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Logitech has announced that it will shut down the entire Harmony Link service on March 2022. Not only volition the visitor stop providing software updates or service support, the Harmony Link devices themselves won't function later that date.

Logitech's initial communication on the issue was quite terse, telling customers that "On March 16th, 2022, Logitech volition discontinue service and support for Harmony Link. Your Harmony Link will no longer role later this engagement." Only a company employee provided more information in a forum post. Co-ordinate to Logi_WillWong, the issue is a "technology document license" that expires in March. And to brand matters worse, Logitech'south solution to this customer cluster…trouble is to offer a 35 percent discount on future Logitech products!

Doggo

This is the fundamental problem with smart homes, smart devices, and the Internet of Things. They aren't your things. We saw this play out when Nest closed Revolv, and nosotros're seeing it once again hither.

This type of action is short-sighted and incredibly user-unfriendly. IoT devices are a bad deal as information technology is–they're ofttimes bug-riddled, insecure, and cost far more than than they're typically worth–but even if you find a product line that fixes those issues, yous've got vendors who accept no problem dropping production support at a moment'due south notice.

This approach must be opposed if the concept of owning hardware is to have any meaning whatsoever. IoT manufacturers clearly have no qualms nigh charging customers hundreds of dollars for hardware, then flipping a switch and disabling it for reasons that boil down to "Why would we exit it running when we can sell you a replacement?"Logitech-Link2

IoT devices and smart homes definitely have a valuable role to play when it comes to helping people who are injured, physically disabled, and/or elderly alive their lives. But I tin can't recommend anyone buy "smart" devices that'll be shut down in a few years when a light switch or former-fashioned universal remote volition do. The first tin last for decades if built properly, and the second costs a fraction of the cost as a "smart dwelling" device and won't intendance if the visitor that built it goes out of business or but stops caring virtually its previous customers.

Don't buy from companies that pull these shenanigans. Every Harmony Hub sold (that'southward the replacement for the Link)–with or without a 35 percent disbelieve–is validation that companies can sunset products when they wish, turn off the functionality they previously offered, and force customers to purchase new products. Until IoT manufacturers manage to find a way to ship hardware with basic capabilities that don't stop working if the manufacturer stops supporting them or goes out of business, I'll never recommend a smart dwelling house product.