Lowe's Shuts Down Iris Smart Home Line, Bricks Connected Devices
Lowe's is permanently shutting down its Iris smart home platform at the end of March, effectively bricking the connected devices. The retailer offers prepaid Visa refunds for eligible gear but warns customers not to return the hardware to physical stores.
Lowe's officially ends its Iris smart home product line and shuts down the platform at the end of March. This shutdown means that much of the previously smart, connected gear instantly becomes useless bricks once the servers go offline. The home improvement retailer attempts to soften the blow by offering refunds for eligible, connected Iris devices.
Customers must request their refunds through a specific online redemption portal rather than taking the hardware back to a physical Lowe's store. The company issues these refunds in the form of prepaid Visa cards. Additionally, Lowe's notes that some Iris-compatible devices potentially work with alternative smart home systems like Samsung's SmartThings, though this compatibility does not apply to all products.
This discontinuation highlights the ongoing reliability issues within the broader smart home and Internet of Things market. With countless mystery brands offering connected gadgets, consumers constantly face risks regarding security patches and long-term support. Anyone who purchased Lowe's house brand expecting lasting stability now learns firsthand that connected devices often come with an unpredictable lifespan.