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Belkin Ending Support for Most Wemo Devices
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They're literally dropping support for devices made as recently 1 year and 8 months ago? They should be required to buy those back, at a minimum.
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This is why I won't buy any new smart home devices that don't support Matter, preferably over Thread. And support it out of the box without requiring activation in a first-party app first (I'm looking at you, Philips Hue.) That way 10 years down the line, if I have to fully reset my whole system, as long as any Matter controller still exists/works, I can reset the system and work fine.
I have like 12 of these, and most of them actually work. Super frustrating to just have them stop working just because Belkin feels like it, but at least the TP Link Kasa ones are HomeKit compatible and only cost $30 for 4. Then non-HomeKit ones are even cheaper. I wish Apple would make HomePod minis affordable so I could use those instead of relying on Echos all over my house.
Another example of a company giving customers the middle finger.
Looking at you, Google, dropping support for the first 2 generations of Nest. These types of devices should last decades.
Looking at you, Google, dropping support for the first 2 generations of Nest. These types of devices should last decades.
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If you have a costco membership every so often they have deals that drop the HP Mini to $70/each or so. Once I seem to remember they had a 2 for $120 deal. Still more expensive than echos but cheaper than straight from Apple.
the thread switches work 99% of the time. I can’t speak to any other products from them.
Or rather this is why you shouldn't do it based on cloud solutions provided by companies. No issue at all if you keep it all local.
(my actual opinion is that they should be forced to open source the firmware so the open source community can root it and take over)
HomeKit runs locally using a hub device like a HomePod or an Apple TV so there aren't server-side resources that Apple can shut off to break or abandon something, same with Matter. (There are a few exceptions to this like security cameras that use iCloud storage to save video). The only way a purely HomeKit or Matter device can become unsupported is if the backwards compatibility is somehow broken or turned off in an OS update.
Went through this when a major US e-tailer, named " smart home ", with its own line of smart products went belly up. There was a major scramble when the crucial " modems " started to fail due to age ... Ultimately a group of engineers / enthusiasts ( probably with healthy fin backing ) was able to buy the name, rights, etc to the smart line. So people are not dead in the water. But, the product selection is a fraction. Still need to contact them if they could repair some 220v stuff I have ... as they were pretty crucial in my setup, as strong hard line signal repeaters.
This is the future. You need an app to setup whatever, eventually, they'll drop support. Why do that?
Agree with everyone saying "this is why we need to buy things that support Matter and Thread."
But gosh, it limits your choices. Matter/Thread devices have been on market for what... a year or so, lol. Very few suppliers make them. Almost no OEMs have support across their entire lineup - usually just a few devices.
And if you don't live in the US, and need a different plug type, or a product only sold in the US market? Good luck. Your 'smart home' will be cobbled together with whatever standard you can get. In Australia it is often hard to even find HomeKit support - let alone Matter, let alone Thread!
But gosh, it limits your choices. Matter/Thread devices have been on market for what... a year or so, lol. Very few suppliers make them. Almost no OEMs have support across their entire lineup - usually just a few devices.
And if you don't live in the US, and need a different plug type, or a product only sold in the US market? Good luck. Your 'smart home' will be cobbled together with whatever standard you can get. In Australia it is often hard to even find HomeKit support - let alone Matter, let alone Thread!
Force them to open source the software so users can self host still if desired
I spent a long time fighting with LifeX globes. When I upgraded to Hue, it was a revelation. The bridge makes them more reliable. The HomeKit barcode is on the globe, not the paperwork you discarded with the box. The app is neat too. If you’re still with LifeX and having a difficult time, I suggest you begin transitioning to Hue.
I only have a couple Wemo Smart Plugs and they work but it is annoying when they periodically cant find the wifi and I have to move the furniture out to reseat the plug. Probably time for me to consolidate with Philips Hue which has been so great. I guess its like they say, you get what you pay for.
This is why forcing things to be connected to the cloud unnecessarily should be illegal
I'm not sure I'd go as far as "should be illegal", but it should be heavily discouraged, and maybe force them to (a) disclose this in all their advertising / on their boxes, and (b) require that if they tie a product to the cloud, they must keep the servers up for some suitable period of time (5 years? 8? 10?), no matter what kind of hardship this might impose on the company (i.e. no "sorry, your honor, that would be too hard") - maybe require them to post a bond covering what it would cost to keep the servers running for X number of years, so even if the company goes bankrupt, the gear they've sold doesn't just stop functioning immediately.
The bond requirement would probably naturally tend to limit unnecessary cloud connections (the kind like "Look! You can turn your toothbrush on and off even when you're not home!!1!").
My TV, my Hue lights and my front porch camera are things that would love to connect to the cloud all the time "for my benefit". The only thing I ever want them to connect to the internet for is occasional firmware updates, at a time of my choosing - the lights and camera are controlled entirely through HomeKit, which I trust more than their proprietary software/apps, and my TV hasn't been connected to the internet in years (it's a display device for my Apple TV and PS5 - I've never used its "apps").
YEP! Saw that! I have gen 3 and I'm sure it just a matter of a short time they stop that one too!