Roku is getting out of the smart home hardware business. The company plans to stop selling its cameras, video doorbells, smart lights, plugs and home monitoring gear, and says it will keep supporting the devices people already own.
"We're sharpening our focus on Roku's core mission: being the top streaming platform," a Roku spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday, Nov. 11. "As part of that, we plan to wind down sales of smart home hardware," the statement continued, adding that Roku "will provide continued support and services for Roku Smart Home products." The company did not give a date for when sales end or say for how long support will last.
The move comes days after Fox completed its purchase of Roku.
What owners can still use
For now, Roku's smart home support pages still cover setup and troubleshooting for its cameras and doorbells, and the products remain listed on its smart home store page, from a $14.99 two-pack of indoor plugs to a $99.99 home monitoring kit.
Cameras and doorbells have two tiers. Without a subscription, owners get live video, basic motion and sound alerts and push notifications, with a five-minute pause between alerts, according to Roku's subscription guide. The paid Roku Smart Home Subscription adds automatic recording saved in the cloud for up to 14 days and alerts that tell people, packages, pets and cars apart. Roku has not announced any change to that subscription or its price.
What to watch for
Owners do not know how long Roku will keep the servers, app features and security updates running. The statement promises support with no end date. Watch the Roku Smart Home app and your email for notices.
Anyone still shopping for one would be buying into a product line Roku plans to stop selling. Anyone with an active subscription can manage or cancel it through Roku's subscription settings.
