I wonder if there'd be a cottage industry for new control boards which de-shittify IOT devices but keep their functionality. Like buy the bed, and then buy a little pre-programmed ESP32 logic board to replace the factory board.
ESPHome fills much of this niche for me. It's a framework for turning YAML device definitions into custom microcontroller firmware, with myriad supporting tools. The official device database at https://devices.esphome.io lists 554 devices but that's nowhere near the end of it.
Most manufacturers bolt on IOT functions by dropping an off-the-shelf module onto their device-specific board. It's sometimes possible to replace the factory firmware with ESPHome, sometimes even using over-the-air updates. For example, AirGradient air quality sensors: https://github.com/MallocArray/airgradient_esphome
Even when it isn't possible to commandeer the factory IOT module, the fact that it _is_ a module is still useful, because it's almost always possible to inhibit or remove the factory module and connect your own instead. The factory IOT module controls and senses the device, so your replacement module can too, using the same pins. For example, an IOT air filter: https://github.com/mill1000/esphome-winix-c545#final-assembl...
Some devices are designed around multidrop communication busses. These are usually even easier, since the ability to join the bus is an intended design feature, even if the device you're using is not intended. For example, many Samsung residential HVAC systems: https://github.com/omerfaruk-aran/esphome_samsung_hvac_bus/d...
As an EE, there's a healthy amount of this in some industries with very high costs, equipment use beyond manufacturer obsolescence, and in hobby circles with technical enthusiasts. But not generic devices for the general population.
At my day job, we've replaced and re-engineered controllers in industrial laser cutters, CNCs, welders, robots, and similar equipment. There are replacement control boards for hobbyist stuff like pinball machines, motorcycles, retro computers, and retro game consoles.
But as evidenced by the fact that people are buying shitty cloud-only IoT devices, neither the interest nor the capacity to do this is common.
Likewise, I've looked into this after being asked to build retrofit electronics for both expensive machine tools and consumer goods (I had a client who was adding bill acceptors to massage chairs and other items). I was never able to find a niche with a consistent need. They do exist but are hard to find.
That's good to know but if it's a custom board and it gets fried by soapy water getting in or a decade of humidity, it would still be good if the pinout was something that a new device could be programmed and dropped into to replace.
I think this would need to be enabled by regulation that forced the original manufacturers to make their products open. Hopefully we'll get that eventually.
I feel like websites like https://www.tindie.com could definitely fill that gap. It's like an Etsy + Hackaday where people sell different levels of hardware etc.
Probably could never make that kind of thing work at scale, but maybe as something within the maker community, perhaps adjacent to the world of 3d printing, Arduino, and RPi.
There'd probably be a few liability concerns at scale. Like if you made a replacement board for a Keurig to allow aftermarket k-cups, it'd likely be a matter of time before Keurig sued you, or someone burnt their house down.
