The app is ios only and you need to buy hepa bags every week for it. Those kind of kill it for me.
this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2023
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Privacy
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it'll be a paperweight when the company goes tits-up
I know right! I hate that so much new tech needs an app and will lose functionality/stop working if the company stop supporting it or you phone stop working with the app.
Of course it comes with an app... :-/
It wouldn't be such a problem if they at least offered an API for connecting to the device for third-party apps. But everything is locked down to guarantee obsolescence on software timelines even if the hardware lasts.
The fact that it costs $1800 means it was dead on arrival for me. But I wish them the best if they can carve out a niche of privacy-focused iRobot/Roomba customers while bringing increased exposure to privacy issues
I use a broom. It's good for privacy and uses 100% green energy.
Do you also use a horse? Also good for privacy based on recent news.
A bike!
Even better because you don't need to feed it when you aren't riding it
And it doesn't shit as much.
Yeah but a broom is $2500 so this is better
Green? Like solar? Are you photosynthesising?
This title is dumb. Companies are not selling all of their products at a loss just to harvest your data[1] and privacy is not significantly more expensive. Don't let capitalism fool you into believing we're suffering from anything but the natural progression of "infinite growth".
We're so far into dystopia, and used to every company double/triple/quadruple dipping, that the entire concept of a company simply building a quality product, that lasts as long as possible, without ads, or extracting and selling your data, planned obsolescence, or price gouging is insanity... which is itself, batshit insane. This is not an efficient system. It's a runaway freight train of greed and narcissism that is parasitically killing our host spaceship.
[1] they might be with Alexa hubs and other select data harvesting multipliers, but they're probably selling them at cost or a tiny loss.
Depends on the business model. Take Apple and Amazon. Apple makes most of its cash off hardware sales. As such, Apple will never sell you a $50 Mac hoping to make the money back thru services or ad revenue of any kind. And why their HomePods cost 3x more than any smart speaker.
On the other hand, Amazon doesn’t make money off hardware. They routinely blow out Fire products at insane discounts. A 10th of what Apple charges for a comparable product. Because they make their cash of sales and services. Products are just a conduit to more lucrative services.
You can’t lump every company into the same money making MO. Every company tends to have their own unique angle.
I mean it’s partially true, do you remember Juicero? The entire goal was to get you integrated into the subscription model. It was well built, but they still priced it in a way that would make people want to buy the service needed to actually use it. Most companies either want subscriptions, or willingly lower build quality just to be able to sell you a new version within a shorter timeframe
The idea you need to buy a "juice pack" rather than literally buying a bag of good frozen fruit and just letting it melt into juice is insane. I hate how companies have everyone convinced they can offer you something and act like its super hard and only they can do it sucks.
I had this realization about computer apps. You can replicate almost any function or code, but it does makes sense often in that domain to simply buy the app if its for keeps and that is maintained.
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It may have been well built, but was still completely idiotic. Who, in his right mind, would buy a proprietary bag of fruit pieces instead of normal fruit that has to be at least half the price.
The business model just didn't make sense.
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https://www.theverge.com/23934731/valetudo-robot-vacuum-hacking
Or you buy a cheap compatible robot and install valetudo
This is cool but it would have to be like a third that price before anyone could take the leap. If anything someone should find some way to hack and replace the spyware in a Roomba or something
Well aren't you in luck, people are doing exactly that over https://valetudo.cloud/
Not for Roombas but on a couple Xiaomi/Dreame/Roborock models.
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I know you can't put a true price on privacy, but I can clearly state that this goes beyond reasonable pricing for me. $1800, plus $180/year in fees for bags/membership subscription. That's a $3600 + battery and parts replacement investment over 10 years, and who's to say the app/device firmware will be supported that whole time? The extended warranty is for two years. There doesn't appear to be information on repairs outside of the warranty, which requires the subscription for 2 years for the extended warranty. This sounds like a disaster of a product from an ecological standpoint.
The price is way too high. I'm still rocking my dumb Roomba from ten years ago. It's a few parts away from the Roomba of Theseus at this point, but it still works. Without an Internet connection.
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ooooor use whatever brand and model is compatible with Home Assistant
Eh. That doesn't prevent anything if the unit itself still connects to the internet somehow (looking at you, Wyze).
You really just need to make sure the unit doesn't and can't get online. Very few of those out there.
And that is why VLANs are amazing. Can't phone home if it can't connect to the internet.
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That's why you flash the vacuum with a custom firmware!
First two sentences of that readme:
Valetudo is a cloud replacement for vacuum robots enabling local-only operation. It is not a custom firmware.
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Another solution that guarantees no data is sold is to just buy a regular corded vacuum. It may not be as convenient, but it'll save you having to worry about your vacuum stealing data. At least until they start forcing newer models to require an app.
I'm pretty sure my corded vacuum has been speaking about me behind my back and turning my wife against me.
It just shouldn't need to be the case that I sacrifice privacy for convenience.
Years ago shopkeepers asked you what you wanted and then they went and got it and packaged it for you. Then it became the better option to let you choose your own items and we'd just deal with the shopkeep to pay. This way more people were served simultaneously and everything went quicker. Imagine if you had to tell the shopkeeper the last time you cranked yourself or what size your living room is in order to progress to this more efficient process.
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Buy a Valetudo compatible vacuum and patch it. Dreame L10 is the first one that comes to mind.
Me speaking to my mum: Get off Facebook! They're just trying to sell you shit you don't need!
Also me: oh, I should replace my robot vac with this fancier one!
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Damn that bag must be super small to only last a week. My s7 ultra dock bag lasts around 6 months. Before I started living with a cat I was still using the original bag that had been going on a year and still wasn't full, vacuuming daily.
Edit: For context, my roborock dock's bag is 3 liters, so think the volume of 1 and a half 2 liter soda bottles, and the apartment it lasted a year in was ~500 sq ft. The matic's bag needs to fit inside the robot and looks to be close to the size of the palm of your hand. You can see it at 0:37 in the video on their site.
Doesn't the bag lasting longer suggest it picks up less dirt? My vacuum cleaner needs emptying every one or two times around the house, if it didn't I would be concerned it wasn't actually cleaning the floor.
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Some/Many robot vacuums can be flashed with custom firmware and then only communicate locally.
Unfortunately it seems the software isnt as polished or well as cleaning, but i guess some less efficient cleaning vs phone-home crap is a good counter.
Or just buy one with a remote or a manual one. It does not and should not require an app to function
I'm think I'm okay with using my bagless, cordless, replaceable battery, dumb vaccuum.
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Anyone have experience with roborock s7 ultra with valetudo or simmilar?
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