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Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

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Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#181

Post by davidjhall »

throwaway100773 wrote: post #154
echelon wrote: post #144

This could go very bad for Sonos. Imagine a virus that looks for Sonos devices on a network and bricks them all via "recycle mode"! The API probably isn't even locked down. I think it's unauthenticated SOAP/UPnP. An even dumber attack: guests with your wifi credentials can download the Sonos app and break your gear. It's entirely unauthenticated.

Im in the market for sound equipment. I just crossed these guys off my list.

I'm curious what you would recommend instead. Everyone is listing speakers they bought decades ago but what are the latest non-sonos speakers that people like?

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#182

Post by bathtub365 »

philcrump wrote: post #120
gok wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I now see what's going on...the OP claims to be running an e-recycling center but actually takes "donations" and sells them for a profit instead.

My understanding has always been that e-recycling centers have to pay to responsibly dispose of the junk they collect / are given, and they fund this by sorting through it for any equipment that can be refurbished or cannibalised and sold for re-use. There's nothing nefarious about this.

Me too. I’m dropping stuff off at a recycling centre because I have no use for it anymore. If they can find a use for it, that makes me happy. It’s the same reason I’d rather donate stuff to charity or drop it off at a thrift store for them to sell than throw it in the trash.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#184

Post by bathtub365 »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #135
bathtub365 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would be illegal about it? Plenty of devices have hardware usage tied to software activation so there’s years of precedent of this being acceptable.

That should be illegal.

I don’t really want to go back to a world where the expensive phone I carry has a high value on the black market because it can easily be reactivated by anyone, because that makes carrying it a liability. The flipside is obviously that I put a lot of trust in the company that owns the activation service, but I’ve accepted the tradeoff.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#185

Post by [deleted] »

Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #76
starsinspace wrote: post #19

So Sonos devices need "activation" via some server on the internet? Why? If I just want to stream audio within my own home, why is internet even necessary? And what happens when Sonos goes out of business and the servers are shut down? I just don't understand why people keep buying such things...

They seem to be one of the few brands that give good audio quality and modern convenience at the same time. For example, I was looking for a device that would (1) be placeable on my living room furniture[1], and let me use a couple of trusty Monitor Audio speakers both (2) for playing music (e.g. from my phone, computer or streaming sources like Spotify) and (3) for TV audio, as those speakers sound much better than…

[deleted]

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#186

Post by kodachi »

cellularmitosis wrote: post #74
wayoutthere wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then they would have to continue supporting those devices, which isn’t part of the planned obsolescence business model. It would also dilute the luxury brand halo that Sonos has tried to cultivate. It’s more like Louis Vuitton getting into the secondhand market. They too would (and do) destroy merchandise rather than let it get sold at a discount and dilute the brand value.

For a physical device (ie featured-locked upon shipping), “support” amounts to paying the server bill, which is likely negligible.

Would be great if you could use your own server, and that the server code was open.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#187

Post by HeWhoLurksLate »

emmelaich wrote: post #148
noodlesUK wrote: post #10

What’s intensely frustrating about this is that audio equipment is one of the few areas where old high end kit is still absolutely fantastic for current users. I have an NAD 3020 from the 1980s which works perfectly with the same pair of speakers that it was bought with. I can’t say the same about other tech, but audio just doesn’t age at the same speed.

Absolutely! I have a 1999 Sony amp and some older (1980s) Wharfedale speakers. Nothing I've bought in the last 25 years sounds remotely as good as them. And plugging in a Chromecast audio has given it immortality.

...until Google kills Chromecast

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#188

Post by bathtub365 »

jacquesm wrote: post #99
cellularmitosis wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a physical device (ie featured-locked upon shipping), “support” amounts to paying the server bill, which is likely negligible.

That's the problem right there, for a hardware manufacturer post shipping there shouldn't be a server.

They run a routing/cross-auth system so you can stream from other IP-based audio services directly to your speakers. They aren’t entirely a hardware company and those integrations are a value-add for a lot of consumers. I think you should be able to run them in some kind of offline mode, though.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#189

Post by WiseWeasel »

Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #76
starsinspace wrote: post #19

So Sonos devices need "activation" via some server on the internet? Why? If I just want to stream audio within my own home, why is internet even necessary? And what happens when Sonos goes out of business and the servers are shut down? I just don't understand why people keep buying such things...

They seem to be one of the few brands that give good audio quality and modern convenience at the same time. For example, I was looking for a device that would (1) be placeable on my living room furniture[1], and let me use a couple of trusty Monitor Audio speakers both (2) for playing music (e.g. from my phone, computer or streaming sources like Spotify) and (3) for TV audio, as those speakers sound much better than…

I feel like 30cm max depth is going to be a problem for most audio gear. So-called compact ones seem to optimize for height, with depth around 40cm [1], and the shallower ones [2, 3] seem to be around 31-33cm. Get a deeper console?

[1] https://www.crutchfield.com/S-JPQM9erNVfS/p_642NR1609/Marant...

[2] https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-7-2-ch-with-dolby-atmos-4k...

[3] https://www.crutchfield.com/S-5ZKPlNFrS4r/p_022RXV585/Yamaha...

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#190

Post by blihp »

gok wrote: post #88
bathtub365 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The owner did try to recycle them for parts, by giving them to the recycling centre.

I now see what's going on...the OP claims to be running an e-recycling center but actually takes "donations" and sells them for a profit instead.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this (in fact quite a bit is right with it) as long as they have ensured that any of the original owner's data has been wiped. Re-using is far more environmentally friendly than recycling since rather than a fraction, 100% of the device is effectively being recycled.
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