We here in the US don't connect devices to the internet. Everything sits behind a NAT router to "hide" it from the internet. The main reason for this is that we

We here in the US don't connect devices to the internet. Everything sits behind a NAT router to "hide" it from the internet. The main reason for this is that we don't have suitable operating systems fit for that purpose. They would have close to reliable as a light switch, something that works for decades without fail, and is easy to replace. Show me a computer system that can withstand direct exposure to the internet, without maintenance (and without active management), for a year, and I'll be surprised, and reconsider. So, to get out from behind NAT, an external server is required, which raises all of the security and reliability problems. Plus, someone has to pay to keep those servers up and secure. This requires a subscription fee to be sustainable.