The Neato cloud server needed to keep the shuttered company’s robot vacuum cleaners running is being closed down three years earlier than promised, turning the smart devices into dumb ones.
The parent company had initially promised that the MyNeato app would continue working until 2028, but has now backtracked on this and is ceasing support before the end of this year. It’s a further reminder of the importance of sticking to smart products with either HomeKit or Matter support …
Smart products bricked or turned into dumb ones
Sadly, there’s nothing new about a company failure resulting in smart products being completely bricked or, at best turned into dumb ones.
Many apps require access to a server, so when a company goes bust or otherwise ceases operations and the server goes offline, the smart functionality can be lost. In the worst of cases, a product can be rendered completely unusable.
We first highlighted this issue back in 2023 when e-bike company VanMoof went bust, leaving customers facing the prospect of being unable to even unlock their bikes.
While unlocking is activated by Bluetooth when your phone comes into range of the bike, it relies on a rolling key code – and that function in turn relies on access to a VanMoof server. If the company goes bust, then no server, no key code generation, no unlock.
Fortunately, in that case a third-party company stepped in with a solution and the company was subsequently rescued.
It was a similar story last year with smart home company Brilliant.
If the company’s servers go offline, then Brilliant light switches will continue to operate, but you won’t be able to edit existing scenes, create new ones, or add new devices. That would be a severe blow to customers who have paid a steep price for devices which were marketed as semi-pro kit, with each switch costing between $399 and $549.
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