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Haier hits Home Assistant plugin dev with takedown notice
(www.bleepingcomputer.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
They do, but only if you want to go through their servers for access outside of your network.
I do it mostly to support the project.
IMO, it's also worth the yearly cost for voice integration with Google Nest/Home or similar devices. Both can be done without paying but it's so much easier and I know it'll be supported over time.