Last week I wrote about an update that Cisco rolled out to its A2700, EA3500, and EA4500 routers. The main feature that the new firmware introduced was Cisco Connect Cloud, a connected interface with the purpose of simplifying configuration and network management. The vision went beyond that, with the addition of tools that empower developers to create third party apps supplementing Cloud Connect’s capabilities.

On paper it sounds good, but it turns out that in practice customers weren’t all that happy with the upgrade.  Despite the new functionality and the prettier interface, there are a few serious drawbacks.

The majority of the complaints were directed at the fact that Cloud Connect requires an internet connection. A user has to log in to the cloud-connected interface, or if they want to set things up locally they’ll be promoted with what is essentially a stripped-down version of the old options menu with greatly reduced usability.

Another aspect that raised a few eyebrows is that the terms of service attached to the new service state that Cisco receives access to a lot of data that the customer may not be so keen on sharing. The company “may share aggregated or anonymous user experience information with service providers contractors or other third parties,” according to one bit that was replaced with the following text later on:

“As of today, that section is no longer in the Connect Cloud policy; instead, users are simply told that ‘Cisco may collect and store detailed information regarding your network configuration and usage for the purpose of providing you technical networking support,'” writes The Verge.

To Cisco’s credit they did respond to the outcry that has been sweeping through the official forums over the weekend. This recently released guide instructs how to downgrade from Cloud Connect and disable automatic updates.