First thing I do when I get a smart appliance is scan it with nmap. This has revealed some interesting Easter eggs, like my Davis instruments air quality sensors having a local REST API.
Doing the usual scan against my GE washer and dryer shows that port 53 is listening. What could that be for? Is there a way I can at least query their status locally or something?
When I got the washer and dryer I was excited about the smart home features because getting an alert when my laundry is done or starting the washer remotely so the clothes are done when I get home are genuinely useful features. However, last time I checked the app none of that was available, so I just have these Trojan horses in my home spying on me with no benefit in exchange. Their app wanted my freaking mailing address when I signed up for their mandatory account, so the features mentioned above are the least they could offer in exchange for my digital soul. But I digress.
My fridge is in a similar situation. It commits the additional cardinal sin of ONLY being controllable via the app, with no on-board temp or filter status indicators whatsoever.
No one needs “smart” appliances. I know it’s fun to get a message telling you your water filter needs replacing, but come on…
Listen man I want smart everything. I want a fridge that tells me if I left the door open and when I last replaced the filter and if the OJ is out and then automatically asks if it should add more OJ to the grocery list.
And this can all be accomplished with modern technology without sending my data to an outside entity. It should be, even if it isn’t. So much of the sci-fi future we used to dream of can be a reality today, we just have to mold it into being.
In that vein of thinking, nobody needs appliances.
However we are in the home assistant group so I think people are interested in linking things in their house together and controlling them centrally (if “central” does not mean the manufacturer) in an effort to make them smarter.
The fact people trust these devices to not push a replacemnt before it is actually necessary in the name of profit baffles me.
Dumb filters already push for replacements early.
It would be a pleasant surprise if that’s the worst thing the device did
I have 2 automations for my washing machine, which start when I put it in remote start mode:
My HA smartified washer & dryer save us more than an hour every week because we are informed immediately when their cycles are complete. My refrigerator temperature monitor has alerted us more than once that the door wasn’t completely closed saving us hundreds in spoiled food costs. It would do the same if the compressor fails.
Everyone has different needs and sometimes those needs include smart appliance features.
Your fridge door should auto close, man
Ever heard of a timer? Are ya SMART enough for that?
The timers on washers are notoriously inaccurate and moisture sensors make drying timers useless, but if you had your own washer and dryer you might know that.
Your extreme cognitive bias is indicative of someone completely lacking in a sense of sonder. (Look it up, it is certain someone with main character syndrome has never heard the word before.)
Anyway it’s been fun, but we’re done.
…
No.
My shitty fridge from decades ago has never had a problem with the door being open. I say this is clearly a design issue. I open my fridge, let go and step away. It closes slowly and seals. Unless I jam it full of crap being left open isn’t an option.
My clothes washer and dryer make a sound so I am also instantly notified when it is done. Also, washing/drying are not time sensitive like that. I call bullshit on your smart appliance needs.
Egocentric bias - the tendency to focus excessively on one’s own perspective, leading to a distorted view of reality where individuals overestimate their own importance and fail to adequately consider others’ viewpoints. This cognitive bias affects how people recall events and interpret situations, often making them see themselves as the center of attention.
LOL! You actually believe all fridges work exactly like yours? You believe everyone’s laundry is installed within hearing range exactly like yours? Some people even have washers & dryers without audio alerts. The laundry notifications allow us to get 6+ loads done in 1 day rather than 2.
There are millions of households in just the U.S. and nearly every single household is very different than yours. You need to get out more and stop admiring your own navel.
My fridge has a small door in its door so I can exchange less air with its outside if I only need to pull out something that’s on one of door’s shelves. The downside is that unlike the main door (which does auto close) it needs me to push it firmly to close.