Roku to end smart home device sales and refocus on streaming

Roku confirms it is winding down smart home sales

Roku has confirmed that it will stop selling its smart home devices, according to Engadget. The lineup being retired includes video doorbells, cameras, smart plugs, light strips and bulbs, and the company's home monitoring system.

A Roku spokesperson framed the move as a return to the company's central business, telling Lowpass that Roku is sharpening its focus on being a top streaming platform. The spokesperson said Roku plans to wind down sales of smart home hardware while continuing to support and service the Roku Smart Home products people already own.

The confirmation came days after Fox completed its $22 billion takeover of Roku.

Most of the lineup is already out of stock

The retreat is visible on Roku's own web store. According to Engadget, only two smart home products remain in stock there: the Roku Indoor Camera 360° and the Video Doorbell & Chime. The wireless video doorbell, other cameras, smart plugs, light strips and bulbs, and the home monitoring system are all listed as out of stock.

Availability at other retailers has narrowed too. Lowpass noted that many third-party sellers no longer carry the devices, and Amazon now offers only refurbished models.

The pullback has been building for months. Lowpass reported that Roku stopped mentioning smart home products in its earnings reports earlier this year, a sign the category was already fading from the company's priorities.

A short run in connected home hardware

Roku entered the smart home market in 2022 by selling rebadged versions of Wyze products, then began releasing its own smart home hardware last year. The category extended the Roku brand beyond televisions and streaming players into cameras, doorbells and home security.

That expansion is now being reversed. The company's stated plan keeps existing owners covered through continued support and services, though Roku has not said in the material reviewed how long that support will last or whether new products will follow.

Hardware losses and a new owner shape the decision

The shift follows Roku's final earnings report before joining Fox. Device revenue grew 33 percent year over year in the third quarter, but hardware losses more than doubled over the same period, rising from $22.9 million to $48.6 million, according to Engadget. Roku attributed much of that to higher memory component costs.

Roku said its device revenue comes from its own players and televisions, not from Roku-branded sets built by other companies, and that its own TVs exceeded expectations last quarter. The company has since released its first OLED sets.

For buyers, the practical effect is a shrinking supply of Roku smart home gear, with refurbished units increasingly the main option at retail. For Roku, the message is that streaming hardware and televisions, not connected home accessories, are where it intends to compete under Fox.