Logitech started to roll out firmware update 4.15.206 for its smart home hub Harmony Hubs; however, the firmware turned off home automation instead, resulting in many users aren’t able to control their smart home devices.
Logitech started to roll out firmware update 4.15.206 for its smart home hub Harmony Hubs; however, the firmware turned off home automation instead, resulting in many users aren’t able to control their smart home devices.
In an official statement posted by Logitech on its forum, the company said the firmware update is meant to address security vulnerabilities, but removed third-party APIs that connect the Harmony hubs with other connected devices.
“These private local control APIs were never supported Harmony features. While it is unfortunate that customers using these unsupported features are affected by this fix, the overall security of our products and all of our customers is our priority,” wrote Logitech.
“The XMPP interface was used as part of the setup process and was pointed out as an insecure communication. We removed that interface as part of an effort to improve the Hub security. That interface was never designed to be used by third parties,” explained Logitech to ArsTechnica.
The statement didn’t delight Harmony Hub’s users. Many of them still complained on social media and the company’s forum.
Those who bought the home hub for local access are forced to choose between two options: switching to a smart home system that the Harmony Hub officially supports or buying a new home hub for local access.
The Harmony Hub is officially supported by Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT and Yonomi.
It isn’t the first time Logitech’s smart home products drew criticism. Late last year, the company discontinued service and support for its home entertainment system control hub Harmony Link and offered a discount for Link users of the new Harmony Hub. Customer anger led Logitech to replace the Link devices for free.