All About Smart Appliances

This week we touch on the subject of Smart Appliances. In case you haven’t noticed, the advancement of SMART devices is rapidly growing.

Today, there are many opportunities for using smart technology to make your life easier. Smart appliances are one of the categories of smart technology you may come to enjoy in your home.

So what makes an appliance SMART? Basically, it’s any appliance that connects to the internet, usually via WIFI, that enables users to connect, control, and monitor their appliances allowing them to save time, energy, and money.

Smart appliances for home kitchens can make everyday cleaning and cooking tasks much easier. For example, you can use your smartphone to control your oven temperature outside the house or turn on your dishwasher while you are away at work.

In this segment, I will be discussing 7 different types of SMART home appliances and devices.

Smart refrigerators
I remember when these first came out that they were the butt of many jokes amongst my tech friends. But that was several years ago. Smart refrigerators do a lot more than just tell you when to buy milk.

The SMART refrigerators today can be controlled remotely and often come with features like automatic restocking and energy-saving settings.

The principal way most smart fridges save power is through the use of AI learning technology.

These fridges learn what time you tend to open the fridge the most. It then keeps energy-intense cooling functions to times when you won’t be opening the fridge. This optimizes energy usage, saving you money!

Many smart fridges also have the option to connect to a local or national electricity grid. The grid can alert the fridge at peak times, letting it lower power usage for that period and saving you money – all through an internet connection.

Smart ovens
These ovens can be controlled remotely and often come with features like preheating and energy-saving settings.

Many come with recipes for new dinner ideas, preloaded in the app. For ease of use, you can control the oven fully via the touchscreen display or the app.

Here are some of the features of a SMART oven:
You can switch the oven on and off from anywhere you have an internet connection
This allows you to do things like preheat the oven on the way home for less waiting around;
You can also adjust any settings and timers remotely;
You can have cooking notifications sent to your phone;
You can also use smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant for voice control;

Smart dishwashers
These dishwashers can be controlled remotely and often come with features like automatic cycle selection and energy-saving settings.

With a SMART dishwasher, you can start wash cycles anytime from your smartphone, monitor performance, and check cycle status.
You can also lock or unlock the dishwasher door from anywhere, which is particularly useful for child safety.
Smart dishwashers are compatible with voice control systems such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to start a wash cycle, enable various features, and lock or unlock the dishwasher door with just your voice.
You can also receive alerts on your smartphone when the rinse aid or detergent is low, when a wash cycle finishes, or if the sensors detect a malfunction or leak.

Smart washers and dryers
These appliances can be controlled remotely and often come with energy-saving settings and automatic cycle selection.

With a SMART washing machine, you can remotely start, stop, or monitor wash cycles from a mobile device, or schedule cycles remotely for a time that works better.

You can receive notifications on your mobile device when the washing and drying cycles finish.

You can use voice commands to control operations with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.

You can also use built-in diagnostic sensors to alert you when a repair is needed or when it’s time for regular maintenance, such as a self-cleaning cycle.

Smart air conditioners
These air conditioners can be remotely controlled and often come with energy-saving settings and automatic temperature control.

A smart air conditioner is not the same as a smart thermostat. Thermostats are most commonly used with central air systems, not individual smart conditioning units.

A thermostat is responsible for sensing the air in a home and telling the air conditioner unit when it’s time to start cooling. Many homes already have Smart thermostats to control and schedule on and off times remotely.

A SMART air conditioner, on the other hand, has both a thermostat and an air conditioner that can be managed using a Wi-Fi connection.

These are usually the units you stick in a window somewhere that can be controlled with your phone or Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

Smart plugs, outlets, and switches
These plugs can be used to control any electrical appliance and often come with features like energy-saving settings and remote control.

They often work with Apple HomeKit and support Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri voice commands.

There are a huge variety of smart plugs out there to control the timing of lights turning on or off, especially handy at Christmas time or when you want to make the appearance of someone being in the home while you are away.

You can also replace your standard electrical outlet or light switch with a smart outlet or smart switch. These also can be controlled from your smartphone and be programmed to turn on or off on a schedule.

Smart small kitchen appliances
Smart kitchen devices can make your kitchen more efficient and often come with features like automatic ingredient dispensing and voice-activated control.

There are smart Instant Pots that allow you to control cooking from your phone.
There’s the smart blender that can help you track calories in the smoothies you make and can be turned on or off or change speeds with your phone.
There’s a Smart Mug that is perfect for those that want their hot drink hot in the mornings. With an app, you can set the temperature of your drink. Plus, it shuts off automatically when the mug is empty.
There are Smart Toasters: With their smart features, these toasters will make you the perfect toast every time and can be programmed to turn on minutes before you get out of bed.

More about Smart Appliances can be found here – https://www.hellonerds.ca/blog/best-smart-appliances-for-unique-kitchen-experience/