Vorwerk subsidiary Neato shuts down cloud server, hoovers lose functions
Neato Robotics was closed by Vorwerk in 2023, but the cloud functions were to remain available for another five years. Two years later, however, it is now over.
The robot hoovers D9 and D10 from Neato Robotics were not quite as successful.
(Image: Neato Robotics)
Two years after Vorwerk closed the US robot hoover company Neato, all online functions are now also being shut down and basic functions of the devices removed. This is according to a statement published by Neato earlier this week. It states that Neato's cloud services will now be gradually taken offline. The robot hoovers can then only be started manually, whereupon they will only tackle one clean of the entire household at a time. They will then probably no longer recognize previously learned rooms or restricted zones.
But no "five years" of cloud services
Vorwerk acquired Neato in 2017 and subsequently benefited from its experience in product development. However, the German company explained six years later that selling its own products in the USA had not paid off. As the goals it had set itself were not achieved and because Vorwerk was consistently withdrawing from areas that were not achieving growth, Neato Robotics was largely dissolved. Only a team of 14 employees in Milan was retained to ensure the security of Neato's cloud services for "at least five years". So far, not even half of that time has passed, and yet Vorwerk is pulling the plug.
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According to Neato, cybersecurity requirements and other rules have been greatly expanded since 2023, which is why the cloud infrastructure can no longer be provided. An update would not be technically feasible. The Vorwerk subsidiary explains that current warranties are not affected, and support documents will also continue to be made available online. However, the vacuum cleaners themselves could then only be controlled using the buttons, and basic functionalities would no longer be available. Vorwerk's approach is not an isolated case; online services are repeatedly switched off, although devices that rely on them then only function to a limited extent or no longer at all. Vorwerk has not yet responded to an inquiry from heise online.
(mho)
