Osram is discontinuing the cloud server operation for Lightify as of August 31, 2021.
In this particular case, it’s only somewhat problematic because the devices can mostly be connected to Hue gateways. However, this is a clear example for anyone who equips their home or new build (considering the lifespan of a house!) with such gimmicks simply because they look nice in advertisements and appear cheaper. Just imagine what would happen if, for example, Loxone ever decided to do something similar. But hey, we did warn you.
Fire away!
In this particular case, it’s only somewhat problematic because the devices can mostly be connected to Hue gateways. However, this is a clear example for anyone who equips their home or new build (considering the lifespan of a house!) with such gimmicks simply because they look nice in advertisements and appear cheaper. Just imagine what would happen if, for example, Loxone ever decided to do something similar. But hey, we did warn you.
Fire away!
Osram will only be the brand name under which it is sold, similar to how Philips markets Hue.
I don’t have much confidence in either system because it’s always the manufacturer who decides whether the system continues to work or not.
Philips, like AEG, has not existed as a company for a long time.
Osram has also been broken up and partly sold off.
Therefore, it makes sense to use a system that will continue to operate independently of the manufacturer. Whether it’s Loxone, Comexio, free@home, or KNX, none of these systems require internet to function.
I don’t have much confidence in either system because it’s always the manufacturer who decides whether the system continues to work or not.
Philips, like AEG, has not existed as a company for a long time.
Osram has also been broken up and partly sold off.
Therefore, it makes sense to use a system that will continue to operate independently of the manufacturer. Whether it’s Loxone, Comexio, free@home, or KNX, none of these systems require internet to function.
Patricck schrieb:
Philips has not existed as a company for a long time, just like AEG.This is actually not true, though it doesn’t really matter. Only some business units have been spun off—but not the lighting division, which includes Hue. Also, the Philips brand is sometimes licensed to other companies, but Philips as a company certainly still exists (and is one of my clients).There is still the lighting division and the healthcare division, that is true. Senseo and Saeco were also acquired. However, the entertainment segment belongs to TPVision, which doesn’t necessarily make the devices better. And Philips no longer has anything to do with the original Philips company. The same goes for Osram.
Anything based on cloud technology is a better retrofit solution but not suitable for new construction or major renovations. You are always reliant on their servers.
Anything based on cloud technology is a better retrofit solution but not suitable for new construction or major renovations. You are always reliant on their servers.
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SteffenBank11 Aug 2021 06:48Just as a side note, you can eventually run into problems with KNX as well. At my parents' house, we installed the predecessor of KNX, called EIB, 21 years ago. Naturally, some components have started to fail over time. The issue is that there are hardly any old components still available for purchase. The only solution would be to switch to a current ETS version with new/up-to-date components. The problem there is that you would need to buy a lot of new parts, because some older components are no longer compatible with the current ETS.
What I’m trying to say is that KNX can also cause issues over the years, but certainly not as quickly as proprietary solutions.
What I’m trying to say is that KNX can also cause issues over the years, but certainly not as quickly as proprietary solutions.
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SteffenBank11 Aug 2021 08:19A typical modernization—well, if you have to replace more than half of the components because there are no longer any applications available for the current ETS, then it’s more than just a standard upgrade and can get quite expensive. But as I said, this is a special case.
There are also people who don’t constantly reconfigure or expand their system; it’s set up and should just work. It was originally built with ETS 1.x and runs as intended, and it should continue to run without adding new functions. Put yourself in this situation. Your system is “finished,” runs for 20–25 years without issues, and then the first components fail. Since you can no longer get replacements, you would have to swap them out for current components and upgrade to ETS 20. The problem is that you cannot configure many of the old components anymore because they are not supported by the current ETS. Is that a standard modernization then? That’s a real disaster. Old components no longer function because there is no support in the current ETS. It’s no different from when a provider of a proprietary solution shuts down their service.
There are also people who don’t constantly reconfigure or expand their system; it’s set up and should just work. It was originally built with ETS 1.x and runs as intended, and it should continue to run without adding new functions. Put yourself in this situation. Your system is “finished,” runs for 20–25 years without issues, and then the first components fail. Since you can no longer get replacements, you would have to swap them out for current components and upgrade to ETS 20. The problem is that you cannot configure many of the old components anymore because they are not supported by the current ETS. Is that a standard modernization then? That’s a real disaster. Old components no longer function because there is no support in the current ETS. It’s no different from when a provider of a proprietary solution shuts down their service.