Washers with WiFi?

[GalaxyBoy]

The 12-year-old washing machine died yesterday and we didn't feel like sinking any money into repairing it, so we went out and bought a new one today. One surprising thing to me - if you don't count the higher prices and a shortage due to the pandemic - was the fact that many of them are WiFi enabled. The salesman told me it gives you a cycle-complete alert on your phone (I'm OK with the buzzer) and you can download special stain cycles from the Internet. Heck, I don't even use half the cycles included with the machine.

So, am I missing something? Is WiFi on a washing machine a gimmick or something really useful?

BTW, we passed on the WiFi.

 

[Gotadimple]

Gimmick.

 

[corn18]

Our dang washer send me an email every month telling me to clean it. Other than that, it's just a washer.

 

[tmm99]

If we were to get a washer now, I would like a WiFI-enabled washer if it doesn't cost more. We bought our washer 5 years ago, and I would have said no if someone offered a WiFi-enabled washer then, but recently, I bought an air fryer that gives a beep on my phone when it's done (The air fryer with the WiFi happened to cost the same as without), and I really like it, although most of the time, I am close enough to the fryer to hear that it's done. Our washer is in our basement and I often do not hear the music it plays (at the highest volume setting) when it's done, so it'd be handy if I got a notification on my phone which is usually near me.

 

[Alan]

Our latest washing machine came with wifi so we do use the feature. It has an intelligent dosing feature which means it uses the right amount of detergent depending on the size of the load and you fill up the detergent and fabric softener drawers when you get a low level alarm. All this is independent of wifi, but if you are connected to wifi you will also get an alert.

However the most useful feature of wifi for us is the ease of programming the washer using the app. We are on an agile electricity tariff and the cheapest electricity is during the night and using the app it is easy to program a finish time of, say, 8am using the app so that the washer will turn itself on during the night and the clothes will be ready to either put in the drier or hang outside to dry when we get up.

I certainly wouldn’t recommend paying extra for wifi and if your machine happens to come with it there is little extra advantage of enabling the wifi.

 

[cathy63]

I have two main issues with the proliferation of IoT devices.

1) Security -- way too many of them are using default passwords and connecting to any open wifi network they find. These are real computers that can be infected by malware and join botnets, not to mention that if your smart toaster gets hacked, it can burn down your house. I did see a few months ago that GE got UL certification for at least some of their products, so hopefully the security issues are starting to be addressed.

2) Updates -- I keep things like washers a lot longer than I keep a typical software program. I don't want an appliance that loses half its features three years from now because some API is no longer supported (see reviews of Samsung refrigerators for real examples of this). Sofware end-of-life has to be a lot longer than a typical appliance warranty.

 

[RunningBum]

If it didn't cost extra and wasn't required to use it, I wouldn't mind. Sometimes I miss the buzzer and forget I have a load that needs to be moved to the dryer. Less important on a dryer because I don't mind if clothes sit in there, but I hate when I go upstairs at night and realize my sheets are in the dryer and I need to go get them and make up the bed when all I want to do is sleep, now.

I assume it gives you a link to the manual and troubleshooting, which is a little easier than finding and digging through a paper manual.

 

[OldShooter]

... I don't want an appliance that loses half its features three years from now  ...

It is potentially worse than that. I bought a Rachio sprinkler controller and it discusses the weather with the mother ship and does not sprinkle when it's not necessary. A nice money saver. I emailed tech support asking what would happen if the mother ship went away and got a fairly evasive answer.

In general any of these things that contact the mother ship in order to function are at risk of being functionally impaired by problems or marketing decisions made by the current owner of the brand.

A few years ago Garmin started selling GPSs with free "lifetime" database updates. A real knee slapper: "Lifetime" turned out to be the lifetime of the product as determined solely by Garmin.

 

[Walt34]

For the reasons outlined by Cathy63 and Oldshooter I'd hold WiFi as a liability, not a useful feature. No, I sure don't want one!

Somehow, I've managed to survive my whole life without WiFi-enabled appliances. I just don't see the need.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Regarding cost, the equivalent WiFi model to the one I bought was priced $100 higher.

Regarding software obsolescence my smart tv from 2013 is a good example. Samsung kept removing features and now none of the TV apps are supported, much less software updates. Now I use an Apple TV and the television might just as well be a dumb monitor.

 

[Telly]

I'd avoid washers with WiFi like [-]the plague[/-] Covid-19. I maintain everything myself, the less non-replaceable parts the better. I just need it to wash clothes.

 

[Animorph]

I can take or leave our washer's wi-fi now, though it does notify my phone when DW is doing the wash. Guess I should silence that one.

But it does look like diagnosing an error would be easier with wi-fi than reading the flashing light, and it can upload diagnostic data to the repair center. Without Wi-Fi there is a way to hold a phone up to the washer and essentially use it as an acoustic modem. Never thought I'd see that again!

 

[braumeister]

I, for one, welcome our new appliance overlords.

 

[mpeirce]

We recently got a a new washer and dryer. They are mid priced LGs. They have Wifi and my DW loves them.

The key feature is that they send a notification when they are done. That's really all she cares about (Wifi-wise - they also clean well apparently), but it's nice that they silently tap her on the wrist (Apple Watch) and she nows they're ready.

She just mentioned she also likes that the washer nags her every now and then to run a "clean cycle."

 

[Telly]

I, for one, welcome our new appliance overlords.

Yes, you say that now, but when you displease them, and they turn on you, it's too macabre to think of what they will do to you...

As soon as they add a camera to each appliance, then they themselves will upload it to youtube, to show what happens to those who displease.

 

[mountainsoft]

Unlike most of society, I do not carry my phone with me at all times. It's usually charging on the corner of my desk back in the office. It's probably easier to check the washing machine than checking my phone.

Besides, do I really need to know the instant the washing machine is done? We don't even have a buzzer on our washing machine. We put clothes in and know we'll need to move them to the dryer in an hour or so. It's not rocket science, and I don't need a WiFi connection to my phone to tell me. I wouldn't waste my money on that stupid feature.

That's almost as bad as "connected" toothbrushes. Technology looking for a solution has gone too far.

https://www.amazon.com/Oral-B-8000-Rechargeable-Connectivity-Replenishment/dp/B01KTII3DS

 

[pb4uski]

The 12-year-old washing machine died yesterday and we didn't feel like sinking any money into repairing it, so we went out and bought a new one today. One surprising thing to me - if you don't count the higher prices and a shortage due to the pandemic - was the fact that many of them are WiFi enabled. The salesman told me it gives you a cycle-complete alert on your phone (I'm OK with the buzzer) and you can download special stain cycles from the Internet. Heck, I don't even use half the cycles included with the machine.

So, am I missing something? Is WiFi on a washing machine a gimmick or something really useful?

BTW, we passed on the WiFi.

DD's apartment complex had wi-fi laundry appliances in the laundrymat in the building and in that situation they were useful... when the wash was done the machine would send them an alert so they could then go down and move their clothes from the washer to the dryer... or if in the dryer go down and fold them while they were toasty warm.

 

[Sunset]

It is potentially worse than that.,,,,

A few years ago Garmin started selling GPSs with free "lifetime" database updates. A real knee slapper: "Lifetime" turned out to be the lifetime of the product as determined solely by Garmin.

Oh no..... I bought one of those Garmin GPS and still need to update it, as it gives wrong direction in Nashville (wants to go off freeway then back on freeway instead of stay on freeway).

 

[Sunset]

For the reasons outlined by Cathy63 and Oldshooter I'd hold WiFi as a liability, not a useful feature. No, I sure don't want one!

Somehow, I've managed to survive my whole life without WiFi-enabled appliances. I just don't see the need.

+1
Just something else that may break/fail and stop the entire machine from working.

 

[H2ODude]

The addition of all these technologies doesn't strike me as all that value added. And then there's the obsolescence and compatibility issues that arise. We have Sonos for our sound in the house and TV. Our soundbar for the TV recently crapped out (beyond warranty) so got a new one that is highly rated (Arc); I'm up for anything that will cater to my failing hearing (especially TV dialog). As I'm installing it realize that no longer an optical cable input; so my 3 yo (high dollar) TV has to use an adapter so its optical output converts to an HDMI input to soundbar (and it notes that if you have to do this, it won't be able to use some of the new technologies advertised with it).

Meanwhile, the new soundbar uses Sonos' new software/technology so it cannot work with the three units we have in our house for stereo. I guess the good news was that they give you a 30% discount on anything you replace with the new stuff. I did that, it does work great, but it's just another example of the cost of trying to keep stuff current.

 

[pacergal]

Our LG washer/dryer and dishwasher all have wifi technology. I do not use it.
There is some system to connect to LG service if something is wrong, that will tell you or them what the issue is, but not sure I would use it. Will hopefully not need to!

 

[Sue J]

I bought an LG washer 2 years ago and it came with the WiFi. It's useful to get a notification that the load is done in case you don't hear the chime alert. You can also see on the app what cycle is running (normal, delicate, etc) the chosen temp, spin speed, etc. On mine you can also see the progress and how long until it's complete. None of this is necessary, but it's nifty.

On the LG site you can watch a video about how handy a WiFi washer is. There's is a remote start capability and they show a busy woman who gets to her coffee shop/work meeting and realizes, "Gosh darn, I forgot to start the washer! But with my LG WiFi enabled dream of a machine I can start it while working with coffee!" But didn't you have to remember to put the clothes in and add detergent before you left the house?

The remote start seems pretty useless for that reason. You can also remote stop. Maybe that one has a useage. But if you don't complete the cycle within a set time frame the machine empties itself, wasting your water and detergent.

I do appreciate the notification when it's done, but would not have paid extra for it.

The reason that I chose this particular washer is that it was on sale at Costco and it has a WINDOW!!

 

[CoolRich59]

Oh no..... I bought one of those Garmin GPS and still need to update it, as it gives wrong direction in Nashville (wants to go off freeway then back on freeway instead of stay on freeway).

Ours did that too. I can't remember the city (but it wasn't Nashville). We were driving on the interstate and our Nuvi directed me to get off at the next exit. I did and it routed me along a surface street, then directed me to get back on the interstate, cutting off a short "jog" in the highway - saving me about a half mile but costing me about 10 minutes.

When I realized what the Nuvi had done, I was so mad I pulled it off the windshield and would have thrown it out the window if the DW hadn't intervened.

 

[ERD50]

I actually added WiFi to an appliance.

A few years back, we developed an underground leak between our well and the house, and I was unaware of it until it finally got so bad that the pump couldn't keep up and the pressure dropped in the house. But probably not going on too bad for months, or I might have seen it on my electric bill. Let's see, if it was running 50% of the time, that might be ~ $2/day, noticeable but if it happened mid billing cycle, $30 might not catch your attention all that much.

So I programmed a little micro-controller ( ESP8266/Node-MCU ~ $5 ) in Micro-Python, to monitor on/off times of the pump, saves them to its built in 1MB Flash drive, and uploads them to my computer over WiFi in the background every hour, and then deletes the previous day's file. My computer emails me a summary each day, and if the ON or OFF times are outside of limits I set (too long OR too short), I get an email alarm that hour.

-ERD50

 

[Al in Ohio]

I have wifi on both our new washer and dryer and glad we do. I downloaded the app on my phone and get a pop up alert when the cycle is finished, have more cycle choices downloaded, can start or stop the cycle from the phone, or just see how many minutes are remaining. I can also ask my google home how many minutes left or to tell me when it’s done.