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Isn't the big problem with smart appliances exactly this? I was in the market for a new pellet grill recently and I ran into huge problems, almost everything o

Isn't the big problem with smart appliances exactly this? I was in the market for a new pellet grill recently and I ran into huge problems, almost everything on the market is bluetooth this or wifi that. The last thing I need is an unreliable radio to be at the center of the controls for my outdoor appliance, or for any appliance whatsoever, to have a dependency on my internet connection and the availability of some manufacturers servers. Because who know what might happen. The manufacturer might decide it doesn't like your hardware anymore and push out a firmware update that bricks all your devices in 60 days, but don't worry, they'll give you a coupon for buying the latest and greatest from them (looking at you sonos). Want to know how to not get me to buy your product? Make it dependent on some unreliable technology that gives no benefit to the device, but makes the device dependent on the goodwill of the parent corporation.

ravenstine 4y ago
What's amazing is the failed potential of these devices that do include things like Bluetooth and WiFi. In so many cases, they sporadically fail to pair with their respective apps, or are slow to pair, if they can reliably pair at all. Even when the connection works, you'd better hope the app actually alerts you when your food is ready or whatever. Whooops, our API returned a 500! Our bad, bruh! I'm particularly baffled because, in my experience designing and manufacturing my own PCB with a BLE IC on it, integrating something like BLE and having it work reliably doesn't seem that difficult. BLE is an annoyingly complicated standard, but it's by no means impossible to work with. The app I wrote could pair with the device instantly and reliably stay connected while receiving data in real time. I don't get why other BLE devices I've owned have issues while my pissant attempt had none of them. If it's BLE, you can count on seeing some loading spinners frequently unless it's being paired with another devices designed specifically for it (like a game console). The only wireless digital technologies I've found are beneficial are WiFi internet and Bluetooth audio (which is still awful in most cases but AirPods work OK). Everything else ends up being a gimmick, more of a hassle, and even a trojan horse for more privacy violations.

ravenstine 4y ago

What's amazing is the failed potential of these devices that do include things like Bluetooth and WiFi. In so many cases, they sporadically fail to pair with their respective apps, or are slow to pair, if they can reliably pair at all. Even when the connection works, you'd better hope the app actually alerts you when your food is ready or whatever. Whooops, our API returned a 500! Our bad, bruh! I'm particularly baffled because, in my experience designing and manufacturing my own PCB with a BLE IC on it, integrating something like BLE and having it work reliably doesn't seem that difficult. BLE is an annoyingly complicated standard, but it's by no means impossible to work with. The app I wrote could pair with the device instantly and reliably stay connected while receiving data in real time. I don't get why other BLE devices I've owned have issues while my pissant attempt had none of them. If it's BLE, you can count on seeing some loading spinners frequently unless it's being paired with another devices designed specifically for it (like a game console). The only wireless digital technologies I've found are beneficial are WiFi internet and Bluetooth audio (which is still awful in most cases but AirPods work OK). Everything else ends up being a gimmick, more of a hassle, and even a trojan horse for more privacy violations.