this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2025
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iRobot is likely to collapse within 12 months. (www.theregister.com)
submitted 18 hours ago by Tea@programming.dev to c/technology@lemmy.world
117 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Troubled robot vacuum-cleaner maker iRobot, abandoned by Amazon after regulators effectively doomed the web giant's takeover offer, has warned investors it may not survive the next 12 months.

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[–] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 50 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (5 children)

It would be great if more smart devices had a LAN-only control mode like my 3D printer, TV and AV receiver.

I would be perfectly happy if my iRobot phone app only worked from inside my network.

[–] domi@lemmy.secnd.me 17 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Doesn't apply to iRobot but there are lots of robot vacuums that can be flashed with an open firmware with just a USB UART cable: https://valetudo.cloud/pages/general/supported-robots.html

As for the other devices, my 3D printer, projector and AV receiver are all locally controlled.

[–] aarch64@lemm.ee 6 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Big +1 for Valetudo. I use it on a refurbished Roborock S7+ I got on eBay and it's fantastic.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 hour ago

Make sure to read their disclaimers, they're really not interested in expanding features, so make double sure it's sufficient for what you want.

[–] exu@feditown.com 3 points 5 hours ago

I think it's just using MQTT, so block network access and use HomeAssistant

[–] SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Your 3d printer has a NIC?

[–] aarch64@lemm.ee 5 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

It's pretty common for newer 3D printers to have WiFi. Start/stop jobs, monitor cameras, or just to have a more capable UI than the built-in screen. Lots of people add this capability to older printers (or new ones with sucky interfaces) with OctoPrint.

[–] anarchiddy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 hour ago

And some brands of 3D printers have started placing those functionalities behind remote servers and paywalls

cough cough Bambu Labs cough cough

[–] Allero 14 points 8 hours ago

At that point, I wouldn't trust ANY device that cannot be controlled locally, either natively or at least through some hacks.

[–] drasglaf@sh.itjust.works 3 points 7 hours ago

My cheap Conga robot came with a remote controller. It stopped connecting to its server long ago, but I can still use it. The battery is getting worse and worse, though.