Three things in life are certain: Death, taxes, and cloud-based IoT gear bricked by vendors. Looking at you, Belkin
- Reference: 1588175886
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/29/belkin_wemo_eol/
- Source link:
It's not unusual for a manufacturer to call time on physical hardware. Like software, it has a lifespan where, afterwards, it's deemed not economically viable for the vendor to continue providing support.
But this is a little different, because Belkin isn't merely ending support. It also plans to decommission the cloud services required for its Wemo NetCam devices to actually work.
"Although your Wemo NetCam will still connect to your Wi-Fi network, without these servers you will not be able to view the video feed or access the security features of your Wemo NetCam, such as Motion Clips and Motion Notifications," Belkin said on its official website.
"If you use your Wemo NetCam as a motion sensor for your Wemo line of products, it will no longer provide this functionality and will be removed as an option from your Wemo app," the company added.
Adding insult to injury, the ubiquitous consumer network gear maker only plans to refund customers with active warranties, which excludes anyone who bought their device more than two years ago. The window to submit requests is open from now until 30 June.
Customers will also have to provide the company with the original receipt, showing how much they paid for the unit. Though it shouldn't be too hard to fish out an Amazon invoice from an inbox, if you bought the unit from a bricks-and-mortar retailer, there's a chance you won't have that information to provide.
Belkin said:
To receive a refund on your Wemo NetCam, we require a dated purchase receipt to verify warranty status as well as return of the Wemo NetCam hardware. If you are unable to provide a receipt or return your Wemo NetCam hardware, we will not provide a refund.
Punters will also have to return the device to Belkin – although it will provide a pre-paid shipping label for that. Once this process is complete, the vendor will issue refunds via cheque in the US and Canada, or bank transfer in Europe.
Belkin has promised to refund unused pre-paid months of its premium camera recording service, which has the most hilariously generic name for a tech product ever: iSecurity+. Sorry, we couldn't let that one slide.
Suffice to say, many Wemo NetCam users are pissed off. El Reg reader Gerard said: "Why are only those with a warranty given a refund? There is nothing wrong with the webcam. It is working fine."
"I do not remember buying the product with a stated limited life span. [I'll] never ever buy Belkin again," he added.
We've asked Belkin for comment, although it's worth bearing in mind this far from an isolated case in the tech industry.
One of the most shocking examples of this was [2]the discontinuation of the Revolv smart home hub , which at the time was owned by Google via its Nest subsidiary. This hummus container-shaped device allowed users to tie together their various disparate smart home gadgets, controlling them from one central location.
When Nest killed the cloud servers, people suddenly found they couldn't control their household appliances and fixtures. Which, obviously, is bad.
There's a lesson here: never buy IoT kit that has a single point of failure beyond your control. Oh, and keep your receipts. ®
Sponsored: [3]Forrester Build a Digital Experience Portfolio
[1] https://www.belkin.com/uk/support-article?articleNum=316642
[2] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/07/15/ftc_lets_nest_off_hook_over_revolv/
[3] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8554/forrester-build-a-digital-experience-portfolio?td=wptl1936
Re: Never buy IoT kit
Also note to self, never buy Belkin now.
Re: Never buy IoT kit
I completely agree, but aside from the popular manta of avoiding all IOT kit, how is the average consumer supposed to tell if a piece of kit requires an external network to operate? Remembering of course that the average consumer is still smarter than 50% of all the other consumers.
never buy IoT kit
The end.
Re: never buy IoT kit
Absolutely that!
I suspect IoT kit will eventually be worth buying and secure about six months before it is phased out for something new.
I have been struggling for years to convince customers that gadgets like this which require third party services to function are a waste of money... mostly unsuccessfully.
Then again, I've just been bitten by something similar myself this week - I've just had to replace my ten year old Blackberry phone as Vodafone are unable to get BIS to work since my contract changed. I was aware of and unhappy about the necessity for BIS for email to function, but it was the only smartphone available at the time which fulfilled my requirements and I suppose a decade isn't bad going for a smartphone...
(The saddest thing is that the phones now available are even less suitable than the ones around ten years ago!)
IoT rules?
All IoT kit has a single point of failure. Until the manufacturers start making the devices able to connect to other servers, and publish their entire software stack, every single thing you buy today has a single point of failure. Be it a Windows PC that needs Microsoft to activate, an iPhone that needs Apple to register, a Ring doorbell that needs their servers to operate or a Tuya Smart wifi smart bulb. There's precious little electronic kit that doesn't in some way rely on someone else to work. Buying from a larger company is no protection either.
Should governments mandate that all IoT stuff should have a totally transparent server infrastructure so that should the manufacturer go bust or just withdraw its service, the device will be able to work? Well, not quite. If we make it too transparent, it'll make it too hackable.
As we are discovering in life these days, everything is so interconnected, that there are single point of failures everywhere. We rely on so much. Maybe too much.
"Adding insult to injury, the ubiquitous consumer network gear maker only plans to refund customers with active warranties"
At least in jurisdictions with decent consumer protection legislation, it doesn't matter what Belkin thinks about warranties, the issue would ultimately be decided on whether a court depends compensation is due. No amount of EULA or disclaimer can override statutory rights.
The customer's sale agreement is with the retailer and the customer should look to the retailer to sort it out.
Consumer rights act 2015
According to this rule which covers everything bought in the uk. (I am not legally trained or own one of these)
Within six months of purchase, it’s up to the retailer to prove that you caused the problem with the goods: if they can’t, they’ll have to repair or replace the goods or give you a refund if that’s not possible.
After this initial six-month period, you will have to prove that any faults are not down to misuse of the product or general wear and tear. This might require you to obtain an expert report, opinion or evidence of similar problems across the product range. Factors such as the price, the specification/model of the goods, the length of time you’ve had the goods and the length of time which they should last will all be considerations.
If all else fails, you have six years from when you bought the faulty goods to take a claim to the small claims court and reclaim the cost of repair of the product.
Now if the manufacturer bricks the appliance...... then they have created faulty goods.
Never buy IoT kit
Which requires a connection to someone else's computer to work.