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from the you-should-see-what-you're-missing! dept.
Guardzilla Shuts Down, Leaving Security Camera Customers Stranded:
Guardzilla, a small home security camera company, has quietly gone out of business, leaving behind unpatched security flaws, barely or nonworking cameras in lots of consumers' homes, and piles of essentially useless cameras that are still being sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, QVC, and other retailers.
Consumer Reports learned earlier this month that Guardzilla had closed its doors when our test engineers tried to follow up about security problems they found with the Guardzilla 360. We disclosed the issues to Guardzilla last fall. The company fixed one problem, but never addressed a second one.
The company has stopped responding to emails and its phone number is no longer working. A message posted on its website at the beginning of June reads: “We deeply regret that these troubling times have caused us to close our doors. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused, as we will be unable to continue support for the Guardzilla product line.”
Like other internet-connected security cameras, Guardzilla cameras stored users' video clips on corporate servers. The servers continued working intermittently until mid-June but now appear to be completely shut down.
[...] In addition to Bed Bath & Beyond and QVC, these cameras can still be purchased at Amazon Marketplace, Buy Buy Baby, eBay, and Newegg Marketplace. Consumer Reports reached out to these companies to find out why they continue to sell Guardzilla cameras. Only eBay had replied by the time of publication, and says it will continue to sell the cameras for now.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 26 2020, @10:47PM (4 children)
Not everyone.
If it is not already open and accessible from the factory for independent use by me on my internal network, then I simply don't buy it.
Needed a new thermostat last year. Looked at the WiFi models at HomeDepot just long enough to find the unnessary need for them to be tied to the manufacturers servers. Then bought the non-wifi unit that is programmed for turn-up/turn-down right from its own screen, and has no connections to "company servers".
Now, a huge number of folks will learn an expensive lesson over the coming years. But I will not be one of those, because I simply won't buy it if it needs "company servers" to operate. I saw the issue on the horizon, and adjusted to not become one if its victims.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by anubi on Saturday June 27 2020, @03:01AM
More of us need that experience.
Once we extinguish our trust of business claims printed on the package and leave that crap on the shelves, the quicker we can get to usable stuff.
We get what we accept.
Yes, I want an intelligent thermostat, too, but I have to program an Arduino to get one.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @05:32AM (2 children)
You and all your geek friends represent about 1% of the market. Sure you're smart and make good comments on teh Internets but you represent about 1% of the market. You represent 1% of the market. Do I need to say it again? You represent 1% of the market.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @02:49PM
Which is exactly the problem. The other 99% are too dumb to understand (yet).
But, in a few more years, after being bitten a few times, they will come around as well.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Sunday June 28 2020, @03:35AM
That one percent of the market is also the ones friends and family always ask about technical matters. Spread the word. Let friends and family know you see these things rendered into paperweights all the time.