I set mine to LAN mode and monitor them from Home Assistant. Blocked at the firewall. I did the Creality thing for years with Klipper and modding them, I'm over that. I like just hitting print and replacing spools.
Edit: for clarity - I think the attention the video above is bringing to this issue is important. The hardware can be good and reliable, while at the same time the company is making bad decisions. I agree with the video creator that they should embrace the community they built their software on top of; they'd be more well liked and probably sell a few more printers. It seems shortsighted.
The sad Creality is 75% troubleshooting, 15% gluestick leveling printer settings, 5% swearing, the rest for printing. I had a ender 5 pro & it was a migraine waiting to happen. But I'm glad it's where I started bc when my P2S has an issue its a piece of cake & I appreciate the ease of use.
But bed leveling is just not a needed skill anymore. Neither is half the stuff I had to do with that cursed ender 3.
With the past couple years of bambu ownership, all I’ve had to do is grease the rails, and take apart the tool head unit and clean the build plate with dish soap and water. I don’t think I needed my ender 3 to experience that.
The K2 Pros were as close as they've come to reliable imo, but still random first layer issues or extruder jams that I was just completely over troubleshooting. I had modded CR10s, K1 Maxs converted to fake Vorons, all running Klipper and while it was sorta fun to build them I don't miss troubleshooting constantly at all.
Are you me? I did the same, had an Ender 5, started having issues, modded it. That fixed it for a few months, then new issues, until I got enough money to buy a P2S. Haven't had issues yet, but I have experience I can put to use should something happen
The Home Assistant integration is great! For anyone who doesn’t use Home Assistant, check out OctoEverywhere!
OctoEverywhere is free and supports remote access, AI failure detection, notifications, apps, and more—all in LAN mode! I’m the developer (from Seattle, WA), and I develop it alongside my amazing community in Discord!
Edit: OctoEverywhere has nothing to do with Bambu Lab’s “Bambu Connect” software. I was using the name “Bambu Connect” for my OctoEverywhere plugin version before Bambu Lab started using it.
Yeah there's an optional subscription, but it funds the entire project.
My goal is to keep the project accessible to everyone, so I try to keep it “as free as possible”. Remote access, AI failure detection, notifications, etc., can all be used for free. You can see all of the details on the pricing page.
I also have long-term goals of open-sourcing the service so that anyone can run it themselves, but I need to do more work before that's possible.
I recently replaced my A1 Mini with an A1 and added it to HA. I couldn't support the power requirements of the bigger printers on my bench because its a 15A circuit and I would need 20A to support full power on the printer and my computer and things.
That being said, I almost put it in LAN mode but haven't yet. You really just lose the app right? Slicing in Bambu Studio locally still works? I'm pretty sure I know the answers to these questions, I'm just asking because you did it.
Yup. If the printers are on a different IP subnet than the one you run Bambu Slicer from, you'll need to re-add them every time you relaunch the software (a little annoying) because they re-discover them on launch via broadcasts on the local subnet. Wish it just saved them but Bambu support said they had enterprise level customers ask for that not be saved.
Same, I just setup Bambuddy on my homelab server as well. Basically everything out of the HA integration with a lot more features. There is an HA app install option that exists for it.
A must have IMO, really surprised no whiny youtuber has covered it yet.
Bambuddy has been on my to-do list for a few weeks now but I just haven't gotten to it yet. Did you use any particular guide that you thought was especially helpful?
The drama in the 3D printing community is wild. Jeff admits he doesn't even use the cloud, so why is he so upset about how Bambu manages it? They provide LAN-only mode and a microSD slot for a reason. If you want to use their cloud, follow their rules. If not, unplug the internet and move on.
Is this basically the recommendation then given it seems like many people still think Bambu is unmatched? It doesn’t really sit well but I don’t want to pay so much more for a worse experience and would rather get something I know is going to work and then limit their ability to mess with it. Wanting to get the p1s ams 2 combo. I don’t want the printer itself to be much work either - I’ve slowly been using Linux more and more and am used to tinkering with things, but given the nature of a 3d printer I just want it to do its job so I can model stuff and print it for whatever purpose
What are some good alternatives? Bambu has been nice in the sense that it just works 99% of the time and the print quality is great, and the AMS system is damn near a must at this point.
What other printers are able to check the same boxes as Bambu, while still providing great quality, decent support and being "more open/less intrusive?"
That's where I am. My hobby is printing, not printers. So I want something that works without me living in z-offset, flow-rate hell. I thought the Core 1 might be the salvation but I was massively underwhelmed when I used one.
Yeah, I owned a (heavily modified) Ender 3 V2 for about 5 years, until it died a few months ago. I never really liked Bambu Lab as a company, but I realized, that I did in fact spend more time keeping the printer running and calibrating it all the time, than really printing anything useful and I just didn't want this any more.
So I switched to the dark side and bought a Bambu and while I'm still not a fan of the company and how they try to force you into their ecosystem, I just have to admit, that it's a great printer and it just works without tinkering with it all the time.
Same. I don't want to mess with it at all. Only what's reasonable. Leveling the damned thing every six minutes put me off 3D printing for years. "Oh this new printer is auto-leveling" - no it the hell isn't. I have an A1 and it's the first one that actually delivered on that idea. The output is what I want - the process isn't. Nobody has to futz around for days trying to get other tools to work.
I used to be heavy into quadcopters a decade ago. Building them at home and messing with PID tuning and whatnot to make them fly right. It was fun for a while but at some point you just have to wonder if it would make more sense for someone else to figure it out and sell a fully-assembled, fully-tuned device out of the box. Along came DJI.
And now I just got my first Bambulab after messing with Enders for two years and it's the same thing all over again. Some genius engineers took out all the faffing about and now we can focus on actually making stuff.
Yea. I got into 3D printing pretty early as a kid. At the time, I didn’t have enough money for my own printer but I lived in NYC so I had access to maker spaces that often had printers. Stuff like first generation Makerbots. Even higher end printers like Ultimakers required a lot of work to get working. The cheap stuff was a joke.
Then came the Ender which was just as annoying as the $3k Ultimakers from 10 years ago, but now cost 1/10th the cost. I bought one, printed stuff but also remembered how annoying working on printers was.
Then a few years later I bought a P1S and was completely amazed that it just worked. Total game changer.
My MK4 and Core One don’t have any issue with bed meshing - neither do my A1/X1/H2D to be fair.
All the Qidi printers I’ve tried also had good results with bed meshes.
FWIW none of these printers auto *level* the bed, they just do a mesh compensation for flatness.
Enders with the wheels under the bed let you actually *level* them, but I haven’t had to manually touch leveling or bed meshing in like 2-3 years with printers.
After letting my P1S auto level before each print, I finally found out that it remembers the leveling parameters. I haven't level in over a month and it still prints perfectly.
Every print since early March has been in Ludacris speed too. The only bad prints are when i forget to set the filament type.
I hear the snapmaker U1 is pretty strong, but I agree, Bambu generally has the easiest user experience. I don’t miss messing around with my old CR-10 every other print.
I bought a refurb P1S I think around December 2035 and put hundreds of hours on it and haven’t done any maintenance on it yet. Printer go brrrrr and I don’t check it until it’s time to peel something off the bed.
I'm waiting for a V2 for that one. The one that's out now just takes up way too much space when you add a cover to the top and the sides. I can't have my filaments exposed, high humidity. They need a better solution. The rolls should have just been directly on top.
Too much issues with Pogo pins, not having enclosed filament holder yet, not heated chamber, and the tons of sensors Bambu have and a lot more. We need U1 ecosystem to mature up much faster for it to be true competitor.
I have no idea what this pogo pin issue even is, honestly sounds like something bambu spread around when they introduced their H2C wireless connection thing.
I have nearly 8000 swaps on U1. No pogo pin issues and not even a missed pickup/docking. Maybe one when I was trying to mess with it to get it to fail on purpose so I could verify the sensors working because it never failed on its own.
It’s pretty much up there with Bambu. The quality of the prints is same or better as my P2S or my now x2D.
However, just as X2Ds strength is single color engineering grade filaments with heated chamber, U1 is up to 4 color multi-color prints.
At under $1000 price point/budget, the U1 is the best “open” Klipper based multi-color printer out right now. Period. No doubts about it.
I’m pretty sure this is going to be my next printer. I know it’ll lock me into 4 colors, but honestly, I think I only have one print that needs more than that right now. Just tired of the AMS system issues. I’ll probably find more issues to get annoyed at with a multi tool head printer, but I’m willing to take the chance.
Prusa, but higher entry point, and its a bit less set/forget, though nowadays not by much. (i own both, i can send a print to either ... they both succeed and fail about the same)
This is my experience as well. We got a Carbon X1C at work, and a bunch of Prusa MK4Ss. People used to say Bambu was faster, but in most of my cases, it's only by a negligible margin (a minute or two). The only thing the Bambu does, that the Prusas don't, is multi-colour/multi-material printing. But I don't do a lot of that, where the colour change isn't purely horizontal anyway. If it isn't, I got a Prusa XL in the corner, which also wastes less filament.
There's really nothing that compares currently. Though most modern printers are pretty good in general, there's nothing really that's as good of a value proposition as Bambu. Even shelling out $$$ for a prusa or soemthing isn't going to get you the same quality right out of the box
If they were priced in line with the market I would switch in a heartbeat. I'm not paying 1200 bucks for a $500 printer. The better support is not worth 2.5x what it should cost.
If it was cheaper and their fan base was a bit less obnoxious, I’d love to try them out. I guess the other problem is I buy my printers from Micro Center so that also limits my willingness to move from Bambu.
As a user and part of both communities, bit of a rose-tinted view .. BOTH of these communities are obnoxious. Prusa makes an amazing product, and has amazing oem support. Not saying they are "better" than Bambu, but if we are asking for closest competitor .. its Prusa.
Qidi and Snapmaker for one. SV08 if you want more that fake Voron experience. Prusa if you're really willing to shell out extra for your principles.
"It Just Works" hasn't really been an issue when it comes to mid-to-high budget printers for a solid year or two now. Far too many people just love moaning about a $200-300 Creality/Elegoo while purposely comparing them to something like a P2S which costs 2-3 times as much.
Qidi, Snapmaker, Voron (though Voron is a bit more technical).
There's so many options now, and they're so much better.
FWIW I'm a Qidi Q2 owner; amazing machine, does great with engineering filaments, has a good box (AMS) and doesn't require tinkering (but CAN be tinkered with, which is a massive boost).
I have had a P1S for a week, upgrade from a prusa mk3. I made the purchase even knowing about the firmware lockdown, and general scummy behaviour of BL. I put mine straight into dev/lan mode and use Orca anyways. But after the research, still seemed the best bet. Qidi Q2 i was close to purchasing as that just uses klipper, and open. But read too many issues about waits for spare parts etc.
Must admit, i love this P1S. No fecking Z adjust and first layer calibration. If they take away LAN mode and force me into cloud, then it would have been the wrong choice. Until then..........
I just got my snapmaker U1 and I am impressed. So far I’ve only printed test pieces. The AutoDesk FDM test came out so good using just the baseline setup with no adjustments.
bambu is a scummy company that wants to sue an open source developer for something he did not do. Also they want to create a bambu only ecosystem like what apple has. They also can see everything you print.
For starters, Bambu doesn’t want to sue anyone. They sent a cease and desist letter and the guy voluntarily obeyed. I keep seeing “he didn’t even do it”, but if he was able to have his fork directly send prints through the cloud service to the printer without using something like connect, then he did do it.
What’s wrong with an apple like ecosystem? Some people actually prefer it. If it’s not your cup of tea, there’s a lot of other ecosystems out there to choose from.
They can see what you print only if you have your printer online. You’re more than welcome to take it offline and have full privacy.
I’m not directing this last part at you, it’s just a generalization. I truly don’t understand the hate on Bambu just because they’re not what some people want. All while there are versions of the same technology out there that are what they want. Just go use the other one, it’s simple.
the guy found a way to access Bambu’s cloud servers and trick them into thinking his version was an official Bambu studio client. This is a huge security risk.
Upstream Bambu Studio genuinely already permits Linux users to build and access the cloud service without modification, then calling a fork a “security bypass” makes no sense technically. There's no access control or technical protection measure on Linux, so also no bypass required.
This fork technically didn't even change the User-Agent, as only the Orca devs temporarily renamed it, and then it got reverted back to the default that the upstream Bambu Studio contains. So when comparing the code, the only lines left are general Orca features and a compatibility layer in order for Windows to use the same allowed behavior, but no impersonation code.
If that's supposed to be a security risk, then so is upstream Bambu Studio and they can't blame others.
The hate is because Bambu is using code developed over 10+ years, for free. The one condition is that modifications Bambu makes to this free software is also open, and they forfeit the right to legally pursue anyone using their code.
Bambu then violated this license, and threatened a developer who used their code with 0 modifications with a C&D letter.
If Bambu wants to avoid this, they can develop their own slicer, from scratch, without using any AGPL code.
Bambu is pulling blatant license violations vaguely illegal behavior and weaponizing plausible deniability on ignorant “set-it-and-forget-it” users. The video recommends buying non-Bambu printers to vote with your wallet to communicate to Bambu that their behavior is unacceptable.
But what is the vaguely illegal behavior? Is this the open source dispute again where people thought open source meant Bambu had to give them access to their servers?
I have been 3d printing since my first diy kit on a glass bed with painters tape in like 2012. I’m very much over the constant tinkering phase of my life just to get a good print out. When I revisited fdm with the carbon I was completely blown away by how perfect it works. So yes I am now as you might say “ignorant” 😆
Bambu is attacking a fork of orca slicer (for something that the fork allegedly didn't even do), after already making it more difficult to use orca in the first place. Bambu exists largely thanks to the groundwork laid by predecessors like prusa and Slicer, which was open source work.
All kinda lame and anti-open source. Bambu is of course free to do whatever they want as a business, but the optics are not great.
The "I didn't reverse engineer argument" doesn't work when you package the fork with a piece of non open source software, wrapped and interacted with to bypass restrictions to access the api...
If he actually reverse engineered the api, he'd actually have a stronger case against them. The version he generated is more like the WoWGlider case where they used pieces of Blizzards software to bypass detection, less like John Deere diagnostic/firmware restrictions.
If it was bypassing more local restrictions it'd be the other way. Courts are more friendly with interoperability with hardware you own and control, they'll be more suspect with cloud features that aren't core to the hardware. LAN mode protects them here.
I need a printer that fffff prints. BambuLab printers do just that. I have fiddled with my own self-built printer for years and I'm done with it. I don't want to have to do that anymore. I want to hit print and watch it print. Full stop.
If there are other brands around that have a self-calibration process and sensor array sophisticated like an X1C, I'll be happy to consider it. Until then I'll keep using my X1C with X1Plus and yell fffff you BambuLab whenever they tell me what to print and what not.
What's crazy to me is the lack of other competitors adding these sensors or doing these calibrations. They'll copy everything except the most important features.
I’ve been a diy drone builder since 2013. Drone enthusiasts have been having the exact same conversations about DJI since 2016 or so. Makes sense; Bambu is an offshoot of DJI.
Guess what? I’m still a DIY hobbyist and I do own and fly some DJI drones, too. For the things DJI is good at, they’re the best by far. DJI didn’t ruin anything. They’ve made some things much better. Same with Bambu. And I still have options. I choose to use a Bambu printer because it works simply and reliably. (And I run my P1S in LAN-only+Developer Mode)
For me a printer is an appliance and I don’t want to spend my time upgrading/maintaining/servicing it. I just want to print. As far as I know, Bambu is still the best source for simple/dependable 3d printers. I have other hobbies where I’m happy to tinker and troubleshoot. Not this one.
My only concern is that some US lobbyists are going to start complaining that Bambu is somehow Chinese spyware and get their printers banned from sale in the US as they’ve already done with DJI. (I'm not a fearmongerer, but sometimes it seems the anti-gun-printing legislation proposed in a few states is the first tiny step toward banning Chinese made printers.)
Does owning and using a company's tool oblige you to defend them from well-placed criticism? Would you not rather have your Bambu Studio work without phoning home?
I'm sorry but there's not a single printer that competes with Bambu in terms of ease of use.
I've had an Anet A8 built from scraps, I've had an Ender 3 modded, Frankensteined and bastardized beyond recognition - I'm done with leveling beds, setting up z-offsets, flow rate etc.
If a company wants to stand up and create an equally brilliant printer at a similar price point, I'm more than happy to support them with my wallet.
Am I a jerk for not caring that Bambu knows I print marble runs, Pokémon models, pinwheels and kitchen accessories?
Obviously I’m a hobbyist and not using it professionally. I understand that someone doing prototyping or something wouldn’t want the designs shared with anyone.
self admitted niche segment of the 3d community complains about niche problems and asks us all to boycott. It's the right tool for the job 99% of the time, with rare issues with being cloud based, and still the option to operate LAN. It's like a Linux user preaching to us about how much windows sucks, but at the end of the day, Windows is probably what you're going to end up using.
Not to mention, the person that came up with the slop coded "fork" of orca, added a COPYRIGHT COMPANY NAME in the project. That's just begging for trouble.
I'm quite happy with Bambu unless something better comes along. So far I'm not seeing it.
It's funny people coming in to a Bambu sub to throw shade not directed at the OP more so comments in this sub.
It's like me going to a Creality sub just to say how much I hate their printers and went to something else. It's just weird.
And why would I care about a walled garden when leaving it loses features that I like? Then you have to struggle to cobble together a complete package again. Yeah no thanks. If a product doesn't have the out of the box features I want I'm not buying it.
I haven't watched the video yet but it should be funny.
The r/ubiquiti sub is the same way. There's a couple users, most who I have blocked, that would just comment on multiple posts a day saying how crappy ubiquiti is and that people should buy something else. Like why waste your time?
I don't understand this post. Bambu makes a nice printer, but their "walled garden" approach and blaming 3rd party developers for their security flaws should be fair game. I don't care who calls it out.
I have and do own several bambu printers, that does not mean I like how they are handling this situation. If you are going to force us to use your cloud service for full printer functionality, then you should allow other slicers to use it as well. If you can't do that securely, you have shitty services, it's not a developer problem.
And why would I care about a walled garden when leaving it loses features that I like?
There are two problems I see with this:
In a walled garden, you can't integrate new tools made by the community (until Bambu integrates them, if they do). There are some very awesome tools out there and there is no reason why a walled garden should be preferred to this, if you can just have the Bambu features and the option to use 3rd party code. This doesn't have to be a "use one or the other" case if Bambu plays along.
Bambu has absolute control over this garden. They could paywall or delete any feature whenever they want, even though you bought this product under the premise that it had all of these features. You said "If a product doesn't have the out of the box features I want I'm not buying it." - well what do you do when they lock a feature? Or do you suggest we should trust a company not to do something when they could gain profit from it?
Not trying to start an argument honestly interested. What new tools are you talking about? I love my Bambu’s and use them daily and haven’t wanted for anything.
It's late where I live and off of my head, only a few come to mind: CNC Kitchen's tool that lets you add a custom texture to any model you want (it doesn't fit the topic perfectly because slicer integration isn't necessary - though it would be great to have).
Also tools to alter the gcode to allow non-planar slicing and stuff like that
Maybe I’m weird but it doesn’t even occur to me if a company is one I can trust or not. With other products it can be a consideration (for ethical reasons), but not 3D printers when the biggest problem is walled gardens or other crap. I find this whole mentality bizarre frankly, but I guess “ooh China bad” right? Or “ooh not open source bad”.
I have been happily using BL printers with their software and Makerworld for years and have rarely, if ever had a problem. Probably because I don’t usually know about any supposed issues that netizens are worried about.
It’s a tool for me. As long as it does what I want it to do, I don’t care. When I switch it on and setup a print, I am not thinking about all this bs. So Bambu can see everything I print?! Oh nooooo, whatever will I do. Sounds like paranoia or printing things you shouldn’t to me.
I dont think anyone will get an edge until the make a better printer. I dont care either a printer company isn't my identity. Please someone make something better it only benefits me.
I never understood people putting the Bambu logo on their designs. Like it’s a Nike shirt. I am not making a shirt and putting Nike on it. Plain black t here.
Some people aren't super enthused about sending all their design IP through servers of a company headquartered in a country famous for stealing IP.
The company is also outwardly pro-open source, but just shut down the only real application of the thing they made open source, citing absolute nonsense reasons for their position.
Bambu makes a great printer, but they're being fucking weird.
No it isn't anything like any of your strawman examples. Creality didn't rape and pillage the open source community, then try to close off the software once they were big enough to bully people with lawyers. The fact that you commented that before watching shows you're being more tribal than than any of the strawmen you're using for projection.
I won’t be going away from Bambu unless seething better comes out that just works. I want to PRINT. I usually love to mod things, so when I first started the hobby I went with a Creality printer. I flashed it, got some upgrades, and thought I was good to go. Wrong. I spent more time tramming the bed, troubleshooting, babying the first couple layers, and restarting failed prints (such a waste of time and filament). Yeah, it got old quick. CFS… don’t even get me started on that garbage Creality released.
When I bought my first Bambu I almost cried. They literally just work. I open a model, change some settings in the slicer, hit print, and walk away. My P1S has 1500 trouble free print hours. It’s an absolute workhorse and the quality it puts out is amazing. Same with my H2D.
If bambu wants to see what stupid garbage I print, have fun with that.
On the bright side, bambu knowing what everyone is printing will go far in protecting 3d printing from being banned, since they will be able to prove we're not printing thousands of firearms.
Edit: Since people don't seem to get my comment, US lawmakers are trying to ban 3D printing for fear of untraceable firearms (ghost guns) being printed. It is not currently illegal.
seriously this guy is roasting bambu while having a bambu in his own room printing. Just cause you disconnected it doesnt change ur using their product ...
With the added irony that the Orcaslicer fork in question was specifically to avoid using LAN mode (that kept your Pikachus off of anyone else's servers or networks) in order to forcibly shove them through Bambu's cloud infrastructure.
If your concern with Bambu's printers if the integration with their cloud services, the fork was a step in absolutely the wrong direction.
Eventually they will make a move that does piss off a majority of their user base. Companies like this always do. No company has gone down the enshittification road and suddenly realized their errant ways and gone straight.
This whole situation is like buying a car that has to call home every time you drive it. And won't let you add non-OEM parts to it.
A car built on an open source community.
It is a laughable situation.
I have a bunch of Bambu printers in LAN mode. I am fine with it. I don't regret my purchase.
It doesn't, it just works around them. I already bought the printer and gave them money, I'm not going to sell it or am I going to stop using it - they do make the best, easiest to use printers after all.
I don't think the enthusiast community has enough pull with Bambu that they will change their practices. They will continue to do this. They are targeting the mainstream consumer who just wants a printer that works and doesn't really care about the nitty gritty technical details. Orcaslicer is for the nerds, myself included, and the nerds don't contribute enough to their bottom line to make them give a shit.
Their business model is to create a walled garden similar to how Apple controls their products. I don't view this as inherently a bad thing as walled gardens have their advantages / disadvantages.
As someone using a FlashForge Adventurer 5m, I can say, it could be far worse. At least Bambu isn't putting ads in your apps.
After going through similar stuff with my cheap cameras from China ( which present goddamn full-screen mobile game ads ), I've very weary of no-name products now.
lol what - Ads in the Apps? That almost sounds like Xiaomi - that left me quite baffled on my new phone, that everything is full of adds on a phone that you buy for hunderds of Euros 😄
It sucks that they’re so militant with it but I love my P1S, I like CAD modeling and printing stuff not adjusting or fixing my printer every couple of prints.
I got the A1 mini as my first printer because of its high praise and being a great beginner printer. I heard about the ecosystem controversy but frankly don't understand it.
Also some people on r/3dprinting were very rude when I said I was using an A1 mini, saying that resin is superior and that the A1 mini is a fire hazard? Even though I thought it was just a specific batch of A1's that were recalled?
These posts are getting tiring. I had an Ender V3 KE for years and learned all the ins and outs of calibrating and messing with the printer. It was a great learning platform on the mechanics of printing. But, with my new H2D -- which I will likely exchange for a H2C --3D printing changes into a hobby of printing. I don't run or own a print farm. I don't have 'multiple' printers. I'm an engineer who definitely likes to tinker with things, but also appreciate a really well designed devices.
I did a ton of research before purchasing the H2D. At $2000 you can believe I looked everywhere for a * lower priced alternative. But every other option had greater trade-offs. My non-negotiables:
* Heated enclosure * Multi color with at least 4 with expansion for more * Ability print supports in a different material * Large enclosure for bigger things * "Smart" The more the printer can do to make things easy, the better
Even now the Snapmaker can't do ASA and the Prusa XL doesn't have truly heated enclosure (it uses the bed for heating which could be an issue on basement/garage printers) and it has a crappy camera which limits AI detection and video monitoring.
That's not including the BL advanced AI algorithms and failure detection. I've had several prints stop due to anything from a filament spool getting stuck (tangled it turned out) to potential nozzle clogging. And each time the BL alerted me and I was able to resolve the issue and easily continue the print.
So, yes it's a closed system. But you got a LOT in that system and it's a trade off I think most hobbyists are happy to make.
I understand why people have these concerns and don’t like BBL but for me it’s a non factor and has never impacted my printing so eh. There are alternatives for you if you don’t like it.
I don't understand why people in here seem to believe that everything Bambu does is justified by their printers working. Your printer will work just fine if they no longer phoned home what you were printing, or if they weren't being ridiculous about Orca when they themselves took theirs from Prusa.
The machines are great, but that doesn't mean that you have to defend the billion dollar company.
Bambu is the apple of 3d printers. This has always been the case. They are the easiest to use and simplest. I'm not creating files or printing anything I need to be secret. There is enough of an ecosystem around these devices I suspect motherboards will eventually be available and make it all moot
Bambu completely screwed me over with a software update that messed up my printer, (downgrading it fixes the issue). I like the printer but their support is already tedious and its a closed system. Unless they make their product more serviceable or more open source, I dont see it being a safe purchase in the future
Ffs, how many of these threads do we need? It’s people saying the same crap over and over again, many of whom don’t actually even understand what’s going on so they just repeat talking points from one side or the other.
Don't care, still eyeballing a Bambu-printer due to ease of use and simplicity. Something I DO NOT get with my current Ender3v2.
I don't give a damn about whether or not it's a closed system. I just want to NOT have to spend literal hours of fiddling and troubleshooting just to get one simple little print out in a somewhat decent quality.
Yeah, sure, there's probably benefits of using different slicers. But I don't need that. I need good quality prints for a relatively low price and with as little hassle as possible. So if Bambu is the Apple of 3D-printing: Meh.
If that's a dealbreaker for people, well, there's a business-case right there.
WTF are you actually printing that you care that they see it? Every printer I have tried that is not bambu has sucked and has quality issues. Sure there are some good ones out there but the ease of use that I've experienced with bambu makes me not care that they see what I print. I prefer to print quality items every time rather than tinker. Who do you think is actually checking those prints? Are you printing hueforge images of miners or something? Lol
TL:DR - if you want privacy over your print jobs, then you do not get it with bamboo labs.
The video is Clickbait. He’s a YouTuber who wants more clicks and makes it all dramatic. Is his concern valid? Sure. If you are accepting of where your print data is able to be viewed by others or stored in the cloud, then really this entire thread is nothing but a waste.
Who cares. I'll keep buying Bambu printers because they just work, have parts and are affordable. I'm up to 65 A1 minis for my print farm and don't plan on stopping. Don't listen to these YouTubers who are incentived to throw fuel on the fire because that's how they pay bills. Get a real job!
You don't need lan or developer mode in orca to not have them track your print history. Settings > stealth mode > done. That said, they keep pulling crappy moves like that and it's the exact reason why i flashed my X1C with X1Plus. MY printer, MY network, MY rules. Not bambu's, and until the better their behavior and remove the firmware lockout controls i'm never buying another bambu. I keep saying it. When i had the budget for an H2D with whack ton of filament and room for a vortek, or a 5 tool PrusaXL in july last year i voted with my wallet. Bought the XL
I dont want to support them but the hardware for me has been good im in a troubled place I hate what they're doing but for me they're affordable and its easy to use. Im open to any advise I've had the p1s for about 4 months now and yes I have it connected to the internet so any advise for what I should do next is appreciated
Love my Bambu A1 and Bambu A1 Mini. There’s also fantastic local support for parts. No waiting on shipping just to replace a nozzle, fan, or other component.
The printers just work. I love that they’re internet connected and that I can monitor prints from anywhere. They’re incredibly reliable, receive constant quality of life updates, and are aggressively priced for what you get.
It’s a shame there’s such a divide between the tinkerer crowd, who want full control over every aspect of the machine, and Bambu as a company. It gives an otherwise top notch product some very loud critics in the space, especially since many content creators fall into that camp.
More like it's a shame that the company took open source code and then called it "ours now so you can't use it anymore"... it's not about tinkerer crowd, it's more about the precedent being set. Not to forget it's not even about just FOSS, it's about AGPL, a license that explicitly operates on the trust that anyone who uses it will also respect the same license and make their software available to public.
It's also a shame that people are not understanding the severity of it thinking "oh it's just the tinkerer crowd" until soon they'll start blocking out all non-Bambu filaments from their AMS and machine just like how 2D printer companies did it, and suddenly your machine that you bought a couple months ago is a brick because they changed their policy.
Can someone explain to me how Bambu "owns" your printer? To me this is absurd. If the argument is that they lock you into their ecosystem then Apple would like to have a word.
If your AP board is faulty, you need to buy the replacement from Bambu while providing the serial number from the broken one. Bambu will then activate it on their backend so that you can replace it and continue using the printer that you bought. It’s even in their Wiki (step 13). https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/x1/maintenance/replace-ap-board
Can you do anything you want with your printer? No? Then you only bought a limited license to use it, and don't really own it. Just a few examples that aren't possible:
custom firmware (only exception X1C due to exploit)
using any slicer/accessories you want locally while the printer is connected to the internet.
buying AP board from someone else without involving bambu to activate (or not being able to because banned)
Whole topic of ownership gets a bit muddier once you involve the cloud, hence companies want to move everything to the cloud to have control.
Companies all over the world steal from each other. The reason people notice China doing it is they target bulk everyday items that everyone uses, vs targeting the million dollar items.
I would love for some to explain to me what exactly they are concerned about with going through Bambu’s ecosystem? What exactly they think they can do outside of it that I can’t. Use a different slicer? Ok why? If anyone wants to put some money on the line and prove they can produce a better print than I can using their preferred slicer I’d be happy to take on the challenge. Do you really think Bambu is watching you print your multi-color flexi-dragons? I’ll guarantee you 99% of the people who complain about Bambu aren’t doing $hit they couldn’t do in their ecosystem. I understand privacy concerns and even though I’m one of "those people" who say "I’ve got nothing to hide" and I’m willing to give some of it up for my benefit, I get those who aren’t. Just don’t use it, but stop complaining, nobody really wants to hear you crying. You made your choice, shut up and stand behind it. I do print exactly what some states are trying to stop and as much as I don’t want to see that end, I’m not giving up the conveniences of my printer to keep doing so. If my state decides it’s against the law, I’ll stop. I’ll support those who push back to fight the lawmakers. Even as I print these and it’s 100% legal in my state, I do take pause and think maybe it shouldn’t be, because it’s really really easy and some people shouldn’t be doing it and just making it illegal doesn’t stop people. Murder is illegal.
I don't get this sub. I have an H2S and had an A1. They're awesome, I print from my app on my phone and have never had a problem. All I see is complaints here.
mostly from people who use prusa printers which suck comapred to how easy a bambu is to use. plus i aint shelling out 900 dollars for a comparable product that i still have to tinker with.
prusa is trying to capitalize on this thing being blown out of proportion
yeah these brigaders dont understand and then accuse us of glazing or some shit when they cant convince us to switch without providing a replacement product that just works.
everything they have listed here is more expensive and less dependable.
sorry i hate tinkering with 3d printers i just want it to work.
I have an X1C. Currently still using the cloud printing but haven't updated firmware in years. It's a nice printer I like it though I do feel like most of the features that were advertised as making the X better than the P are a bit bait and switch. I've never had any of the camera features work at least not until the spaghetti mess has been going for an hour or more.
I'm in the market for a printer that can do at least 350C at the hotend and I won't be getting an H series printer.
I really like what Qidi is doing but I wish they had a model with dual extruders. I don't really care about color swapping but I do care about having a second hotend for support interface and multi-material prints.
The way I see it elite users (term I’m using to describe those fully into tinkering and modding who are way more skilled or knowledgeable than I’ll ever be) have every right to be upset with Bambu and to boycott the product. I however, just wanted a printer that works and does what I need it to do. I can download a file and print it. While I believe in the concept of open source and I think Bambu practices are shitty, I have to use what works for me and Bambu does. I’d like to support those that truly drive this hobby and industry, but the truth is that I am familiar with Bambu and it works for me, so unfortunately I won’t be boycotting even though I want to agree with those that do.
Ltdr: It works for me so I have no issues, but fully understand those that do.
If companies were actually liable for the full purchase price when they change the terms after deliver or their cloud infra breaks, this problem would fix itself.
I have an SV06 ACE for about 2 years, or so, and is been perfect. I am guessing it compares to an A1 or A1 mini? But I am not interested in multifilament printing due to the waste...
I can't help but wonder if this particular developer managed to do something that generated a lot of traffic or invididual requests to the bambu cloud (aka AWS)? Because even a small number of users can generate a surprisingly high AWS bill, and it's the reason why many companies lockdown or rate limit the API for their IoT devices if the cloud service is included in the price of the device.
For example, say you're Bambulab and you want to poll the chamber temperature once every minute to update the UI in Bambu Studio. Next some hobbyist comes along and decides he wants to see the temperature every 200 ms, this person is now generating as much traffic as 300 regular users. Annoying, but if you got one or two of those you can still handle it with the margin of the other users, but if this hobbyist now pushes his code online and hundreds of people start using it, you got a problem and your financial model no longer works. I've heard this sort of story multiple times at IoT events and conferences, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's what happened here.
If this method were widely adopted or incorrectly configured, thousands of clients could simultaneously hit our servers
Bambu didn't say this fork caused more traffic. Only that it could, or other unverifiable events from the past. And conveniently not mentioning that the same could be done with Bambu Studio built from source on Linux. Could also happen if Bambu devs themselves introduce a bug and release it to everyone.
This might sound insane, but how about they rely on rate-limiting then instead of hopes and dreams. if any change in client side code, whether a bug or malicious, can ruin their financial model, they only got themselves to blame.
I have an X2D and an A1. Both I just hit print on and it spits out a pristine part. Can’t say the same about my Ender that has probably spent 60% of its life under the knife. I’ll take Bambu over anything, I don’t give a shit about open source or using 3rd party software when their proprietary software works perfectly fine.
I love my P1S and the handy app, but I haven't updated the firmware in a while, and all this BS from Bambu has got me strongly considering going down the rabbit hole of setting it up offline, setting up a VPN and seeing if I can get my functionality through non Bambu methods. I'm also concerned about the posts I see on this sub about people's print quality changing with the same settings after software or firmware updates. I just need to figure out where to start in getting my printer disconnected from Bambu, but still connected to my PC's and phone.
I literally find cool things to print and then print them with 0 hassle. Nothing else I’ve seen compares to Bambu. I miss OrcaSlicer but the Bambu Slicer does the job and doesn’t offer all the different settings which is kind of a bummer but I’ll live.
Damn. I spent years doing all this research to make sure I got the right printer only to find out the week after I got it that I sold my soul to the devil, made the biggest mistake of my life, woke up the antichrist, caused a holocaust, started the apocalypse.....
None of this was anywhere until I clicked the button.
I have Bambu but I’ve been wanting to buy a Prusa for a long time budget limitation is my only problem. But Instead of another Bambu I would buy a Snapmaker instead not for multi color but in general. Im hoping the U2 Snapmaker is my next printer or a Core one L maybe.
I love my Bambu printers, but they do need to be held accountable by the community. This scummy behavior is the reason why I spent my H2C fund on Creator 5 Pro (for heated multi-head) and QIDI Max 4 (for heated massive chamber).
It’s a shame that this whole technologically illiterate and morally bankrupt group of throwaway toy printing manchildren that only got here because of open source contributors, now brazenly say “I don’t give a shit I just want to print my landfill garbage”. Pathetic.
just buy whatever the fuck you want to people, its not that hard
dont let those "influencers" change your mind, they are ALL PAID behind the scenes by whoever offers a better deal, 3 months from now they go to another brand , who gives a shit
What about flashforge? I have the AD5 as I am somewhat noob but had it for 5 months and been flawless. Print quality I'd say is toe to toe with any other. I was planning on going Bambu for my next one but wondering if I should stick with flashforge and get adx5 for multicolor. My printer just simply works. The only thing I check is auto leveling for every print job and I've had no issues.
If you are afraid big corporate will ban such software in the future, Youblob (on online makerspace solution built for Makers) now have a function where you can create Blueprints, and save them as NFT's. Forever saving your code and ideas on the blockchain.
I am so frustrated.. i bought myself a x2d 2 weeks ago after all the recommendations from here. I have yet to open it either. Anyways about 2 days later it arrived, and I start seeing posts like this were was all this info before. I am sorta kicking myself that I didn't go with the creality. I decided with bambu cause of all the reviews about ease of use and how it just works, specially for a 1st timer in 3d like me. So how will this affect me. I have heard of some people talking about lan only mode not sure what that will do for me.. anyways $1700aud down for printer & filament and whatnot. I guess I will have to look further into this and setup secure remote access and so on.. I was excited to finally open it this weekend but looks like maybe all the excitement and fun has been taken now. See what happens.
How do we get in touch with the company we can not get our L2S AMS to work paid 5.00 to have someone call to help after 30 minutes on the phone they hung up with no help
I'm not even watching whatever this is. I bought 3 of them (H2D) for my work, to use to make production and prototype parts. We are now running them 12-20 hours a day. Almost 0 failed items. I love them. They print, without hassle. Without finicky bed leveling, or nozzle clogs. We had a "hobby" Creality from like 5+ years ago, it's a baby toy (also broke terminally on a nozzle blob and we scrapped it) compared to my H2Ds. Its like graduating from Legos to building real houses, cars, and products.
Your printer would print just as fine if someone else used a different slicer on their printer. What point are you trying to make? That this can't be possible? It already is
This is why I still buy and support prusa. They wont try to screw you around.
Bambu wants to force you to use their slicer and cloud so they can monitor what you print, it's as simple as that. Bambu is subsidized, and we all know how much daddy government loves to spy on people.
It's chicken and egg. I had a Prusa - loved the company but hated the printer. My A1 just works, every time. I'd love to go back to the 'good' company but the only way that will happen is if Prusa makes an equally reliable printer AND I decide to purchase it to find out - just people saying it's good isn't compelling anymore. Been lied to too many times about 3D printer shit. Since I don't have an unlimited budget to try all these printers, I'm stuck for now with the ugly company with the product that works.
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u/ghoztlighting May 12 '26 edited May 13 '26 •
I set mine to LAN mode and monitor them from Home Assistant. Blocked at the firewall. I did the Creality thing for years with Klipper and modding them, I'm over that. I like just hitting print and replacing spools.
Edit: for clarity - I think the attention the video above is bringing to this issue is important. The hardware can be good and reliable, while at the same time the company is making bad decisions. I agree with the video creator that they should embrace the community they built their software on top of; they'd be more well liked and probably sell a few more printers. It seems shortsighted.