It's important to note that these devices are not self-destructing nor are they cloud-dependent and will still perform their primary function as a locally contr

It's important to note that these devices are not self-destructing nor are they cloud-dependent and will still perform their primary function as a locally controlled touchscreen thermostat. It is the remote control via app features that are being disabled. It is similar to how the original iPhone and iPad are basically unusable with no connectivity in today's world (think: these legacy thermostats may not support modern security protocols due to lack of power to perform the cryptographic functions, or software support in the > 16 year old microcontroller. Let's assume hardware was designed with chips in production a few years before the release so we're talking 2005-era hardware. This is pre-iPhone, George Bush was still president and you had a flip phone in your pocket. Should they never upgrade their backend security so they can support these things in perpetuity?) Sadly, I suspect if this was an Apple(r)(tm) Thermostat the HN crowd would be banding together in their defense.