- Smart bed owners were hit by this week’s major AWS outage
- Owners of the Eight Sleep Pod reported overheating and being stuck upright
- Eight Sleep tells customers it “ensures the outcome of your Pod experience”
This week’s massive AWS outage had a number of bizarre knock-on effects, but the most unexpected may be the one that hit owners of some smart beds.
As many unfortunate Eight Sleep Pod owners reported, the Amazon Web Services issues — which affected over 1,000 businesses — caused their smart beds to overheat and even get stuck in an upright position.
One owner (below) said it “would be great if my bed wasn’t stuck in an inclined position due to an AWS outage”. Meanwhile, another viral post from early adopter Alex Browne (as reported by Dexerto) said that a “backend outage means I’m sleeping in a sauna”.
The root of the problem was that the company’s ‘Pod’, which you can buy as a mattress or an entire bed with a base, is internet-connected so it can track your biometric data and control the temperature of the mattress. Unfortunately, many owners discovered that this functionality is very double-edged during a major internet outage.
Fortunately, Eight Sleep acted quickly to ensure their smart bed customers didn’t have their sleep disturbed for too long.
The company’s CEO, Matteo Franceschetti, said on X that changes have been made to avoid the outages that cause these disruptions, and promised owners that the company is “currently in the process of protecting your Pod experience”.
The dark side of the smart home
We’ve previously enjoyed Eight Sleep products like their Pod 3 Cover, which our review called “a fantastic sleep aid with some brilliant smart heating and cooling features”.
But while there are some benefits to your bed having sleep tracking and heating effects, this AWS outage showed that this smart home connection doesn’t come without its drawbacks.
Let’s be honest, for those of us with non-smart beds, it’s pretty funny to hear that an internet outage has left someone stuck in an upright position. With the AWS outage proving to be stressful for many, a little shaming provides welcome relief.
The good news is that Eight Sleep is now repairing its smart mattresses and beds to make them future-proof – and right now it looks like the AWS nightmare is over for most of us too.
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