Comment by orev

There are definitely many products that need no account or cloud functionality at all, but still make you sign up for an account. Philips Hue did this recently for their app, when the bulbs only need local WiFi or ZigBee, but then decided to force you into an account “for your convenience” to sync minor things that don’t matter. The bulbs still work without the app, but you can’t control or update the firmware without an account (or some other system like Home Assistant)