Re:Emberlight is shutting down, bricking all previously sold...
by reaperducer on Friday November 17, 2017 @06:01PM
(#15726706)
This seems to be a recurring problem in the IoT industry.
I've had dozens of lightbulbs affected by TCP Lighting and Homebrite choosing not to support them anymore. They can't be accessed from the internet anymore and their schedule can't be changed.
The worst, though, is TCP. Someone reverse engineered the API to the home hub, and shortly after TCP pushed a software update to everyone's hub encrypting the software. Then they terminated the service. So, they bricked the device in slow motion.
This is why when I buy new bulbs, I'm only going with HomeKit stuff. Apple's not going anywhere. And while it likes you to have the latest, greatest stuff it at least provides updates for its iOS devices for five years. Hopefully that's an indication of the longevity of HomeKit connectivity.
I've had dozens of lightbulbs affected by TCP Lighting and Homebrite choosing not to support them anymore. They can't be accessed from the internet anymore and their schedule can't be changed.
The worst, though, is TCP. Someone reverse engineered the API to the home hub, and shortly after TCP pushed a software update to everyone's hub encrypting the software. Then they terminated the service. So, they bricked the device in slow motion.
This is why when I buy new bulbs, I'm only going with HomeKit stuff. Apple's not going anywhere. And while it likes you to have the latest, greatest stuff it at least provides updates for its iOS devices for five years. Hopefully that's an indication of the longevity of HomeKit connectivity.