If a device relies on any kind of external service to initially set up or function thereafter, do not buy. Regardless of brand.

Or accept that it has a finite lifespan that you cannot control. It’s not a matter of if the rug will get pulled, but when.

There is a grey area for things that can be reflashed or rebrained, but I prefer to not rely on this. Local access methods like ZigBee, Z-Wave and 433Mhz are immune to this kind of enshittification by design. Even WiFi devices can fit in here, with appropriate restrictions in place.

An acceptable middle-ground would be for EOL devices to be offered (with a big disclaimer) a final update that removes the reliance on the service but retains the core function. That’s a pipe dream though.