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This is why it's best to avoid any IoT devices that are dependent on the cloud (and cannot be hosted on your own infrastructure).
If you have a genuine need for IoT, then it's best to learn how it works and avoid dependency on external cloud services.
Someone able to get into Google nest could probably collapse an electricity grid.
This is how you tell your customers they should not buy any products from you in the future.
It goes beyond their IoT devices to everything they make. You cannot trust Belkin to provide you with meaningful support for any device if they get bored and they may kill your device, particularly if it is cloud connected, even before it is out is warranty. Anything which needs critical updates for security reasons is affected.
So even though I never had any of these products, I will not be buying Belkin ever again because the risk is too high.
Buy from someone else.
Belkin should be forced to unlock these devices and provide enough data for an open-source firmware to be developed.
If you are still buying iot devices that can't work without some 'cloud' it's all on you. You don't own it, you don't get to decide how long it lasts.
On the flip side, maybe these companies shouldn't be allowed to sell shit that they can render inoperable long before the end of the physical product's life? I'd say given this stuff is sold through normal retail channels, we're dealing with consumers that might not fully understand what they're buying into.
Requiring manufacturers to provide an open firmware or local API that would allow 3rd party software to make use of the devices is such an obvious solution to this, it should be a legal requirement.
Especially for a company the size of Belkin, there isn't really an excuse
These devices can be used locally according to Ars comments, but it should be a requirement to release one last update that makes sure local only setup and usage is working.
Any features that rely on cloud connectivity, including remote access and voice assistant integrations, will no longer work.
Local first devices are where it's at. I recently found https://github.com/jimkring/kasa-cli and was so happy that it just worked with my Kasa WiFi devices, no internet needed.
The least these companies could do is add local MQTT support before bricking everything.
Glad I went the Tasmota or ZigBee(zigbee2mqtt saves the day) route for all my plugs and switches. They all work flawlessly with Home Assistant and no cloud.
Belkin are awful.
