Ahoi any Belkin Wemo users, your cameras are being remotely “turned off” at the end of May. Belkin has stopped hardware support, and with the end of hardware support, it is also turning off the Cloud Service that actually allows the devices to work!
That means no more videos, no more motion detection etc. Nada.
If the webcam is still under warranty, you have until the end of June to claim a refund (original receipt + return the webcam to Belkin).
This is happening over and over again and really annoys me. The reputation of iot services is only getting worse.
I’m glad that I’m able to do these things myself and not rely on a 3rd party.
This is why I love the Wyze cam. Not only is it cheap, but it doesn’t rely on any cloud service they provide. They could shut down and I’d still be able to use the cameras and access the video playback (which is stored on SD cards in the camera).
This is unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected. I agree w/ @ LycheeMcPie that it’s likely to get worse. “Consumer devices” are intended to be, well, “consumed.” Some companies are focused on taking money off the table (from consumers) as quickly as possible, and thus don’t think too far down the road beyond the sale. My father used to have some Belkin devices of that generation, and they were pretty poor. They are from about 5+ years ago…
For a device that requires ongoing support to work (as opposed to AC chargers, cables, batteries), you should look to companies that have a history in that area. Netgear, which I also put into the “consumer product” category, continues to support Arlo cameras models from a long time ago. My Nest 1st gen Nest thermostat still works great and is supported with service and updates.
Frankly, I have concerns about the future of Wyze cameras (I use the cloud services) and to a lesser extent Logitech’s cameras.
None of this mitigates the disappointment current users must feel though.
That sucks.
I use Arlo pro cameras, and I love them. I have 4 outside for my condo. I originally bought 1 camera because of a neighbor issue. I then added the others over time.
I love that I can view what is going on outside from ANYWHERE I have internet. The one on my front and back door gives me an instant alert if there is motion.
If I see something, I could call the local police myself - no matter where I am at. Plus, because of my job, I make a lot of enemies. I like to be able to go back and look at the videos all day to see who walks past my area.
I wouldn’t be very happy if the service was shut down. So, I can imagine how those people would fee.
I got my girlfriend to get a Wyze cam for her apartment. She just wanted something to see if the maintenance people come into her apartment. You only get 10 seconds uploaded for free, but that is enough for what she wanted.
All my cams are outside, so I’d have to buy the extra protective housing, and pay for the higher tier service so I’d have access to the videos online.
Yea - if that doesn’t matter to you, and you only use the memory card, it is easy enough. That 32GB SD card doesn’t hold very much video, however.
It holds just over 2 days of video for us. That’s more than enough for me. We’ve got one in the garage for security (and also for those “Did I remember to close the garage door?” moments) and it works perfectly! As soon as they release an outdoor one, I’ll be putting one outside the garage too.
It kinda depends on how long someone is in front of it. We have left it on when we are in her apartment, and if it records while you sit there - the length doesn’t seem that long to me. But for occasional recording/movement - yes, I guess it would be enough
The worry for me here is that this is a paid service that people were actively paying for which makes me think about what about all of the services for smart switches and light switches that don’t have subscription plans.
I know these don’t have the same storage or bandwidth requirements but there will be a lot of annoyed people when they start to retire these services.