Why the fuck does my appliance need wifi? It's not ordering refills for consumables when low at a great discount nor is it going to schedule it's own maintenance as it passes lifetime milestones or detects errors.
I don't want my fucking washer/dryer to text me when the load is done and I definitely don't want my fridge to alert me I'm low on milk or bread, or the door is open. That's such a huge backdoor for anyone looking to maliciously gather data and peer into my life, definitely without my consent.
It's not very useful. But, I can start a program from an app which is a lot easier than understanding all the little logos on the unit. Plus I have more flexibility to tweak it, like be faster or gentler or schedule it to cheaper electricity hours all much more easily and intuitively than in the panel.
Also timer, remote start, and letting me know when it's done are something I might use once in a blue moon.
Can I live without it, hell yes, but is it a totally useless gimmick... Well 50/50.
I have my washer and dryer on an isolated network. It’s actually useful to be able to tell if they’re done without walking to the other end of the house to check.
Seems entirely unnecessary. My units have buzzers that go off when they complete a cycle. I also have a phone with a timer setting, I know a load of laundry will take approx 60min to accomplish per machine. I don't see the need to spend my time and money to create a more complex system.
My laundry machines are in the basement, and my current machines play a pleasant jingle when they’re done, instead of a loud buzzer. I can’t hear them. I wish there was a setting to go back to buzzer mode
Of course they also have reliable timers so I usually set my watch timer when I start the machines. Done
You know looking at a clock and realizing an hour passed and its done is free, and easy to accomplish with the features already built into your phone and most houses.