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I know an executive working for Haier who doesn't really think the smart home thing is going to work out in it's current form. His view is that people probably

I know an executive working for Haier who doesn't really think the smart home thing is going to work out in it's current form. His view is that people probably want a washing machine that can keep track of it's duty cycles and let you know if water quality is affecting it's performance or if a part is getting close to end of life and organize purchase of the part and an repairer to do the fix. The gimmicks of being able to get alerts about the status of appliances to your phone are just fluff. But it's early days and people at the top who make this decisions are still working them out.

pessimizer 4y ago
> people probably want a washing machine that can keep track of it's duty cycles and let you know if water quality is affecting it's performance or if a part is getting close to end of life Sounds good, but you can do it with a few sensors leading to an LCD screen (and a manual in a yellowing clear plastic bag taped to the back of the machine.) And you don't have to disable the machine if that microprocessor burns out, or god forbid put an entire computer in there. > and organize purchase of the part and an repairer to do the fix. Not only do I not need any appliance to do this, but 1) if they cared about parts and service, they could have a nice website for this stuff, and they don't. So judging them based on that, this will also be neglected (after being marketed.) 2) this would really be a way to prevent people from getting parts who don't have a current service contract, and to screw them on the prices. It would also be a way to take a huge cut from the repair companies who participate in the program, who would also be large rent-seekers (who could make a deal with device manufacturers to be included in the software) skimming just as much by farming out the work to subcontractors. End result: single thing goes wrong, repair and parts cost more than the device. Don't worry, they're running a promotion that gives you credit towards buying their latest model.
linker3000 4y ago
I baulked at installing the 'Homewhiz' Android app for my Beko washer/dryer because not only did it want access to my mic and camera, but also GPS and contacts. Instead, I installed a smart plug with power sensor and hooked it up to a phone dashboard via MQTT and Node-RED so I can work out the current state of the machine (by power draw), and as a fun bonus I get an email at the start and end of each wash/dry cycle. That's good enough for me - I can't see the point of being able to set the wash program by phone as I have to be physically at the machine when loading it. If I could use an official app to see machine anomalies or predicted failures without the feeling that I am being bugged or data mined that would be handy. Allegedly, the Homewhiz protocol is 'Open', but references lead to ISO/IEC 30118-4:2021, which is a multi-document spec for which you have to pay. I also would not be surprised if the appliance's Bluetooth connectivity won't play nice unless there's an outbound 'heartbeat' to a remote server via the phone.

pessimizer 4y ago

> people probably want a washing machine that can keep track of it's duty cycles and let you know if water quality is affecting it's performance or if a part is getting close to end of life Sounds good, but you can do it with a few sensors leading to an LCD screen (and a manual in a yellowing clear plastic bag taped to the back of the machine.) And you don't have to disable the machine if that microprocessor burns out, or god forbid put an entire computer in there. > and organize purchase of the part and an repairer to do the fix. Not only do I not need any appliance to do this, but 1) if they cared about parts and service, they could have a nice website for this stuff, and they don't. So judging them based on that, this will also be neglected (after being marketed.) 2) this would really be a way to prevent people from getting parts who don't have a current service contract, and to screw them on the prices. It would also be a way to take a huge cut from the repair companies who participate in the program, who would also be large rent-seekers (who could make a deal with device manufacturers to be included in the software) skimming just as much by farming out the work to subcontractors. End result: single thing goes wrong, repair and parts cost more than the device. Don't worry, they're running a promotion that gives you credit towards buying their latest model.

linker3000 4y ago

I baulked at installing the 'Homewhiz' Android app for my Beko washer/dryer because not only did it want access to my mic and camera, but also GPS and contacts. Instead, I installed a smart plug with power sensor and hooked it up to a phone dashboard via MQTT and Node-RED so I can work out the current state of the machine (by power draw), and as a fun bonus I get an email at the start and end of each wash/dry cycle. That's good enough for me - I can't see the point of being able to set the wash program by phone as I have to be physically at the machine when loading it. If I could use an official app to see machine anomalies or predicted failures without the feeling that I am being bugged or data mined that would be handy. Allegedly, the Homewhiz protocol is 'Open', but references lead to ISO/IEC 30118-4:2021, which is a multi-document spec for which you have to pay. I also would not be surprised if the appliance's Bluetooth connectivity won't play nice unless there's an outbound 'heartbeat' to a remote server via the phone.