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This particular homeowner is baffled that anyone would buy a washing machine that needs an internet connection. I’m all for smart appliances, but a smart washing machine is a solution in search of a problem.

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Forgotten laundry leads to mildew. Plenty of home assistance scripts out there to remind users to empty washer/dryer.

Makes sense for manufacturers to want to build this feature into the appliance itself.

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Mildew doesn’t grow in 15min, it takes hours to even smell weird and days to grow fungi. It’s literally been cleaned with soap and hot water, there’s not much to grow left.

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I guess it can notify you via your cell phone when a load is done. I could see that having value.

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Couldn’t you just program it to start (and stop) at a given time, or make a note of how long it says on the display that it’ll take?

It seems (to me) like a very, very minor improvement for a huge cost, namely that your washing machine is on your network and is internet connected.

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And I bet you it reduces reliability, because all those fancy electronics are absolutely crucial for it to work at all and brittle as a sand castle. So you’ll end up with a white brick if the wifi module craps out or a capacitor gets too warm.

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Then again, a simple timer on your phone could do the same thing.

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Wait: Do the times listed on the screen of your washer/dryer actually reflect reality

My dryer will say it’s got 20 minutes remaining for like an hour and a half. And yes, I clean the lint screen and vent regularly (all the way up to the roof!).

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Mine plays a loud jingle when it’s done, which seems to be enough for me.

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Yup. There are two situations here:

  • I’m in my house and can hear the sound
  • I’m not at my house and don’t care when it finishes

If I’m at home and won’t hear the sound for some reason, I’ll just set an alarm on my phone. My washing machine tells me how long it’ll take, so there’s no guesswork here.

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