Belkin shows tech firms getting too comfortable with bricking customers' stuff

This is why I'm buying "smart" things only if they either work fine without the internet or if they are part of a standard.

My washing machine tells me when it's done, and that's handy, but if it goes away I can still wash clothes. My smart bulbs work with anything that supports Thread/Matter.

It’s often impossible to tell before you purchase if connecting it to the internet is optional or not.