Futurehome Smarthub Mandatory Subscription Fee

Futurehome ransomed customer devices after bankruptcy, forcing them to pay a subscription fee or face disabled core functionality.

Futurehome’s Smarthub (left) and example compatible devices

In 2025, Futurehome's new owners announced that existing customers would now have to pay an annual subscription to continue using their previously purchased smart-home hubs. After a bankruptcy and relaunch, Futurehome imposed an annual fee of 1,188 NOK (around $117 USD) for access to its app and cloud services, locking users out unless they subscribed.

Customers who declined to pay lost access to the mobile app (even for local use), along with all automations and the hub's local API integrations, leaving only basic on-device (physical) control.

Company info & Background

Futurehome’s Smarthub (left) and example compatible devices

Futurehome AS is a Norwegian smart-home technology company founded in 2013, known for the Futurehome Smarthub, a central gateway device that connects and controls IoT devices. The Smarthub and Futurehome’s own product line (thermostats, smart plugs, relays, sensors, etc) allow users to automate lighting, heating, EV charging, and other home functions via a mobile app and cloud platform.

The hub lets users pair Zigbee-, Z-Wave-, and Futurehome-branded devices and control them locally or remotely through a free mobile app and cloud service; it also exposes local APIs for third-party integrations such as Home Assistant.

The Futurehome Smarthub was originally sold as a one-time purchase. Prior to 2025, Futurehome operated on a one-time hardware purchase model, with app and cloud services included at no extra cost.

Futurehome AS was declared bankrupt on May 20, 2025. The platform and its services were acquired in a 50/50 split by Sikom Connect AS and the former Futurehome owners. The business was relaunched under a new entity: FHSD Connect AS.

June 2025 Subscription Rollout

After the bankruptcy & relaunch, any continued use now requires an annual subscription of 1,188 NOK (≈ $117). Households that decline are locked out of the application, automations, and the local API interface, leaving only manual, on-device control.

Following the relaunch, FHSD Connect announced that a mandatory subscription would be required to continue using the Smarthub platform. On June 26, 2025, a four-week trial period ended and the new pricing model took effect.

Customers had until June 26, 2025 to activate this subscription. Failing to pay leads to the following restrictions:

• App access disabled: Users can't use the app remotely via cloud or on the local network.
• Automations and modes frozen: All user-defined automations, preset modes (Home/Away/Night, etc.), shortcuts, and energy management features stop working.
• Local API and MQTT disabled: The hub's developer interfaces remain active only for a short grace period after the trial, then are gradually shut off without an active subscription.
• Physical control only: Basic manual control of devices continues to work: the smart devices revert to "dumb" mode with no central coordination.
• Support limited: Access to customer support channels (chat and phone support) is reserved for paying subscribers.

These limitations were delivered via a firmware update to the hub's software, locking previously available features behind the paywall. One Futurehome software engineer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the firmware was designed to enforce this lockout mechanism and compel users to subscribe. As of the changeover, the Futurehome system was reportedly installed in over 38,000 Norwegian households, all of which had to choose between paying the new fees or losing most "smart" functionality.

• 
  Futurehome app home screen prompting the user to activate a subscription.
• 
  Subscription-activation screen showing annual-payment terms; one link opens the subscription FAQ, the other opens a feedback form (https://us1.zonka.co/1pBYm3)
• 
  Feedback form presented to users who decline the subscription (https://us1.zonka.co/1pBYm3)

Futurehome's reply

FHSD CEO Øyvind Fries justified the subscription model as necessary to “secure stable operation, fund product development, and provide high-quality support,” according to statements given to Tek.no and reiterated in the FAQ. Fries explained that the subscription was introduced to ensure the long-term viability of the platform after bankruptcy: without new revenue, they could not guarantee stable operation of the cloud servers or continued updates to the product.

He stated that the annual fee would help fund ongoing development of new features and maintain a high level of support for customers. The company also emailed users saying the change would ultimately provide "better functionality, more security, and higher value in the solution you already have invested in," positioning the subscription as an improvement for the user base.

Consumer response

The reaction from Futurehome’s user base was negative. Norwegian customers described the move as a betrayal, given that the original sale included full functionality with no indication that a subscription would be introduced later.

On Reddit’s r/norge, there is an active discussion thread filled with outrage, legal concerns, and comparisons to ransomware tactics.

One user, muffinmeistro, wrote:

I can't understand how what they're trying to do here is legal. I'd like to hear what u/thomasiversen thinks.

They're removing functionality locally in a hub (computer) that I've paid for with an update.

Another user posted (in Norwegian) expressing concern for the pushing a subscription, as well as a poor user experince:

I want to spend my money somewhere else than paying over 1000 kroner a year for half-hearted functionality. What options do I have? I currently have lights and thermostats from Futurehome. Can these devices be used with Home Assistant?(Translated from Norwegian)

Questionable legality

This issue drew attention to consumer protection laws. Norway is not an EU member but is part of the European Economic Area (EEA), which means EU consumer-protection directives (such as those barring unfair commercial practices) are incorporated into Norwegian law. Observers noted that retroactively charging a subscription for a product that was sold under a no-fee premise might violate these rules, though as of mid-2025 it remained unclear if any official action would be taken. Some users discussed the possibility of legal recourse or a class-action lawsuit in response to Futurehome's move.

Similarity to Wink

In 2020, Wink suddenly introduced a $4.99 monthly fee for continued use of its previously free smart-home service, giving customers only a one-week ultimatum & warning that devices would stop working if they didn't pay. That move led to a class-action lawsuit alleging deceptive business practices, breach of warranty, and even "trespass to chattels" on the grounds that Wink's remote deactivation scheme unlawfully interfered with consumers' owned property.

Futurehome's forced subscription draws parallels to the Wink case while demonstrating an industry pattern of undermining the right to own what one has bought. Critics argue that such practices erode consumers' sense of ownership, turning purchased devices into services that can be revoked or paywalled at any time. .

Impact on Third-Party Integrations

Beyond the immediate loss of app functionality, the subscription requirement disables all third-party integrations. Futurehome previously allowed integration with:

• Home Assistant via a custom MQTT bridge
• Homebridge via NPM plugin for Apple HomeKit let Futurehome devices be controlled via Siri and the Apple Home app

These relied on the hub’s local API and MQTT server. Once disabled, no data is sent or received, breaking compatibility with these platforms. Once the subscription enforcement kicked in, the hub stopped publishing or accepting local MQTT messages and the API shut down, breaking compatibility.

While some users may migrate to other smart home ecosystems using open protocols like Zigbee2MQTT, some Futurehome-branded devices (e.g., the HAN-Sensor and Futurehome Charge EV charger) may lose core features or become inaccessible due to lack of open community drivers.

Inadequate subscription notice

Futurehome does not prominently disclose the new subscription requirement in product listings or on its homepage, even as the change was rolled out. The company's official website and online store continued to list the Smarthub and related products with their one-time purchase price only, with no prominent notice about the required annual fee.

The only mention of a subscription on the homepage was buried in fine print upon scrolling, and product pages (for devices like the HAN-Sensor or the Futurehome Mode Switch) contain no warning that the system requires ongoing payments.

Similarly, the Futurehome app listings on the Apple App Store and Google Play made no reference to a subscription requirement, potentially misleading new customers into thinking the hub's functionality was included in the purchase price.

• 
  The only mention of a subscription on site homepage is in fine print on the second scroll page.
• 
  Landing view of homepage with no subscription mention.

Further, product and app store pages list only hardware prices, creating the false impression of a one-time purchase.

• 
  Apple App Store listing for Futurehome, no mention of required subscription.
• 
  Google Play listing for Futurehome app, no mention of subscription.
• 
  HAN Sensor product page: no mention of subscription requirement.
• 
  Modusbryter page omits any disclosure of subscription lock-in.