Excerpts from the New York Times:
Why One Man Is Fighting for Our Right to Control Our Garage Door Openers
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/technology/personaltech/why-one-man-is-fighting-for-our-right-to-control-our-garage-door-openers.html
...he believes the popularity of his device is about more than just opening and closing a garage. It stems from widespread frustration with companies that sell internet-connected hardware that they eventually change or use to nickel-and-dime customers with subscription fees.
“You should own the hardware, and there is a line there that a lot of companies are experimenting with,” Mr. Wieland said in a recent interview. “I’m really afraid for the future that consumers are going to swallow this and that’s going to become the norm.”
..and the list of examples keeps growing. BMW made headlines in 2022 when it began charging subscriptions to use heated seats in some cars — a decision it reversed after a backlash. In 2021, Oura, the maker of a $350 sleep-tracking device, angered customers when it began charging a $6 monthly fee for users to get deeper analysis of their sleep. ...
For years, some printer companies have required .. proprietary ink cartridges, but more recently they began employing more aggressive tactics, like remotely bricking a printer when a payment is missed for an ink subscription.
The activists and tinkerers rebelling against superfluous hardware subscriptions and fighting for device ownership are part of the broader “right to repair” movement, a consumer advocacy campaign that has focused on passing laws nationwide .....
The issue with companies that alter their internet-connected devices after consumers have already purchased the hardware remains largely unaddressed — in part because corporations are taking advantage of dated copyright laws, consumer advocacy groups say. ...
“They want people to pay for using zeros and ones,” Mr. Proctor said. “There’s a fight over whether the economy is going to function that way. What are the limits? ‘Oh, you want to turn on your headlights? I’m sorry, you don’t have the headlight package.’”
This fight with a garage door opener company also raises another important question: If companies can modify their internet-connected products however they want after consumers have purchased them, what does it mean to even own anything anymore?
There’s no easy solution since so many of our devices are internet-connected and thus controlled by their makers.
This reminds me of why I switched my Internet service (phone) from Mint to Visible.. With Mint after 10mb of Hotspot (hotspot let's your laptop, tv or whatever use your phones internet connection via wifi) you have to pay additional - which is fine, but all I wanted it for was to be able to watch Netflix or whatever on my TV.. well that uses that 10mb hotspot up pretty quick, so I bought a special cable that allowed me to connect my phone directly to the TV, thus bypassing the hotspot..
But even with my hotspot feature Turned-Off on my phone, Mint charged me a hotspot fee for using that physical connection - That really pissed me off! It's the same type situation as the guy had with his garage door opener
So I switched to Visible with unlimited hotspot and Internet for the same price point as I was paying Mint. I've been using Visible a few months now, and can watch Netflix or Prime on my TV, or browse the net on my tablet or laptop, all by using my phones Internet - unlimited - no sneaky crap - no additional fees - everything works great - $19 a month.
@richpowers It's going too far.
This got to me..."For years, some printer companies have required .. proprietary ink cartridges, but more recently they began employing more aggressive tactics, like remotely bricking a printer when a payment is missed for an ink subscription." What the...!
Also your thing with you and hotspot....BMW trying to control features in a car even though you paid for the car and it's yours,
Windows 11 trying to control your computer by not letting you have a local account and having to go through Microsoft to access your own computer(there are work arounds)
It's just gone too far. You buy something, it's yours not the companies. The more I hear this the more my contempt for the billionaires that own and control everything even governments. And the whole capitalist system.
Those phones are the big way the companies are controlling and tracking you. My neighbour told me he signed on to a car insurance plan that monitors his car when driving and he has to take the phone with him at all times so he can be tracked and the company knows exactly where he goes, when, how fast, if he brakes hard, and he gets charged according to distance and speed and all driving habits. I just screamed!! And what do you get for complying with a billionaire company controlling you? A $150 a year saving a year if I am "good"
What happens if you just don't take the phone with you? How will they know if you drove somewhere?...well, "I have to."
But I don't understand about the garage door openers working with wi fi?
You get it and the remote is infared signal like your TV remote. Why does it need wi fi?
Next your car remote will be like that and you will have to pay a monthly fee to unlock the doors! How far can this go? I don't have wi fi...what about that? I am not getting a phone! What about that?
And the car companies that want to eliminate a radio so you have to pay a monthly fee for streaming apps is on this same subject. And with what I hear about all this unaffordability
and people are struggling and can't afford groceries or rent but they can pay all these monthly fees for all this digital stuff, so much a month for this that and how many things, add it up, so how is this afforded? Maybe this unaffordability thing is not what it is made out to be.
I too share your contempt for these billionaires and huge corporations that only care about the bottom line.
There's a simple solution to all of this stupidity, however.
Don't buy products that give anyone else control over them. Money talks. I have to ask why people buy them, and then complain. It's their own fault for either not knowing what they're buying, or not thinking of the consequences even if they do.
You can always find alternate solutions to a problem. Use something else.
As an example, even if there weren't workarounds, if you don't want a Microsoft account, then use Windows 10. They're going to support it for corporations until late 2028. That means that apps will have to run under it until that time, and all the major ones will continue to get Windows 10-related updates.
All you really need on your computer anyway is a modern browser, a good anti-virus & malware checker and some form of firewall (i.e. your router). Plus the most important thing - caution. Don't go to sketchy websites, don't click on any links or download anything in e-mail or a website unless you absolutely trust the originator And even then, it's wise to be suspicious now than sorry later. Use your anti-virus program. Run folder scans systematically - some things get through real-time protection.
And if you're really concerned about privacy, buy and use a VPN. Some websites check for this (HB, take a bow), but there are VPN's that can evade even those checks. The latter are costly, and I don't care enough to pay the price (I'm using my freedom of choice again).
I recently bought a new car. It was a stripped down, basic model, with manual everything (pretty much anyway). I bypassed the vendors that didn't offer such a car. I would have taken a manual transmission if I could have found one, but they don't make them anymore (at least in the ones I was looking at).
The car does have an AM/FM radio, but no CD player. I can live with that, as I mostly listen to music from my phone using Bluetooth. If I wanted a CD player in the car, I could go out and purchase a Walkman type (yes, they still are available even new, although I'd probably get something decent used).
Anyway, my point is that it should be consumer choices that drive industry, and not the other way around. I do my part.
@artisan-radio The one thing about the computer with the one I am on now on here may need replacing one day and all computers new or refurbished will be Windows 11 or maybe 12 then who knows and there's no choice about the Microsoft thing except a workaround from a youtube video or a tech at Canada computers can do it. At least my small 10" laptop for broadcasting, an off brand from Amazon came with Windows 11 but the set up bypassed and ready to go out of the box so just adding a password was all that was needed and I have an extra put away in case this one in the future conks out. But runs 24/7/365 without a glitch. So in this case as computers need replacing the Microsoft problem is not avoidable. Service places won't install windows 10 for you on a computer that has Windows 11 when not supported anymore.
You can always purchase a used computer.
The thing about the computer industry - newer isn't always better.
For example, an older high end professional system used for things such as CAD can be cheaper than even an entry level modern computer, and much more powerful. The days of 100% improvement in performance year to year are over.
I was recently looking at a dual processor Xeon one, with 192GB of memory, SSD and a decent graphics card. It was about half the price of the cheapest, relatively decent, new computer out there, and it ran Windows 10 as well.
These days, I wouldn't touch a new computer. It's just not worth it for the money you have to pay, and the compromises in privacy you have to make.