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Nest recalling 440,000 smoke alarms for safety risk

11 points by ntakasaki 12y ago

click170 12y ago
Page doesn't load for me at all in mobile. Flagged.
wmf 12y ago
I don't think I've ever seen an automatic firmware update referred to as a "recall" before.
arasmussen 12y ago
A prime example of some linkbait bullshit. They found a bug, they released a patch. This is not a recall.
_delirium 12y ago
The AP newswire article that various newspapers are picking up does indeed appear to be dated today, but it's not clear to me what the new part is. The firmware update in question was rolled out in early April; is this article belatedly about that, or is there something else? edit: Oh, it seems the difference is that it's now officially a safety recall, rather than just a voluntary update, which makes a legal difference, e.g. it's illegal to resell unpatched units, and consumers can opt for a refund [2]. [1] Discussion at the time: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7526682 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7526682 [2] http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Nest-Labs-Recalls-to-Repair-Nest-Protect-Smoke-CO-Alarms/ http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Nest-Labs-Recalls-to-Rep...
coreymgilmore 12y ago
The "recall" already happened: they updated the software and disabled Nest Wave. Now you have to disable an alarm the same way as every other smoke detector: press the button. I think this drawing so much attention just because its Nest/Google, ex Apple guys, and a reasonably high-profile company.
- anko 12y ago
  Well if I were in the market for a new smoke alarm, nest wave was a feature that would steer me towards nest. While i'm sure it's still a decent alarm, this is a pretty big feature to recall.
  - _delirium 12y ago
    That's one reason for the recall, is my guess. The recall allows consumers who want to return the product for a refund rather than keeping the patched version to do so, which would allow people for whom the Nest Wave feature was a big part of the original appeal to get their money back.
vonmoltke 12y ago
Since there seems to be much confusion in this thread: The recall was issued today[1]. A CPSC recall is a legally-significant action taken on a product considered dangerous and defective. It requires a product to be pulled from the market in its current state, and details what action, if any, needs to be taken to make the product safe to market again. This resale prohibition applies even if you are a Nest smoke alarm owner and try to sell it used; you must get the firmware updated or you are in violation of federal law. That the recall can be addressed via an automatic update does not change the legal significance of the action. Edit: _delirium updated their post with the same info while I was posting. Not that it matters, because it seems like this thread has been flagged into oblivion already. [1] http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Nest-Labs-Recalls-to-Repair-Nest-Protect-Smoke-CO-Alarms/ http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Nest-Labs-Recalls-to-Rep...

11 points by ntakasaki 12y ago

click170 12y ago

Page doesn't load for me at all in mobile. Flagged.

wmf 12y ago

I don't think I've ever seen an automatic firmware update referred to as a "recall" before.

arasmussen 12y ago

A prime example of some linkbait bullshit. They found a bug, they released a patch. This is not a recall.

_delirium 12y ago

The AP newswire article that various newspapers are picking up does indeed appear to be dated today, but it's not clear to me what the new part is. The firmware update in question was rolled out in early April; is this article belatedly about that, or is there something else? edit: Oh, it seems the difference is that it's now officially a safety recall, rather than just a voluntary update, which makes a legal difference, e.g. it's illegal to resell unpatched units, and consumers can opt for a refund [2]. [1] Discussion at the time: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7526682 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7526682 [2] http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Nest-Labs-Recalls-to-Repair-Nest-Protect-Smoke-CO-Alarms/ http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Nest-Labs-Recalls-to-Rep...

coreymgilmore 12y ago

The "recall" already happened: they updated the software and disabled Nest Wave. Now you have to disable an alarm the same way as every other smoke detector: press the button. I think this drawing so much attention just because its Nest/Google, ex Apple guys, and a reasonably high-profile company.

anko 12y ago
Well if I were in the market for a new smoke alarm, nest wave was a feature that would steer me towards nest. While i'm sure it's still a decent alarm, this is a pretty big feature to recall.
- _delirium 12y ago
  That's one reason for the recall, is my guess. The recall allows consumers who want to return the product for a refund rather than keeping the patched version to do so, which would allow people for whom the Nest Wave feature was a big part of the original appeal to get their money back.

vonmoltke 12y ago

Since there seems to be much confusion in this thread: The recall was issued today[1]. A CPSC recall is a legally-significant action taken on a product considered dangerous and defective. It requires a product to be pulled from the market in its current state, and details what action, if any, needs to be taken to make the product safe to market again. This resale prohibition applies even if you are a Nest smoke alarm owner and try to sell it used; you must get the firmware updated or you are in violation of federal law. That the recall can be addressed via an automatic update does not change the legal significance of the action. Edit: _delirium updated their post with the same info while I was posting. Not that it matters, because it seems like this thread has been flagged into oblivion already. [1] http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Nest-Labs-Recalls-to-Repair-Nest-Protect-Smoke-CO-Alarms/ http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Nest-Labs-Recalls-to-Rep...