Best Buy Is Dumbing Down Its Smart Home Devices

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These products are losing their smarts

(Image credit: Insignia)

Best Buy has decided to discontinue its smart home device division, Insignia Connect. Starting November 6, the Insignia Connect app will be shuttered and a number of WiFi-enabled Insignia products—which include a smart plug, smart light switch, and a home security camera—will become eligible for reimbursement.

The announcement, shared discreetly to Best Buy’s Insignia website, doesn’t detail the reason for the company ending its Insignia Connect products. It simply states that the accompanying app used to control products like the Insignia WiFi Smart Plug and WiFi Freezer won’t work as of November 6.

Although the Insignia Connect app will cease to function, Best Buy says most of the products can still function manually. Its Insignia freezer will still keep ice cream cold. Its smart plugs and smart switches should retain previously designated routines. 

The only device that won’t work at all is the smart security camera. Without the app, the security camera cannot share recorded footage with a mobile device. If you own an Insignia WiFi Camera, consider returning the hardware for one of the best home security cameras we’ve tested. 

Best Buy’s Insignia Connect platform might not be the most popular smart home system, but it’s certainly concerning that a company can decide when your ecosystem of switches and lights will lose its smarts.

Kate Kozuch
Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She writes about smartwatches, TVs, audio devices, and some cooking appliances, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following if you don't already. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.