Wemo discontinuation of service: Difference between revisions

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Belkin [[Wemo]] smart home devices require cloud connectivity to work. On July 10, 2025, Belkin announced the shutdown of cloud services supporting most Wemo devices, effective January 31, 2026.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2025-07-10 |title=Belkin Official Support - Wemo Support Ending – What You Need to Know |url=https://www.belkin.com/support-article/?articleNum=335419 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Belkin Official Support}}</ref> These devices remain for sale on Belkin's Amazon WeMo store <ref>{{Cite web |title=Amazon.com: Wemo Smart Plug with Thread - Smart Outlet for Apple HomeKit - Smart Home Products, Smart Home Lighting, Smart Home Gadgets - Homekit Smart Plug - Tech Gifts - Works W/ Apple iPhone, Easy NFC Set Up : Tools & Home Improvement |url=https://www.amazon.com/Wemo-Smart-Plug-Thread-Products/dp/B09T4S3QKC |archive-url=https://archive.is/wip/ORa4X |archive-date=2025-07-13 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Amazon.com: Wemo Smart Plug with Thread - Smart Outlet for Apple HomeKit - Smart Home Products, Smart Home Lighting, Smart Home Gadgets - Homekit Smart Plug - Tech Gifts - Works W/ Apple iPhone, Easy NFC Set Up : Tools & Home Improvement}}</ref> and advertising them as working with Google, Alexa, & more.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Amazon.com: Wemo |url=https://www.amazon.com/stores/Wemo/page/E33F6EA2-93FC-48CD-8BF6-EE10D5398795 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wip/TBvNl |archive-date=2025-07-13 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Amazon.com: Wemo}}</ref>

This shutdown will disable remote access and automation functionality for 27+ device models sold between August 2015 and November 2023, affecting thousands of customers who purchased these devices as permanent smart home solutions. The incident is one example of a broader trend of IoT device abandonment & [[software tethering]] practices that enable manufacturers to remotely disable purchased products.

This shutdown will disable remote access and automation functionality for 27+ device models sold between August 2015 and November 2023, affecting thousands of customers who purchased these devices as permanent smart home solutions. The incident is one example of a broader trend of IoT device abandonment & [[wikipedia:Tethering|software tethering]] practices that enable manufacturers to remotely disable purchased products.

==Background==

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Customer response was swift and negative, with users expressing feelings of abandonment and frustration over recent purchases becoming obsolete. The company provided only six months notice for a shutdown affecting 14 years of product sales.

===Technology community ~~cacklash~~===

===Technology community backlash===

Ars Technica's coverage criticized Belkin's move as reflecting an industry that ''"has grown too comfortable with bricking customers' stuff"'' without offering adequate recourse or transparency.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Scharon Harding |date=2025-07-12 |title=Belkin shows tech firms getting too comfortable with bricking customers' stuff |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/07/belkin-shows-tech-firms-getting-too-comfortable-with-bricking-customers-stuff/ |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>

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*'''Home Assistant''': Open-source platform offering local control through UPnP device discovery

*'''Third-party firmware''': Projects like Tasmota enable complete device replacement, though requiring technical modification

*Pywemo: Supports joining/changing Wifi settings, and local control via Wemo's local API (which is not documented by Belkin). https://github.com/pywemo/pywemo

The existence of these workarounds demonstrates that the shutdown represents a business decision rather than technical necessity, as devices can continue functioning locally without cloud services.

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 Belkin [[Wemo]] smart home devices require cloud connectivity to work. On July 10, 2025, Belkin announced the shutdown of cloud services supporting most Wemo devices, effective January 31, 2026.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2025-07-10 |title=Belkin Official Support - Wemo Support Ending – What You Need to Know |url=https://www.belkin.com/support-article/?articleNum=335419 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Belkin Official Support}}</ref> These devices remain for sale on Belkin's Amazon WeMo store <ref>{{Cite web |title=Amazon.com: Wemo Smart Plug with Thread - Smart Outlet for Apple HomeKit - Smart Home Products, Smart Home Lighting, Smart Home Gadgets - Homekit Smart Plug - Tech Gifts - Works W/ Apple iPhone, Easy NFC Set Up : Tools & Home Improvement |url=https://www.amazon.com/Wemo-Smart-Plug-Thread-Products/dp/B09T4S3QKC |archive-url=https://archive.is/wip/ORa4X |archive-date=2025-07-13 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Amazon.com: Wemo Smart Plug with Thread - Smart Outlet for Apple HomeKit - Smart Home Products, Smart Home Lighting, Smart Home Gadgets - Homekit Smart Plug - Tech Gifts - Works W/ Apple iPhone, Easy NFC Set Up : Tools & Home Improvement}}</ref> and advertising them as working with Google, Alexa, & more.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Amazon.com: Wemo |url=https://www.amazon.com/stores/Wemo/page/E33F6EA2-93FC-48CD-8BF6-EE10D5398795 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wip/TBvNl |archive-date=2025-07-13 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Amazon.com: Wemo}}</ref>
-This shutdown will disable remote access and automation functionality for 27+ device models sold between August 2015 and November 2023, affecting thousands of customers who purchased these devices as permanent smart home solutions. The incident is one example of a broader trend of IoT device abandonment & [[software tethering]] practices that enable manufacturers to remotely disable purchased products.
+This shutdown will disable remote access and automation functionality for 27+ device models sold between August 2015 and November 2023, affecting thousands of customers who purchased these devices as permanent smart home solutions. The incident is one example of a broader trend of IoT device abandonment & [[wikipedia:Tethering|software tethering]] practices that enable manufacturers to remotely disable purchased products.
 ==Background==
@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 Customer response was swift and negative, with users expressing feelings of abandonment and frustration over recent purchases becoming obsolete. The company provided only six months notice for a shutdown affecting 14 years of product sales.
-===Technology community cacklash===
+===Technology community backlash===
 Ars Technica's coverage criticized Belkin's move as reflecting an industry that ''"has grown too comfortable with bricking customers' stuff"'' without offering adequate recourse or transparency.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Scharon Harding |date=2025-07-12 |title=Belkin shows tech firms getting too comfortable with bricking customers' stuff |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/07/belkin-shows-tech-firms-getting-too-comfortable-with-bricking-customers-stuff/ |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>
@@ Line 71: / Line 71: @@
 *'''Home Assistant''': Open-source platform offering local control through UPnP device discovery
 *'''Third-party firmware''': Projects like Tasmota enable complete device replacement, though requiring technical modification
+*Pywemo:  Supports joining/changing Wifi settings, and local control via Wemo's local API (which is not documented by Belkin).  https://github.com/pywemo/pywemo
 The existence of these workarounds demonstrates that the shutdown represents a business decision rather than technical necessity, as devices can continue functioning locally without cloud services.