Logitech’s hub designed to turn a smartphone or tablet into a universal remote for your TV and other devices will cease functioning in March 2018, the company has announced.
The cloud vanishes
Owners of the Harmony Link will, starting from March 2018, no longer be able to use a product that is fully functional today. Logitech will deactivate all functions by shutting down the cloud service that enabled them in the first place.
- ”There is a technology certificate license that will expire next March. The certificate will not be renewed as we are focusing resources on our current app-based remote, the Harmony Hub,” a company employee explained.
Customers are of course extremely frustrated, as witnessed by threads on Reddit and the company’s discussion board.
The way that the Harmony Link worked was to blast out IR signals in order to command your devices. You could set up and control everything from an app on a smartphone or tablet. The product was released in 2011 but Logitech has since launched the more capable Harmony Hub, which is being offered to affected customers with a 35% discount.
This is one of the disadvantages of owning a product that relies on the cloud to work. While the cloud can enable a whole new range of features, the customer is ultimately at mercy of the company. Cases like these force customers to consider how reliable a company is before making a purchase.
All Logitech Harmony Link hubs will cease functioning on March 16, 2018.
- Source: Logitech via The Verge
