Belkin Shows Tech Firms Getting Too Comfortable With Bricking Customers’ Stuff
upstart writes:
Belkin shows tech firms getting too comfortable with bricking customers' stuff:
In a somewhat anticipated move, Belkin is killing most of its smart home products. On January 31, the company will stop supporting the majority of its Wemo devices, leaving users without core functionality and future updates.
In an announcement emailed to customers and posted on Belkin's website, Belkin said:
After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to end technical support for older Wemo products, effective January 31, 2026. After this date, several Wemo products will no longer be controllable through the Wemo app. Any features that rely on cloud connectivity, including remote access and voice assistant integrations, will no longer work.
The company said that people with affected devices that are under warranty on or after January 31 "may be eligible for a partial refund" starting in February.
The 27 affected devices have last sold dates that go back to August 2015 and are as recent as November 2023.
The announcement means that soon, features like the ability to work with Amazon Alexa will suddenly stop working on some already-purchased Wemo devices. The Wemo app will also stop working and being updated, removing the simplest way to control Wemo products, including connecting to Wi-Fi, monitoring usage, using timers, and activating Away Mode, which is supposed to make it look like people are in an empty home by turning the lights on and off randomly. Of course, the end of updates and technical support has security implications for the affected devices, too.
[...] Belkin acknowledged that some people who invested in Wemo devices will see their gadgets rendered useless soon: "For any Wemo devices you have that are out of warranty, will not work with HomeKit, or if you are unable to use HomeKit, we recommend disposing of these devices at an authorized e-waste recycling center."
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