Another reason to avoid Bambu is that they use their own proprietary printer code file type (.bgcode instead of .gcode). Blatant attempt at userlocking/walled garden ecosystem.
I have an Anycubic and I never connected it to the internet. It calibrates offline and prints fine from a USB.
I don’t use their official apps, just OrcaSlicer which is open source (and “stealth mode” disables telemetry). The printer works great though.
The only functionality that seems to require internet (besides printing from the app or networking with the slicer) is the camera which is supposed to detect misprints and pause/cancel a project to avoid waste or skip an object so the spaghetti doesn’t ruin the rest.
But I don’t use that feature and it’s fine, just watch your first few prints so you know what tends to fail and what needs extra support, and watch any projects that might be iffy until you get a good idea of what doesn’t adhere well. But keeping your print plate clean goes a long way for good adhesion (avoid touching the center where projects print, and use dish soap to wash it when projects stop sticking).
Another reason to avoid Bambu is that they use their own proprietary printer code file type (.bgcode instead of .gcode). Blatant attempt at userlocking/walled garden ecosystem.
I have an Anycubic and I never connected it to the internet. It calibrates offline and prints fine from a USB.
I don’t use their official apps, just OrcaSlicer which is open source (and “stealth mode” disables telemetry). The printer works great though.
The only functionality that seems to require internet (besides printing from the app or networking with the slicer) is the camera which is supposed to detect misprints and pause/cancel a project to avoid waste or skip an object so the spaghetti doesn’t ruin the rest.
But I don’t use that feature and it’s fine, just watch your first few prints so you know what tends to fail and what needs extra support, and watch any projects that might be iffy until you get a good idea of what doesn’t adhere well. But keeping your print plate clean goes a long way for good adhesion (avoid touching the center where projects print, and use dish soap to wash it when projects stop sticking).