Neato Robotics is shutting down

[NoeBe]

Neato Robotics is shutting down

but support will last for another 5 years, what happens after this, when the app does not connect to the server, can we still use our Neato robot vacuum cleaners?

can we find a way to make a fake server that can make them so we can continue to use them?

[glnc222]

https://www.techhive.com/article/180338 ... cuums.html

"Neato Robotics, the company behind the Neato brand and its distinctively “D”-shaped robot vacuums, is closing up shop.
A spokesperson for Germany’s Vorwerk Group, which acquired Neato back in 2017, told TechHive via e-mail that Neato is “now being closed down despite lots of restructuring efforts,” and that the company had “not achieved its self-defined economic goals for several years now.”
The closure will “affect” 98 employees, Vorwerk spokesperson Stefan Watzinger said.
As it shuts down Neato, Vorwerk will use a 14-person team in Milan to “ensure the security of the infrastructure of Neato’s cloud services for at least five years,” while spare parts and repair service will also be “guaranteed for at least five years,” according to Watzinger."

At the same time there is talk of Amazon acquiring iRobot (Roomba).
As Samsung and major vacuum brands moved into robotics competition will produce consolidation -- or acquisition by major brands, like Vorwerk.
" In 2020, iRobot claimed 46 percent of the robovac market, while Neato had roughly 3 percent in preceding years. Anker’s Eufy brand, Roborock, and Shark have also entered the field and sometimes undercut Neato on price."

The field may have also benefited from the low interest rate environment of the last decade, coming to an end with inflation. Vorwerk may also have been affected by European economic conditions.

These robots have never been sold for very long term durability like a full size vacuum, with periodic design advances promoting frequent replacement. Recent Neato buyers should get the usual limited lifetime out of their purchasses. There might be some bargains around as inventories are sold off at retailers.

The economic disruption of the 2020 Covid pandemic may have played a role as consumers have been observed to move away from hard goods to more services.

[CodaCM]

https://www.techhive.com/article/180338 ... cuums.html

"Neato Robotics, the company behind the Neato brand and its distinctively “D”-shaped robot vacuums, is closing up shop.
A spokesperson for Germany’s Vorwerk Group, which acquired Neato back in 2017, told TechHive via e-mail that Neato is “now being closed down despite lots of restructuring efforts,” and that the company had “not achieved its self-defined economic goals for several years now.”
The closure will “affect” 98 employees, Vorwerk spokesperson Stefan Watzinger said.
As it shuts down Neato, Vorwerk will use a 14-person team in Milan to “ensure the security of the infrastructure of Neato’s cloud services for at least five years,” while spare parts and repair service will also be “guaranteed for at least five years,” according to Watzinger."

At the same time there is talk of Amazon acquiring iRobot (Roomba).
As Samsung and major vacuum brands moved into robotics competition will produce consolidation -- or acquisition by major brands, like Vorwerk.

" In 2020, iRobot claimed 46 percent of the robovac market, while Neato had roughly 3 percent in preceding years. Anker’s Eufy brand, Roborock, and Shark have also entered the field and sometimes undercut Neato on price."

The field may have also benefited from the low interest rate environment of the last decade, coming to an end with inflation. Vorwerk may also have been affected by European economic conditions.

These robots have never been sold for very long term durability like a full size vacuum, with periodic design advances promoting frequent replacement. Recent Neato buyers should get the usual limited lifetime out of their purchasses. There might be some bargains around as inventories are sold off at retailers.

The economic disruption of the 2020 Covid pandemic may have played a role as consumers have been observed to move away from hard goods to more services.

Well will there be a way to run a private local server? (like on a RaspberryPI)

[glnc222]

I am not familiar with private server tech but their server will operate another five years. A server is needed only for remote control of the robot with a phone; it will still do cleaning with the manual or IR Remote controls.
As their server runs proprietary software I wonder how that could be reproduced privately, except by expert hackers
-- unless they make some provision when finally closing. Also the addressing for the server would seem to be embedded in the robot firmware (instead of an optional setting with commands, though don't know in detail). The product was never intended to have more than a five year life anyway, which is still provided.

[glnc222]

Besides any server issue, the supplies such as brushes and filters, and most importantly the large battery, may not be available after another five years. There are after-market suppliers of these now, and over time their market will dwindle so not clear how much beyond five years, if even that, those will operate.

[CodaCM]

Another problem is when they shut down the servers, that marks the end of updates for any neato’s that support WiFi. Most likely people will start making there own updates.

[Fredcombuese]

http://openpetition.org/!wknmd

Habe meinen Neato D10 November 2021 mit 5 Jahren Garantie gekauft und ihn letztes Jahr noch teuer reparieren lassen obwohl er in Garantie war! Vorwerk hat Neato 2023 gekauft und ein 5 Jahres-Versprechen gegeben das sie die Server noch weiter betreiben! Halten sich jetzt nicht an ihr Versprechen. Seit der Übernahme ging alles den Bach runter.
Das Gerät ist ohne dem Server praktisch Elektroschrott, da man keine Einstellungen mehr vornehmen kann! (NoGo-Zonen, Saugleistung, Einzelne Zimmer reinigen usw)

Betroffene können bei dem Link oben eine Petition unterschreiben.

LG FC

[CodaCM]

http://openpetition.org/!wknmd

Habe meinen Neato D10 November 2021 mit 5 Jahren Garantie gekauft und ihn letztes Jahr noch teuer reparieren lassen obwohl er in Garantie war! Vorwerk hat Neato 2023 gekauft und ein 5 Jahres-Versprechen gegeben das sie die Server noch weiter betreiben! Halten sich jetzt nicht an ihr Versprechen. Seit der Übernahme ging alles den Bach runter.
Das Gerät ist ohne dem Server praktisch Elektroschrott, da man keine Einstellungen mehr vornehmen kann! (NoGo-Zonen, Saugleistung, Einzelne Zimmer reinigen usw)

Betroffene können bei dem Link oben eine Petition unterschreiben.

LG FC

Gonna get this post pined