Hive / Nest etc Long Term Support

SplanK

*MOST* of them only use the cloud for remote control functions, geo fencing or more advanced functions and should run as a normal local stat when there is no connection, but depends on the device.


There does seem a massive shift towards cloud based infrastructure overall and it does worry me slightly that we are becoming too dependant on systems outside of our control and investing in equipment oftem £100's of pounds, with some systems running into many £1000's.


These £100 boxes with 'smart devices' that you can attatch to them such as SmartThings, Wemo, LightwaveRF all have a reliance on the cloud to function properly, and if your internet was to go down or the service canned (yes, a fair few start-up automation companies have gone under, taking their services and leaving their customers with a pile of worthless, useless bits of electrical equipment which no longer work!). Remote engineering then isn't always successful as you can only really reverse engineer one side of it.


Most will also have a clause in their warranty/agreement of service that give no guarantee that the service will last.


The other problem is, most of these devices are fairly cheap in the grand scheme of things. Hive has branched out into bulbs and pop sockets so they have an extra revenue stream, but they wont want you hanging around one the old boxes forever and will eventually stop supporting the older kit. They will rely on a natural and progressive upgrade, first by offering upgrade incentives, then at some point in the future reducing or turning off functionality.


There are some quite big names floating around. BG with Hive, Google with Nest, Samsung with SmartThings, Amazon with Echo, Honeywell with Evohome....


Invested in equipment from a smaller company/startup which gets bought out by a larger player.... like Google buying Revolv.... when you think of the power of Google, you think that they could keep things going indefinitely, however they don't and they do shut down 'the competition', again leaving the owners of the kit with worthless and useless piles of electrical devices.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/05/revolv-devices-bricked-google-nest-smart-home

danbutler89

I agree with other posters that the risk is just not worth it - there are far better ways of saving money on heating, and you'd need to be extraordinarily disorganised and incredibly sensitive to the cold for this technology to be worth it on convenience grounds. My experience is of Tado and, nevermind long term maintenance, I had ongoing technical issues and the company offered no help at all. Tado neither install the devices nor maintain them (i.e., regular servicing of the device in your home etc), and therefore whenever I raised technical issues they just said I needed to speak to either my plumber or my insurers. As the issues mysteriously resolved with time in each case I am confident that the issues were with their services, not anything to do with the (new) boiler but I have no way of proving it, and no means of recourse. I would advise people to stay well away from Tado. It's technology for its own sake, poorly designed, the company will offer you little or no help when you experience issues, and any benefits are quickly cancelled out when the thing malfunctions.