All his toys connected to its WiFi, and then used the mobile signal to reach the internet. Genius!

So that's what I did. The night before broadcast I reconfigured a Lifx bulb, a WeMo switch, a cheap IP camera, and my Roomba to teather off my mobile phone. Everything worked! Well, after a bit of bodging.

The Lifx needed to be connected to my main WiFi first in order to get a firmware update - then it happily connected to the phone. The Roomba was a bit temperamental - and is quite bulky - so I dropped it from the list.

Of course, that was at home. In the true spirit of Tomorrow's World, I was sure that something would go wrong! The phone signal would crap out? The configs would reset? The power would blow up?

The technology spirits were smiling on me that day! All the bits and bobs worked flawlessly! The lights dimmed, the power toggled, the camera swivelled! Hurrah!

You can listen to the broadcast - it starts at about 1 hour, 41 minutes in.

If you'd like me on your show, podcast, or event - please get in touch.

Listen to me on BBC Radio 4 - about 47 minutes in

Want me on your show or podcast? Give me a call!

You can read more about my IoT adventures, including:

• Singing to my lightbulbs.
• Hacking my vacuum cleaner.
• Hacking my electric car.
• Getting hacked by my light switches.
• Securing my security cameras.

Thanks to Chris Vallance for inviting me to one of the BBC's top secret recording locations.

Terence Eden is on Mastodon

@edent

Replying to @MarcSettle@MarcSettle I can neither confirm nor deny that @radioproducer spent License Fee Payers' money flying me to the Bahamas.

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Chris Vallance

@radioproducer

Replying to @edent@edent @MarcSettle Bahamas I wish! Just finished editing on a bench before the park attendant threw me out. Glamorous world of radio part VI

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Terence Eden is on Mastodon

@edent

Warning! I'll be on @BBCRadio4's You And Yours shortly.
Please tune your wirelesses accordingly. pic.x.com/6f3zsiwuin

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Several people had contacted the show to say that they had missed calls from the number "08454290015" or "08439800142" - despite not answering the call, nor dialling it themselves, they'd been charged significant sums of money for receiving the call.

In once case, a couple had been charged over £300 for a twelve-hour call!

I did some digging on this. While it is hard to gather solid evidence without access to billing systems, I think I can see what is happening. Sadly, at the moment, there is no way to prevent this scam.

Firstly, I went to the regulator. According to Ofcom's data, the telephone number range is allocated to Red Telecom Solutions Ltd. They're a reseller of telco services - in this case, I think they are blameless. They've just rented the number to the scammers - and it would take a court order or Ofcom investigation to get those details.

Normally, dialling an 0845 number from a mobile is expensive, but answering it shouldn't cost anything.

Based on other complaints I've seen, it looks like people are being stung by a "reverse charges scam". On a normal reverse / collect call, the person answering the phone is asked to press a number on their keypad to accept the charges. In this case, customers are played a message like "You've won an iPad! Press 2 to find out more!" they're then played a longer message while the reverse charges rack up.

Finally, in the case of the couple who supposedly made a 12 hour call (without noticing and without the phone's battery dying) - the only explanation I can come up with is that someone has submitted mistaken or fraudulent call records to the mobile operators.

I spoke to the You and Yours team about this on Monday (17 minutes in):

As I was in the BBC Oxford studios for the interview, the local radio team asked if I could pop on the Nick Piercey afternoon show - where I said more-or-less the same thing.

How To Prevent This

Sadly, as a consumer, there's not much you can do to prevent this sort of scam. It is up to mobile phone companies and the regulator to crack down on it.

That said, here are my top-tips to reduce the likelihood of falling prey to these sorts of scams.

• Don't answer phone calls from numbers you don't recognise. That's not always practical, I grant you.
• If you do answer a call and it asks you to press a number on your keypad, just hang up.
• Don't dial back missed calls unless you recognise the number.
• Use the PhonePayPlus Number Checker to see how much the call will cost you.
• Register your mobile with the Telephone Preference Service. This will prevent reputable companies from phoning you with marketing drivel. Doesn't stop the disreputable ones though.
• Run anti-virus on your phone to make sure that you don't have any malicious apps on there which could dial phone numbers without your knowledge.
• Use an ad-blocker. Some adverts can trick your phone into dialling premium rate numbers. Typically they require the user to manually hit the dial button, so such scams aren't too successful.
• If you're really worried, consider switching to a pre-pay / PAYG service. You won't be able to lose more money than you currently have in your account.
• You can see if your phone has been set to divert calls to a premium rate number. Most phones will have a menu in the dialer for this. If you can't find it, dial *#21# to see if you have diverts set up.
• It is possible to check whether your voicemail has been redirected to a premium rate number. Again, check your phone's menus or dial *#61# and *#62# and *#67#. Check with your mobile operator to make sure the details are correct.
• Finally, always check your bills! If there's something suspicious on there, contact your operator straight away. If they refuse to help, complain to Ofcom.

At the moment, most UK operators won't place a cap on how much of a bill you can rack up. My personal opinion is that needs to change. A cap exists for roaming charges and stolen phones, so it is technically feasible.

In the mean time, stay sceptical and keep checking your bills!

As part of the Wikimedia Derby Backstage Pass a group of participants were invited around the mothballed Silk Mill Museum.

You can hear the full interview on the BBC iPlayer

As the iPlayer removes shows after a week, I've liberated the clip of me chatting away.

Thanks to Mark Ansell for performing the interview.

A couple of pictures of odd signs hidden away in the museum. More photos available on Richard Mackney's blog.

While I was studying at Carleton University in Canadaland, I joined the prestigious(?) Sock n Buskin theatre troupe. Together with "Where's the Soup", we put on an "Improv Superbowl". Basically a team version of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"

The director - Jenny - and I went on LIVE RADIO to promote our show to all of Ottawa. Somehow, that got recorded onto cassette, and then transferred to an old computer of mine. Here's our comedy stylings...

I must apologise to Jen Vandergraaf for mostly editing her out of the interview. I was trying to cut together clips of my voice for a showreel and the above is reassembled from those scraps. If anyone has access to the archives of a local Canadian radio station, do let me know.

Here's the poster in all its hand-drawn glory.

I also found a mention of the 2000 Improv Superbowl in newspaper archive The Charlton 29.