“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.
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.
No, this should be the goal!
Yeah, if you can reflash it you are completely in control. This is the optimal state.
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).
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.