[German]At the end of the month August 2021, OSRAM is shutting down its Lightify cloud service. Users who use the Lightify lights will have to take action before August 31, 2021, to keep the bulbs still working and avoiding to sitting in the dark. Here are a few details about the matter.
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What is Osram Lightify?
Osram Lightify was, I guess you have to say now, a system of lights that could be controlled via smartphone and tablet over the internet or via WLAN using a smart home gateway. I don't really have a sense of how popular the system was compared to Philips Hue lights. .
Osram Lightify cloud service to be shut down
Already in March 2021, Osram had probably announced the end of the cloud service necessary for Lightify operation. Now there is confirmation on the company's website that the service will be discontinued on August 31, 2021.
The text states that on August 31, 2021, OSRAM will discontinue server operation and support for LIGHTIFY. From this date, it will no longer be possible to control the system from on the road, with the help of voice assistants or through external apps (smartphone, tablet via the Internet). OSRM also does not want to ensure compatibility with possible new versions of the operating systems of iOS and Android then, as they also do not want to provide updates and support for the apps.
The manufacturer writes that the operation from home via the LIGHTIFY app in the WLAN remains unchanged if the app and gateway are up to date. However, users must respond to OSRAM before the deadline of August 31, 2021.
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- To ensure that WLAN operation continues to work, users must download the latest Lightify app version (> 2.1.0) and install the latest update on the existing Lightify gateway (WLAN Chip >1.8.3.0).
- Those who still have an old, unused gateway in their closet must update it via a cloud account until the end of August 2021, otherwise it will no longer work after the cloud is switched off.
According to OSRAM, the latter point affects all gateways that have never been used and those that have not been updated in the last 4 years. The update recommendation refers to Lightify gateways with a WLAN firmware version lower than 1.1.3.53.
LIGHTIFY system technically outdated
OSRAM justifies this step with the fact that the LIGHTIFY system is now technically obsolete. The performance of the outdated gateway (including response speeds and the control of individual devices) is significantly worse than that of alternatives on the market.
The ZigBee® standard used has also evolved in recent years (from ZigBee® Light Link and ZigBee® Home Automation to ZigBee® 3.0), making compatibility with other smart home systems increasingly difficult. Thus, extensive investments would be required, which OSRAM will no longer be able to bear after withdrawing from the end consumer business for general lighting in 2016.
Final thoughts
As someone with roots in the craft, I've always been critical of all the IoT stuff in the home. Because there was the old experience: Everything you install costs and will break at some point. In such a case you have to troubleshoot and fix the issues. And in many cases, you won't get any spare parts. The case above shows me once again that I was probably right. Here's where LIGHTIFY system owners are faced with the fact that while the LIGHTIFY system still work for a while, some feature has been neutered. And as soon as new versions of Android or iOS arrive on mobile devices, the operability of the required apps is no longer guaranteed. If a gateway breaks, that's it, because there is unlikely to get a replacement.
In the late 1960s, as an apprentice, I was still repairing electrical installations and replacing switches, sockets or lamps that had worked for 20, 40 or 60 yearsthem. And in 2019, I sold a house that was also almost 60 years old – the electrical system installed at that time can be repaired at any time with little effort – switches, sockets, etc. are DIN standardized and easily replaceable. Digitalization will be our Waterloo: from a point of security a nightmare and from the longevity as well as compatibility also – there is nothing sustainable, everything is coming with built-in obsolescence.
I have a lightify system for 3 years and while it worked it was fairly good. Not the cloud is going away and I cannot get my gateway to work with my home wireless for some weird reason. Lightify has been trying to help me. The version 1 of the app was more user friendly than the number 2. For those who can get it towk great! for those of us who can't, do you research and look at other systems if you choose to and check out different apps on youtube to see how user friendly they are. So from my research, I'm leaning toward Cree lighting. I'm going to have to use my Lightify lights as regular bulbs until they either physically break or they burn out. I wouldn't make the mistake of buying another hub system like this. As I said before, they were good when they worked and I did like them. You might find one cheaper, I know I did with Cree.