I can just see within five years I may not be able to buy any home appliance that is not "smart" and connected, with some of them trying ever so hard to connect even if against my will.
by Anonymous Coward writes:
on Saturday September 22, 2018 @07:47AM (#57359346)
I can just see within five years I may not be able to buy any home appliance that is not "smart" and connected, with some of them trying ever so hard to connect even if against my will.
I do not worry about this. I already turned down a wifi-enabled dishwasher. ("You can start it from your phone! " "I, and how many hackers?")
You see, chips are not free. Appliances comes in a spectrum: From dirt cheap, to sturdy quality. Those going for "cheap" will get the non-Internet devices, because manufacturers underbidding each other can shave off some cost by not having that wifi chipset. A toaster is so simple a device, so this will make a difference on the price tag. (Or on the corporate profit.) Even if they insist on wifi, it will only be midrange and up. Dirt cheap plastic items for the poorer will be without.
Also, most appliances are simple from an engineering standpoint. If nobody will sell me an internet-free toaster, I can make my own. Won't look pretty, but it'll work. I cannot make a dishwasher myself. But I know my electronics. So I can take any existing diswasher, and rip out the electronic controls. Then I can make it work just fine with my own electronics. No wifi then. A motor, a heater, and some pumps & valves - not at all hard to control with an arduino. If this is not an option for you, pay someone like me to "mod" your appliances for you. Go to a maker fair - anyone there could do it.
The thing I fear (Score:2)
I can just see within five years I may not be able to buy any home appliance that is not "smart" and connected, with some of them trying ever so hard to connect even if against my will.
Re:The thing I fear (Score:1)
I can just see within five years I may not be able to buy any home appliance that is not "smart" and connected, with some of them trying ever so hard to connect even if against my will.
I do not worry about this. I already turned down a wifi-enabled dishwasher. ("You can start it from your phone! " "I, and how many hackers?")
You see, chips are not free. Appliances comes in a spectrum: From dirt cheap, to sturdy quality. Those going for "cheap" will get the non-Internet devices, because manufacturers underbidding each other can shave off some cost by not having that wifi chipset. A toaster is so simple a device, so this will make a difference on the price tag. (Or on the corporate profit.) Even if they insist on wifi, it will only be midrange and up. Dirt cheap plastic items for the poorer will be without.
Also, most appliances are simple from an engineering standpoint. If nobody will sell me an internet-free toaster, I can make my own. Won't look pretty, but it'll work. I cannot make a dishwasher myself. But I know my electronics. So I can take any existing diswasher, and rip out the electronic controls. Then I can make it work just fine with my own electronics. No wifi then. A motor, a heater, and some pumps & valves - not at all hard to control with an arduino. If this is not an option for you, pay someone like me to "mod" your appliances for you. Go to a maker fair - anyone there could do it.