Roku is getting out of the smart-home business, and customers who installed its security cameras and video doorbells are left with a big question: How long will they keep working?
In a statement to Lowpass this week, Roku confirmed it will stop selling smart-home hardware, including cameras, doorbells, light bulbs, and switches. The move comes days after Fox Corp. (FOXA) completed its roughly $22 billion acquisition of Roku on Nov. 6, the same day the Justice Department closed its antitrust review.
Device owners aren’t being cut off. Roku says it will keep providing support for the products people already own. But the company has not said how long that support will last, whether paid cloud recording plans will continue, or how long warranty and replacement help will be available.
That uncertainty matters most for security products. Unlike a light bulb, a camera or doorbell depends on apps, cloud services, and software updates to do its job. If a company stops maintaining that technology, the device can lose features, even if it still powers on.
It’s the latest change for Roku customers. The company is retiring its popular Aquatic Life screensaver on Dec. 1, after creator Jim Sachs told Cord Cutters News he withdrew the license over Fox’s takeover.
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Roku is winding down its smart-home line
“We’re sharpening our focus on Roku’s core mission: being the top streaming platform,” a Roku spokesperson told Lowpass.
“As part of that, we plan to wind down sales of smart home hardware and will provide continued support and services for Roku Smart Home products.”
Roku entered the smart-home market in 2022, expanding beyond streaming players and TVs with lower-cost security and connected-home products. Four years later, the company is abandoning that expansion.
The phaseout is already visible across major retailers.
Cord Cutters News reported that Home Depot had removed its Roku smart-home listings, Walmart had placed remaining products on clearance, and Amazon was offering only refurbished units. Lowe’s was the only major chain the publication identified as still showing some devices in stock.
Roku’s own online store was also nearly sold out. According to Lowpass, the Indoor Camera 360° and Video Doorbell & Chime were the only smart-home products still listed as available, both as special offers.
Roku hasn’t announced a final sales date.
Roku is winding down sales of its smart-home devices, including security cameras and video doorbells.
What happens to the devices people already own?
Roku says existing owners will continue to get support, but it has not publicly specified:
- How long cameras and doorbells will get software and security updates
- Whether paid cloud recording subscriptions will remain available
- How long replacement and warranty support will continue
- Whether owners will eventually need to replace devices to keep their home security working
Those questions are particularly important for security cameras and doorbells, which rely on software updates and cloud services to function as intended.
For now, Roku’s announcement is not a notice that existing cameras or doorbells will stop working. Customers considering remaining inventory, however, should know they’re buying products from a discontinued line.
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Fox’s Roku deal: What we know
Fox announced the completion of its Roku acquisition Nov. 6, creating a combined streaming business that includes Roku, Tubi, and Fox One.
The Justice Department closed its antitrust investigation the same day, saying the transaction was unlikely to harm competition.
As part of the review, Fox committed to carrying non-Fox content on Roku for at least three years and not discriminating against non-Fox content in Roku search results.
Those commitments address Roku’s streaming platform, not the future of its smart-home devices. Roku hasn’t offered a comparable timeline for camera and doorbell support.
Neither company has said Fox ordered the smart-home exit. Lowpass reported that Roku had been trimming its smart-home inventory for months before the acquisition closed.
Aquatic Life’s replacement doubles as an ad space
When Aquatic Life goes away, devices set to the virtual aquarium will switch to Roku City, an animated cityscape that has become an advertising product.
Roku has described native ads in Roku City as “high-visibility placements” in its annual report. Its 2023 report named McDonald’s, Mattel, and Carnival Cruise Line among the advertisers. Roku hasn’t said whether advertising played any role in retiring Aquatic Life.
Fans haven’t taken it quietly. At least three Change.org petitions asking Roku to keep the screensaver have drawn more than 3,700 signatures combined as of Nov. 13, up from nearly 800 when TheStreet first reported on them.
Two of the petitions now call on Roku and Sachs to work out a new agreement to keep the aquarium.
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