“Be Ready for Today” They’re so supportive and enthusiastic, and because of this they’re killing off most of (maybe all?) of their WeMo line:
But hey, at least we know that they’re very appreciative of us, and that they wanted to provide us with simple to use accessories, and that they’re proud. Their empty corporate words make up for the pieces of ewaste we now have.
I believe WeMo with a lot of hacking can be controlled locally via a direct IP connection if set up through Home Assistant. It’s a pain, and it still requires their app, so maybe try to set it up now before they officially end support. Even without this workaround, it’s pure enshittification and Belkin is back on the “Don’t ever buy” list.
I have a wemo plug and with how flaky the thing has been the last few months, I assumed it was deprecated a long time ago.
I have two in my house and, if I was honest, they were always a bit jankie, but definitely worse over the past year or so.
“careful decision”:
executive 1: can we make money off it?
executive 2: i don’t think so
executive 1: it’s gone
They also killed off part of the line in 2020: https://www.belkin.com/support-article/?articleNum=316642
They’re experts at creating paperweights.
If a device relies on any kind of external service to initially set up or function thereafter, do not buy. Regardless of brand.
Or accept that it has a finite lifespan that you cannot control. It’s not a matter of if the rug will get pulled, but when.
There is a grey area for things that can be reflashed or rebrained, but I prefer to not rely on this. Local access methods like ZigBee, Z-Wave and 433Mhz are immune to this kind of enshittification by design. Even WiFi devices can fit in here, with appropriate restrictions in place.
An acceptable middle-ground would be for EOL devices to be offered (with a big disclaimer) a final update that removes the reliance on the service but retains the core function. That’s a pipe dream though.
Yeah, unfortunately most people don’t understand what that is, and buy devices thinking they’ll be supported long term. Us here know better (I bought Wemo early on and stopped years and years ago now because I knew this was coming, but I know I’m not the majority).
Sometimes they’ll even remove these kinds of feature. See:
YeelinkYeelight removing LAN control from their bedside lamps, as a particularly egregious example.
There is a grey area for things that can be reflashed or rebrained
No, this should be the goal!
The goal for me would be to not have to break out the programmer in the first place. The same way I have never felt the need to operate on my toaster, fridge, TV etc.
On a ‘good’ device, having that relatively easy to access is still a bonus though :)
Yeah, if you can reflash it you are completely in control. This is the optimal state.
If a device relies on any kind of external service to initially set up or function thereafter, do not buy. Regardless of brand.
This is what I strive for. When I was looking for a wall charger for my EV I was shocked at how there was only one option that wasn’t “cloud” based. And those aren’t cheap.
Insane. At the core it’s no more than an extension lead with a shaped plug. Some basic brains for safety.
If I had to go that route, I’d wall it off from the main network/internet at large.
I went with the open source one. Slightly more expensive, but had I wanted to I could have bought all the parts and assembled it myself, compiled the firmware, etc.
Hardcore, I love it.
aFtEr CaReFuL cOnSiDeRaTiOn, We hAvE MaDe tHe DiFfIcUlT dEcIsIoN
Difficult decision my ass
EV is negative. Difficult decision.
I have Wemo light switches, outdoor plugs, mini plugs, and the original plug. Since they are HomeKit enabled you don’t have to set them up with the Wemo app. You can set them up directly from HomeKit. I’ve never downloaded a Wemo iOS app.
Sucks that they aren’t supported anymore but my warranty ran out a while ago. I may lose firmware updates with patching for security vulnerabilities but I have these running on an IOT VLAN that is very restricted and only has the access that my firewall lets it access.
HomeAssistant to the rescue?
It really should be a law that if a company does this, they should open source the code for both devices and servers and provide a way for people to reflash their devices.
Like, they’re retiring a light switch that’s 3 years old, I don’t think anyone buys a light switch thinking they’ll get a new one just 3 years later.
A lot of our light switches and smart plugs are pre HomeKit WeMos and this is super frustrating. They weren’t a great product but we had them and they worked well enough, but Belkin’s on my fuck off list now.
Please post your fuck off list
To add, see here for a continually updated litany of fail:
https://static.xtremeownage.com/blog/2022/reasons-to-avoid-cloud-based-automation-products/
Broadcom, Target, Amazon, Walmart, Tesla, Subnaughtica 2, Gearbox, Microsoft, T Mobile, McDonald’s, Pepsi Co, Coke, Disturbed, Falling in Reverse, 3 doors down, Trapt, PirateSoftware, Salvation Army, chick fil a, hobby lobby, and more. Those were some off the cuff for me. Google is there, but I can’t get out of everything there, and the Pixel is the best phone option. There are more but we could be here all night.
Why 3 Doors Down?
They’re conservative nut bags
Are they? Damn.
Nestle? Real Time with Bill Maher? Fox News? HP?
Nestle is tough having their grubby fingers in about everything. I do avoid if I know. Bill and Fox to me are just givens, so not worth mentioning. And yes, fuck HP.
I would almost say that Broadcom is probably worse off than most of the rest in your list combined. 😠
Anyone who buys a WiFi enabled crock pot deserves what’s coming to them
Dinner?
Not anymore, it’s been deprecated
