Smart home company Brilliant has announced that it has run out of money, after failing to raise more capital in an attempted funding round.
While its smart home controllers and light switches continue to work for now, there’s no guarantee that will remain the case for long given the lack of either HomeKit or Matter compatibility …
The Verge reports.
Brilliant, maker of smart home controllers and smart light switches, is out of money. CEO Aaron Emigh confirmed in an exclusive interview with The Verge that the company has laid off the majority of its staff, shut down its support center, and is no longer selling its products. However, the company is maintaining its servers, and existing devices are continuing to operate in customers’ homes.
But for exactly how long is a question Emigh couldn’t answer. “Indefinitely, I hope, but ultimately, it’s not in my hands,” he said, explaining that the company has entered an asset sale phase and is looking for a buyer
If the company’s servers go offline, then Brilliant light switches will continue to operate, but you won’t be able to edit existing scenes, create new ones, or add new devices.
That would be a severe blow to customers who have paid a steep price for devices which were marketed as semi-pro kit, with each switch costing between $399 and $549.
Underlines the importance of HomeKit or Matter
It’s not the first time that owners of smart devices have faced the possibility of their devices either being completely bricked, or losing significant functionality, when a company faces financial difficulties.
We’ve written before about these risks, after smart ebike company VanMoof ran into trouble (thankfully resolved).
There’s no perfect solution, as some features may be exclusive to the company’s own app, or require access to the company’s server. But only buying devices which are either HomeKit or Matter compatible will at least ensure that they can’t be bricked if a company goes down. It will always be possible to maintain usage of at least core functionality – including editing and creating new scenes – through Apple’s Home app.
Photo: Brilliant
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