I have been using Logitech peripherals for years. Logitech gear always just worked.
Now they demand internet accounts to use the features of the keyboard and mouse that I purchased. WTF?
Not only that, have to use wide-open-to-snooping Chrome to adjust the settings. You cannot adjust/use your mouse and keyboard if you just use Firefox.
This only makes sense if they are planning (or are already) tracking my every move online to sell to advertisers or spooks.
What are the good options?
Also, if anybody sees how these changes could be benign, please let me know.
EDIT:
By popular demand:
The keyboard I bought that started this journey: MX Keys S
The key feature that first demanded cloud access: Swithing between computers, now it is requires it to adjust the receivers. I have both a Bolt and a Unifying receiver.
Mouse (actually a trackball) that now is requesting that I use a Chrome Browser to adjust it: M570
Software:
The Logi SetPoint Settings I open from Windows now requires you to log into your Logitech account to make changes to your Unifying or 2.4 ghz usb receiver. This link takes you to a screen that says Logi Web Connect. It does not work unless you use the latest version of Chrome, Edge, & Opera, but reccomends Chrome for the best experience.
Logitech + used to require this to enable options, but I don’t see it on my Windows computer anymore. It is still on my Mac, but upon opening it to confirm for this message, it seems to be announcing that it is now able to incorporate AI into everything I type. (ugggh)
I think the mice and keyboard requiring “Chrome” is actually due to WebHID. WebHID is only supported in Chromium browsers. Now here’s the fun part, this thread has VIA mentioned a couple times and even though VIA/QMK/ZMK are FOSS, the usevia.app website requires a, you guessed it, WebHID capable browser.
That said, don’t use Logitech keyboards. Sell it to a sucker on local and buy any of the above compatible keyboards instead. Drop CSTM, Luminkey, Keychron, Akko, QK NEO, CK Bakaneko, there’s probably couple more that are affordable and quality. Just don’t fall for GMMK, Ducky and other pseudo-gaming crap. Also visit !mechanicalkeyboards@lemmy.ml and ask questions.
Not sure about your trackball problem.
If it runs QMK I would port to vial over via any day of the week, cannot stand via. Granted I need to run the app when I want to adjust the key map (and only then), but it removes the need for WebHID or any similar problems. I have been able to replace my custom mapping and macros then compiling my own custom QMK firmware and uploading it to the keyboard workflow with live editing of the map and macros.
Just here to back you up on this. All solid advice.
Probably not the answer you’re looking for, but switch to Linux and use Piper, a free & open source replacement for the Logitech software, that was created because they don’t offer an official version for Linux
Cool!!!
Removed by mod
This just in, child online upset that people recommend the open source solution to an issue caused by proprietary crap.
In other news, OP who had said question responds to helpful suggestion with “Cool!!!”
We at OPBR (Orrk Public Broadcast Radio, your favorite pirate news satire group) think that someone needs to cool their beans
Dude, chill.
Hey, block me too!
Since the best course of action is not supporting predatory companies, using Linux is THE solution for such problems.
What you want is to go along with the business line of logitechs products and scrap the rest. There is an offline version of Logi Options+ “for air gapped machines” available. https://prosupport.logi.com/hc/en-hk/articles/10991109278871-Logitech-Options-Offline-Installer You may use it in a virtual machine aswell.
For keyboards I’d highly recommend Filco, Daskey, and Ducky. The former 2 are more ‘no frills, all business’, the latter has some RGB offerings, but most of the keyboards those guys make are plate-mounted mechanical, plug and play, with really decent build quality. Also fairly common and easy to source (Microcenter usually has some of those brands in stock).
I don’t know shit about trackballs but my Dad forgot his when he came up to visit (Minnesota-Arizona snowbirds) so I bought him an ELECOM DEFT PRO from Amazon and he loved it so much he started using it over the one he forgot to bring. Might be worth a look - also a plug and play type device
My wife balked when I bought a Ducky keyboard to replace the solar UN-powered, Bluetooth DIS-connected, keys popping everywhere garbage I got from work. Once she typed on it, she never had another complaint.
I’ve fallen into this trap too a year ago or so. try if the Logitech Onboard Memory Manager is useful for any of your devices, it’s a totally offline program. you can get it from the page below, but if it’s been taken down check the archive.org, I think I have made an archive of the exe too
https://support.logi.com/hc/de/articles/6449584392215-Onboard-Memory-Manager
Thanks!
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Woah, can you elaborate on this please? I haven’t heard of this, and we use a lot of these devices at work. Which devices are affected? What’s the software/chrome thing?
I first noticed the requirement to make adjustments via the cloud when I bough new keyboards that could easily switch between different computers. They use the new BOLT rather than he old Unifying Receiver. I wrote it off as a lazy way to do that feature, but OK. It was not the main reason that I purchased the keyboards, but it was one of the reasons, but I can live without it.
I was using the keyboards without the account.
Then it got too cumbersome and I established the account.
Today, I tried to adjust the settings of one of my mice which still uses the unifying receiver. It took me to the account somehow. But it would not let me log into the account and make the changes because I am not using the latest version of Chrome (I was using Firefox). (Note it did not say a Chromium browser, but rather the Google owned product).
I don’t see how any of this requires communication with a cloud server.
What’s the name of the software? Is this Logic Options +?
I added details to the OP
It sounds like setpoint is a pretty old software. Can you use Logi Options+? I was able to install that one and skip the login step.
I will try this
It’s probably going to a web interface for RGB and maybe mouse sensitivity instead of special software.
Not sure why it would require Chrome to do so, but that doesn’t mean it’s constantly talking to Chrome when you use it either.
It doesn’t seem like we’re getting all the information
This was posted on Lemmy a month or so back so i’m betting these are baby steps in that direction.
Sounds about right. If he did forego the subscription revenue, that does not mean he won’t try to monitize our useage data.
Use Keychron
Keyboard wise? At this point, prices have dropped enough that there is no real reason to go to one of the major manufacturers for anything that isn’t disposable. And basically “all” of the smaller batch mechanical keyboards are dependent on QMK or VIA to some degree which means you can customize them on any machine that can run chrome.
For the logitech price point/build quality? Unless you know why you don’t want one, you can’t go wrong with a Keychron (https://www.keychron.com/). The price and build quality isn’t “the best” but it is very much on par with the logitechs and razers of the world and they are perfect for someone who just wants “a keyboard that works” or someone who wants to learn what they ACTUALLY want out of a keyboard.
Mouse wise? There are an increasing number of “third parties” but… they basically all suck unless you are going to go crazy and mod them. And while I think the firmware matters less in these cases, there are an increasing number of qmk/via mice but… they mostly feel “cheap” or like they are just proving the viability. I have a friend with a ploopy but even he doesn’t really recommend it. So… you are still more or less suck with logitech and razer and the like for that. But hopefully as those companies lock their hardware down more it will lead to something in between “here is a cheap no name ergonomic mouse” and “here is a five hundred dollar mouse”.
The Keychron K2 and K6 both look solid. Starting at $70 for a Bluetooth/wired mechanical keyboard, RGB backlighting, extra keycaps for Macs / OS toggles… there’s even a hot swappable variant for $10 more (or heck, on sale for $70), option for an aluminum frame… shame they don’t run on QMK.
Oh - turns out they have several keyboards that do run QMK/VIA, like the K6 Pro.
If I used staggered keyboards for anything other than gaming, or if I didn’t already have a wireless gaming keyboard, I’d be considering one.
Yeah. Keychrons are kind of a clusterfuck because they release like five limited runs every month. But… basically all of those are the same feature sets but might have slightly different internals based on whatever they bought in bulk the previous month. It DOES make figuring out what to buy kind of annoying but… logitech and razer have been doing that for years anyway.
to add to the subject of gaming, i personally do not recommend using a keychron for gaming. the latency, at least the one i’m on (keychron C1) is quite a noticeable downgrade from the logitech keyboard i switched from, though at least it feels and sounds miles better than the logitech.
as a disclaimer, i am very sensitive to that latency since i’m a modern tetris player. it’s also way less noticeable in shooters and other 3D action games, so i guess for most people it’s fine?
for a gaming keyboard from a non-shitty company, you can’t get much better than a wooting.
Keychron’s relationship with QMK is a touch fraught. If they claim a wireless board supports QMK, it only truly supports it in wired mode. In wireless mode, they’re either using a secondary MCU or an off-license fork of QMK, as the mainline doesn’t support wireless for licensing reasons.
Out of curiosity, what is your non-gaming keyboard? Lot’s of fun stuff over at !ergomechkeyboards@lemmy.world
I’ve switched to the cheapest generic mice purchased online that have no extra features and function like a state of the art wireless mouse did 15 years ago.
I still don’t have a smart TV, I just buy the largest flat screen monitors I can find.
any smart device outside of a smartphone is so much more frustration than it’s worth.
Now they demand internet accounts to use the features of the keyboard and mouse that I purchased.
What are you talking about? Which keyboard, which mouse, which features, and which “internet accounts” are they requiring?
Also, Logitech still distributes the older software and it still works for the mice that it used to work with. My MX Vertical works with Logitech Options or the new Logi Options+ software, for example.
Did you try using that software with your new peripherals?
You can find the list by device at https://support.logi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024361233--Software assuming this isn’t from their gaming line or something. In that case, go here instead: https://support.logi.com/hc/en-us/categories/360001764393-Gaming
Not only that, have to use wide-open-to-snooping Chrome to adjust the settings. You cannot adjust/use your mouse and keyboard if you just use Firefox.
I highly doubt that the mouse and keyboard cannot be used without Chrome.
Due to security concerns, Firefox did not implement the WebSerial API that’s most likely used to configure your mouse locally. Chrome did. It’s therefore completely reasonable that you would not be able to configure your mouse from Firefox.
That API is also supported by Edge and probably by most Chromium-based browsers, like Brave, the “Ungoogled Chromium,” etc… If you have one installed and it doesn’t work, you can probably change your user agent to trick it into thinking you’re running Chrome as a workaround. Most likely they only tested with Chrome and therefore only say they support Chrome, but don’t actually use any Chrome-exclusive functionality.
This only makes sense if they are planning (or are already) tracking my every move online to sell to advertisers or spooks.
That’s a bit of a leap.
If you use Firefox for browsing and only use this Chrome to run this tool to configure your keyboard and mouse, then even with cross-site cookies and so on unblocked, none of that will be visible from the other browser. So this makes you more isolated, not less. Having it in a browser app instead of a desktop app gives you more protection, not less.
If a company can provide a browser app to do everything a desktop app could, then they can speed up development without having to use something like Electron to distribute their app. And there’s even less friction than Electron because their don’t have to check for updates / require users to install the latest version manually, because they can just always serve the most recent one from the site. As a user, you can probably install the tool locally if you want (it’s likely a PWA) but you don’t have to, meaning you get less software installed on (or worse, constantly running in the background) on your machine.
I added details to the OP
Thanks for the comment. I see no legitimate reason that I am shelled out of a program running on my computer to an interface where I have to log into a cloud service to adjust ANYTHING on my mouse or keyboard.
I’ve done a lot of de-enshitification in my digital life over the past year, most recently by de-google my phone. I’m going to be honest: It’s not easy, nor convenient, and a lot of the time not cheap. You really have to go out of your way to get what you want, sacrificing at least something a long the way (features, usability, etc). It takes quite a bit of desire and determination to move away from the modern garbage that these companies shove your way, and I’m honestly not sure if it’s worth it for the average person because of the massive amount of effort that it takes.
All of the above is to say that if you really want to avoid enshitification you’re gonna have to make changes, such as buying a different set of peripherals for your pc, and that it’s not gonna be easy. The real question is: is all of that work worth it for you?
For me it 100% has been.
Build your own or buy from other mech keeb enthusiasts. Theres also probably some 60-80 dollar ones that use QMK, and using QMK is a pretty good sign the keyboard is open to you and you own it. Mice, idk I definitely have an enshittified mouse (proprietary app to setup). It’s a gravistar. 130 for a magnesium mouse was too good to pass up.
dont buy crappy products. Some companies are simply too malicious and should be avoided. Convince others to do the same and tell others and it might even have some impact.
