Function If Smart Company Quits Business

[WebNurse]

I have over 30 smart lights, switches, etc. from various companies. Today everything is good. All devices are in the Google Home app and linked to the various company apps. I give my four Nest Minis commands and lights turn on & off as expected.

For the sake of argument, the company that made the  Wi-Fi light bulb outside my front door goes out of business. Their server is shut down and their app no longer functions. Will my Nest Minis still be able to control that light since it was added to the Home prior to that company closing?

[SmartHomeH-TAGS]

I have all my generic bulbs and plugs set up with Smart Life (Tuya)

I have the original Belkin WeMo which haven't been supported by Belkin for probably 5 years and can no longer be used as a trigger in Alexa, but Google keeps a very reliable trigger connection somehow. I will be eternally grateful for that as it has been notifying me of motion (via a separate motion sensor) at my front door for years.

The WeMo app hasn't had an update in years. But if you have reliable devices you don't even need the third party app on your phone.

I don't have WeMo or LIFX apps on my new phone.

The bottom line is that it depends on the parent company and how responsible they feel towards their customers. Belkin is known for it's quality products and is still in operation even though WeMo is now at a defunct brand.

It might also have something to do with the consumer protection you have available in your own country. In Australia we have a pretty good system,

[RipperT]

why wouldn't it work?  you aren't communicating through the light bulb companies server, its sending a signal locally.

[WebNurse]

These things are Wi-Fi setup, not Bluetooth. I have a gateway device provided by the internet company. My personal Wi-Fi router connects to that. If I were to unplug that gateway and leave the router on, there is still internal network where I can scan and print. The Nest Minis only complain they can not reach the internet. The Nest Minis have to reach a Google server which, I believe, then tries to reach the device's server. That is what I have observed with EcoSmart light bulbs and a Honeywell thermostat. Other things may behave differently, but the Nest Minis still need the internet to "talk" to Google.

My concern is based generally on EcoSmart bulbs, Home Depot brand, and their Hubspace app. But just yesterday I had to manually adjust my Honeywell thermostat as the Honeywell server was having issues (numerous reports on Downdetector). I have replaced every EcoSmart bulb and I will never again purchase a device that uses the Hubspace app. No device using Hubspace as the initial setup app worked whenever Home Depot had a server issue and that was several times per week. Another issue with Hubspace backed devices is VPN. My router runs OpenWRT with Wireguard protocol. EVERY SMART THING in this home is on VPN. Before junking the Ecosmart bulbs I had to change VPN location at least weekly.

At this point the only switch I have to touch in an almost 2,000 sq.ft. home is for a single bath exhaust fan. I suppose it is a little late to be concerned having spent $8, $10 and more for various smart things that could end up with the functionality of their respective $1 dumb counterparts.

Regards.

[RipperT]

you have a router connected to another gateway/router?  You should always make your ISP provided router just a modem if connecting to another router.  Its called bridge mode...   there can be cascading router issues when you operate one router off another.   Whats the isp and isp modem/router model number?