Here, let me help.

https://ebay.us/m/3res0I

Less than 20 USD.

Like I said. Not willing to even try to look for something appropriate for your use case.....

It's not about me, but about all the people around me

So punish those of us who do know how to make the cheap stuff work in a way we want, by removing the cheap stuff from the market, because other idiots don't?

Yeah, solid idea.

Someone please make a Bluetooth equivalent for smart devices. My thermostat doesn't need internet access but standardized wireless control is still a good feature

where did I recommend that?

It is a natural consequence of tighter regulations.

I bought a kettle with some WiFi features, but never planned to put it on my network as it works without it. Or was supposed to, at least. The thermostat was erratic and it needed a firmware update to fix it, only installable via this WiFi-connection. I set up a temporary VLAN just for the update, and disabled the VLAN right after. Then I took a shower.

I find it odd that one of its core features worked so poorly out of the box. And it's not like it was a way to trick me into connecting it either, as I first got a replacement part because they didn't know what the issue was.

Zigbee or z-wave for example?

I know everyone points out the problems with Nest, Ring, and various talking/listening/spying agents. For me, one of the worst offenders was a garage door motor that came with WiFi capability. Damn thing has the ability to just open up a door on my house on command. There's no way am I putting that online.

to me that sounds like arguing that banning behavioral advertising would result in all monetarily free social platforms stopping to exist

chinese tech was cheap even before datamining and IoT was a thing. "banning" datamining wouldn't make chinese tech expensive

Oh fuck all this…

A door to what is arguably the most valuable item you own.

It takes a special kind of router to have such settings

Eh, most good quality routers from reputable companies can handle separate VLANs just fine. My old Asus RT-N66U had that capability right out of the box.

But, as already stated, most people don't even change the default password on their router, much less know what a VLAN even is.

That's an auction, my dude. It's already at $26, not including the $22 shipping charge.

Smart appliances are so pointless. Does my toaster make toast? Yes? Then why the hell does it need WiFi access!?

You need to readjust your point of view, friend. It's not a skill issue. It's a "most people don't have the kind of experience necessary to even begin to understand what goes on inside the magic internet box" issue. You're speaking on a completely different level.

1. The average Joe doesn't possess that capability in the slightest. It's just Joe from Finance. The only time they interact with a computer in any meaningful capacity is at work, where IT fixes their problems.
2. The average Joe is someone who declares "the wifi is broken" when they forget the password to their online banking portal.
3. The average Joe will take their kid's stick-drifting Nintendo Switch to the Geek Squad at Best Buy and get upsold a Switch 2 instead of listening to their kid and getting it fixed at the local repair shop next door for $50.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Elitism?

Dude. I am an almost 50 year old, former truck driver with no formal education on any of this shit, and yet, I managed to figure it out.

"I, a person of a low status, figured it out. Therefore I am better, and you're stupid and lower than me if you can't do the same thing"

That's literally elitism, my dude. You're acting as if figuring out a specialty task somehow puts you on a higher pedestal than others who don't happen to have that same skillset.

Like, you did a thing, good for you, but now you're being an absolute assclown about it and pulling up the ladder instead of being even remotely helpful.

how else are you supposed to reprogram the resistive display to burn smiles into the toast?

CNC milling machine?