My guess would be that the manufacturer didn't remotely block the device, but rather the device itself did. If last connection time < N days ago and last M tri

My guess would be that the manufacturer didn't remotely block the device, but rather the device itself did. If last connection time < N days ago and last M tries connecting were unsuccessful, then: brick myself. Still shitty, no doubt (and very similar to planned obsolescence), but the customer can un-brick by resetting to factory like they did in the service center.