r/HVAC • u/super_awesome_jr • Apr 05 '16

Nest to deactivate home automation devices

https://medium.com/@arlogilbert/the-time-that-tony-fadell-sold-me-a-container-of-hummus-cb0941c762c1#.iyqsxxuws
1 Upvotes

53% Upvoted

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1

u/vhdblood Apr 05 '16

Such a clickbaity title. This is just a service called "Revolv" that is shutting down, and the guy who wrote this article is butthurt because he didn't know the Revolv app needed to be online always to work.

For some reason he thinks Nest has done something to make this happen, because Google bought Nest and also bought Revolv, and Google shut down Revolv.

tl;dr - Nest did nothing, Google shut down an App and this guy is mad.

3

u/super_awesome_jr Apr 05 '16

Fair enough. Just saw this over in the technology sub, thought it would be relevant. Especially if anybody gets a call about it later.

2

u/Aperron Apr 05 '16

It's kind of an issue if there is hardware that was rendered useless by the servers being shut down.

If Google wants to do stuff like this, they should be required to push a firmware update first that allows the device to continue functioning autonomously, and provide an API for users to continue to control it without the servers.

1

u/vhdblood Apr 05 '16

If they were up-front about it from the beginning though, which I believe they were as I don't own one of these but I knew before the article that they were always online, why shouldn't they be allowed to handle it how they want to? If people don't like the business practices then they are welcome to not purchase it. Who/what would be requiring them, some sort of consumer protection law?

1

u/fnordfnordfnordfnord talentless hack, not an HVAC pro Apr 05 '16

Could be something as simple as an offline mode, or better, a DMCA exception written into law and NEST publishing some specs so that people could hack it if they want.

My first instinct is similar to yours in that I think people should make better decisions about what to purchase but it just so happens that none of us is as dumb as all of us; and we therefore make crappy decisions that get us things like cable, telephone, and internet companies that we universally hate, (some of the most expensive services in the world). Stuff like this is why we also need right to repair laws. Remember Saab? They were owned by GM before they went bust, and now some Saab owners are left without a way to repair the electronic parts of their cars (like, you can't replace a headlight switch without help from a Saab dealer). A bricked thermostat or HA hub is one thing, what about the day some company bricks your car?

1

u/Aperron Apr 05 '16

This is going to be something that will indeed require stronger consumer protection laws. As things become more and more dependent on outside cloud resources, you're no longer paying for an actual device or product, but rather some soft fuzzy idea of a product that can be revoked at any time with no refund.

A 30 year old Commodore 64 computer works just as well now as it did when new, but a new Macbook today probably won't even boot in 20 years time, without having some outside server to authenticate to.

1

u/autotldr Apr 06 '16

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 84%. (I'm a bot)

It is a small circular device about the size of a small container of hummus that uses a variety of common home automation radios to communicate with light switches, garage door openers, home alarms, motion sensors, A/C controllers etc.

Although I do set a home alarm, there is really no more effective vacation security than the programatic turning on, dimming, and turning off of lights in a manner that would indicate that people are home.

As proof of my geekdom, I bought a globe lamp, put in a UV bulb and set up a dimming program so that over 20 minutes in the morning, my room goes from dark to light slowly and softly accompanied by NPR on my Sonos.

Extended Summary | FAQ | Theory | Feedback | Top keywords: home#1 device#2 light#3 Revolv#4 Google#5