Best Buy will close its Insignia Connect smart home product line in two months, November 6, 2019. Some customers will be compensated for the money spent in the form of electronic gift cards, but they will have to apply - and they will have need a serial number for each device.

The devices in question include the WiFi Smart Plug and Smart Plug with Counting, the WiFi Smart Light Switch, the Wi-Fi Camera and the WiFi Convertible Freezer / Refrigerator.

Some Insignia products will work, but will not be connected to the application.

Getty Images / iStockphoto

Smart lines close

Best Buy's Insignia Connect is not the first smart home line to end. Stringify was closed at the end of June 2019 and Leeo warned its customers that its smart home line could close at the end of September 2019.

Iris by Lowe closed at the end of March 2019, but in this case, the company released its source code on GitHub, potentially allowing users to let this range of devices work.

Customers still do not know how to proceed in some cases, about Google's decision to close Works With Nest - and replace it with Works With Google Assistant on Aug. 31.

Branded smart home platforms have struggled to break the dominance that Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant have on the market.

One of the problems is the data storage associated with applications. When customers buy a product, they do not necessarily pay a monthly fee. Some applications are paying, but not all. And this data storage can be expensive for businesses.

The end of the Insignia platform will not render these devices useless. And because some Insignia products work with Apple HomeKit - although it's not the Insignia freezer - they should continue to work.

For Insignia products running Apple HomeKit, some smart features will remainApple

Insigne Freezer

An Insignia freezer, for example, will always work - and will probably keep your items as frozen as before. What will not work anymore is a lot of AI. features that go through the Insignia platform. So, on the freezer, for example, you will see the temperature display but will not be able to operate or operate the freezer via the Insignia Connect application.

WIFi Smart Plugs

With WiFi Smart Plugs, for example, any programmed timer set up before the platform shutdown will work. The button on the plug will also work manually as an on / off switch. But expect the light on the card to start flashing when you pull on the Insignia platform. And of course, the Insignia Connect application will no longer work.

The WiFi Smart Plug with counting will work just like classic smart plugs. But this specific counting plug works with Apple HomeKit. This means that you can continue to control wirelessly through Apple HomeKit, including creating a schedule and enabling and disabling it wirelessly. But - the measurement function will end when the Insignia platform is closed and, as with the classic smart plug, the LED will blink.

The WiFi Insignia camera will not work at all after 6 NovemberBadge

Wall switches

Scheduled timers, created before the Insignia panes, will work, but the application will be closed. The button will also work as a manual switch.

But the wall switch is also HomeKit compatible. So you can use it as a wireless device via Apple to turn on and off the switch and create programs.

Wi-Fi camera

The Insignia Wi-Fi camera will stop working completely. It does not work with Apple HomeKit, and Best Buy says nothing that works.

Most importantly, any video that you have stored through the Insignia app disappears after November 4, 2019. Customers will need to make sure that they need it, they download it to another source before this date.

Customers need the serial numbers of their Insignia products to find out if they are eligible for compensation.GearBrain

How to apply for compensation

Those who own Insignia devices will need to access a special website hosted by Best Buy and then click on whether they are customers from the United States or Canada.

Then they will be asked to enter their name, first name and email address.

Then you have a place to enter their serial numbers of their devices. And if you do not know how to find them, Best Buy offers tips for locating these numbers based on the model of your device.

Know that the maximum number of serial numbers that you can check - and claim compensation - is 10. This is certainly a significant number. But for homeowners who may have bought a house filled with switches, sockets, a freezer and a few cameras, this may not be enough.

Best Buy tells these customers to call the help line, which is not a bad number to call if you have problems with the website. This number is 800-568-2054.

Electronic gift cards are not refunds - you can not get your money back. But you will not have to worry about their expiration.