The smart home market is becoming oversaturated.

This is a weekly breakdown of a key story from the tech world, focusing on the precarious nature of connected devices.

How it started
About ten years ago, a team of ex-Apple engineers created an impressive smart oven. The June Oven, featuring a built-in scale, high-quality heating elements, a camera, and the ability to identify and cook a chicken breast to perfection, set a high bar for smart kitchen gadgets. Priced at $1,495, it was quite the investment, but it quickly garnered a loyal fanbase, especially after a more affordable model was released.

However, this past Tuesday, June’s services went offline. Weber, which acquired the company in January 2021 and ceased production of the ovens in 2022, shut down the app and cloud services, leaving users with a stylish toaster oven that lacks app control, software updates, and new AI features for perfect cooking. While it can still function as a regular oven, users will find no support or replacement parts available, and a factory reset could render it useless. Weber considered open-sourcing the technology to keep it alive but ultimately decided against it, as June’s intellectual property is part of its Weber Connect platform.

June is just one of many connected products that have met their demise in the smart home landscape over the past two years. Devices like the Nest Secure, early Nest Thermostats, Belkin’s WeMo line, Neato’s robot vacuums, the Brava smart oven, Logitech’s Pop buttons, Bose’s SoundTouch speakers, and Sengled’s smart bulbs have all lost their functionality. While some have been salvaged through local APIs and protocols like Zigbee, Thread, and Apple’s HomeKit, many, like the June Oven, are left to languish in a state of disrepair.

How it’s going
On the bright side, most of these gadgets tend to degrade rather than completely fail. The June and Brava ovens can still be used for cooking, Nest Thermostats can manage your heating and cooling just like a basic thermostat, and Neato vacuums can still clean your floors. However, the remote access, voice control, updates, and other smart features that made these devices appealing are no longer available. Some, like Nest Secure, have become nothing more than e-waste.

There’s always a chance for a comeback, but it’s uncommon. A resourceful user might find a way to connect a defunct device to Home Assistant, the open-source platform that has become a haven for abandoned smart home products. When the smart lighting platform Insteon shut down in 2022, its users banded together to buy the company and revive it. Bose reversed its decision and open-sourced its SoundTouch API, while Pebble’s founder managed to bring the beloved smartwatch back to life after the Rebble alliance kept it afloat. June’s co-founder, Matt Van Horn, mentioned on social media that he attempted to keep the servers running but was unsuccessful.

The smart home sector has reached a critical juncture. Many of its early innovators are fading away—over a decade is a long time for a startup. Most have been acquired by larger companies, drawn in by the allure of innovation but quickly disillusioned by financial realities. In the past, building a cloud server was cheaper than creating a local hub, but ongoing server costs can become burdensome, and once a company decides to discontinue a product, the reasons to keep funding it diminish rapidly. This seems to be the case with Level Lock, another startup founded by former Apple engineers that created a sleek smart lock. After being acquired by Assa Abloy, most of the team was let go. The product is still available, but its future is uncertain.

What happens next
To prevent further losses in the smart home space, three key actions are necessary: we need consumer protections; manufacturers must implement safeguards; and we need to learn how to protect ourselves.

Consumer advocacy groups are pushing for legislation regarding connected IoT devices, advocating for manufacturers to provide a local API for devices before shutting down their cloud services. This would allow devices to continue functioning with platforms like Home Assistant instead of becoming obsolete. Bose’s approach with SoundTouch serves as a model for other companies to follow, though legislative changes may take time.

Manufacturers should design connected devices to operate independently of the cloud. Incorporating physical buttons ensures functionality without relying solely on an app, and utilizing local protocols alongside cloud connectivity is essential. The smart home standard Matter aims to address this issue, allowing Matter devices to retain many functions regardless of the manufacturer’s status. Other local protocols like Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread, and Bluetooth also contribute to the longevity of products.

I wholeheartedly agree with the advice to manufacturers to “design for death from day one,” or at least plan for the eventual shutdown. Amazon refunded customers who purchased a Halo fitness band in the year leading up to its discontinuation. Vorwerk committed to keeping Neato operational for five years, and when that was reduced to two, they offered some users free replacements. Google provided Nest Secure customers with a free replacement from ADT. While none of this compares to a device that can function without cloud support, it does help mitigate the disappointment.

If you’re considering a smart home device, my advice remains unchanged. Ensure it offers local control, has physical buttons (or a direct remote), and can operate offline. Don’t overlook cloud-connected features, as they can enhance functionality, but remember that any feature dependent on a server could eventually become unavailable. A device that relies solely on cloud connectivity is already on the path to obsolescence.

By the way
* Follow the money: The swift decline of the Brava smart oven can be traced back to a private-equity deal. Reports indicate that Brava’s parent company sold its residential kitchen division just weeks before the shutdown. The demise of Google’s Nest Secure began shortly after a significant investment in home security company ADT.
* The cloud is a business model too: Many companies keep devices reliant on cloud services for revenue. For instance, Chamberlain, the maker of the popular MyQ garage door opener, blocked unauthorized API access, preventing users from controlling their garage doors through platforms like Home Assistant, and implemented new security measures to thwart attempts to bypass its cloud control.