A group of 'passionate Insteon users' has rescued the company.
Fairbanks goes on to explain that getting the hubs back online was the first priority in order to stem the loss of customers. They were able to reactivate the service before they had access to the site or ways to communicate with users, hence the slightly worrying stealth move. “Every day more customers were giving up hope so it was critical to get that restored as soon as possible,” Fairbanks wrote. “We are aware not all functions are back online but we are actively working on it.
But it’s not a great sign for the smart home in general. No one who buys a smart light switch wants to worry about whether they’ll have to buy the company one day just to keep the lights on. Connected home manufacturers need to develop products and services with longevity in mind and have an actionable plan laid out for what happens if they do have to switch the lights off. Not building these two strategies into a business plan for smart devices should be a major red flag for customers and investors.Subscribe to get the best Verge-approved tech deals of the week.Please confirm your subscription to Verge Deals via the verification email we just sent you.