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AEG combi microwave unusable after update: device thinks it is a steam oven

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Re: AEG combi microwave unusable after update: device thinks it is a steam oven

#201

Post by zepearl »

anonymousiam wrote: post #145
wubbert wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A better question is, why do microwave ovens now need internet connections and software updates?

I have a new "smart home" with a couple of GE convection ovens that are Internet-connected. In the 2+ years that I've owned them, I've never used the Internet control features. The ONE feature that might make Internet connectivity useful would be setting the clock. Unfortunately, the clocks cannot be set or updated via the Internet. WORTHLESS!

About clocks:

I hate to have to change the time of the oven twice a year. It annoys me :P

I have a nice, cheap, small alarm clock by my bed which gets the current time over air (some sort of radio signal, probably https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_clock ) => works great, in the past it maybe needed up to 30 minutes or so to do an initial update of its time after a change of batteries, but then it always worked perfectly.

Why aren't more appliances using that? Shouldn't even an oven, maybe having a small antenna embedded in its front, be able to get that signal?

Re: AEG combi microwave unusable after update: device thinks it is a steam oven

#202

Post by ncmncm »

pixl97 wrote: post #179
anonymousiam wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a new "smart home" with a couple of GE convection ovens that are Internet-connected. In the 2+ years that I've owned them, I've never used the Internet control features. The ONE feature that might make Internet connectivity useful would be setting the clock. Unfortunately, the clocks cannot be set or updated via the Internet. WORTHLESS!

I have a whirlpool 'smart' oven and it does appear to use internet time, or at least the time from the app. About the only thing it's useful for is to remind me when its preheated.

Whirlpool refrigerators are designed so that the light inside fails after a year, requiring replacing a >$100 power controller board. If you let your thing connect to the internet, it will be able to dispense with actually burning out a part, and can just stop working under program control.

Re: AEG combi microwave unusable after update: device thinks it is a steam oven

#203

Post by denton-scratch »

moepstar wrote: post #199
saiya-jin wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah and they are very much subpar, same as Whirlpool cca 12 years ago also sold through Ikea. Bought some kitchen appliances when buying Ikea kitchens (twice), all had some minor or not so minor issues. Whirlpool fridge had door isolation strip uneven resulting in some heat coming in, from Day 1. Induction stove had few flat touch buttons responding only to strong pressure, kind of randomly, also Day 1. Electrolux -…

> Its Siemens, Bosch and Miele, but mainly Bosch which doesn't command Miele's high price and reliability/features are OK for us. From my experience, you can't go wrong with either of those - and, just in case you didn't know already, Siemens and Bosch are basically one - even operating under "BSH", Bosch/Siemens Home Appliances: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSH_Hausger%C3%A4te That also means that each company basi…

With Bosch, I was told by the installer that the only reason for paying for top-of-the-range models was for additional features. The underlying machinery is the same in all models.

To my reasoning, more features means more things to fail, means less reliable. And I've always disliked feeping creaturitis - I always use the same settings on appliances. And I get to pay less if there are less features; so I win both ways. What's not to like?

Re: AEG combi microwave unusable after update: device thinks it is a steam oven

#204

Post by denton-scratch »

wpietri wrote: post #114
denton-scratch wrote: post #56

Electrolux are a horrible company. They seem to have borged a whole load of other brands, which all have now descended to Electrolux's abysmal standards. - They don't support their own products; the warranty is served by a third-party - Their products are built to a price-point, and fail just after the warranty is up - Spare parts are expensive - They apparently have neither an email address or phone number The water…

> I don't understand why market forces haven't bankrupted them. I think the short answer is that companies spend many hundreds of billions each year manipulating the market. Instead of going to all the hard work of building a trusted brand, you can just buy one people have a vague familiarity with, spend a bunch on marketing, and ship cheap garbage until the brand value has been reduced to zero.

Yes, I get that.

But why are they making machines out of parts they know are defective? Why are they not incentivised to fix the design? For example, a washing-machine electronic control panel with a defective circuit design, which meant that a certain diode was overloaded, and would reliably burn out a short while out of warranty.

Electronic control panels for white goods are incredibly expensive. Come to that, if you started from scratch to build (e.g.) a washing machine from manufacturer's parts, you'd have to sell your house. If the parts really cost that much, it's a wonder they can sell their own version so cheaply.

Re: AEG combi microwave unusable after update: device thinks it is a steam oven

#205

Post by belval »

ncmncm wrote: post #202
pixl97 wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a whirlpool 'smart' oven and it does appear to use internet time, or at least the time from the app. About the only thing it's useful for is to remind me when its preheated.

Whirlpool refrigerators are designed so that the light inside fails after a year, requiring replacing a >$100 power controller board. If you let your thing connect to the internet, it will be able to dispense with actually burning out a part, and can just stop working under program control.

That seems excessively evil, so the fridge breaks if you don't connect it to the Internet?

Re: AEG combi microwave unusable after update: device thinks it is a steam oven

#206

Post by sofixa »

ale42 wrote: post #173
sofixa wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well for security updates of course! As to why it needs security updates, it's because it's connected(able) to the internet.

I see... to prevent an army of zombie ovens coordinating to DDoS some service or web site...

It's not like this hasn't already happened - the Mirai botnet was just that, Internet of Shit appliances.

Re: AEG combi microwave unusable after update: device thinks it is a steam oven

#207

Post by narrator »

pixl97 wrote: post #179
anonymousiam wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a new "smart home" with a couple of GE convection ovens that are Internet-connected. In the 2+ years that I've owned them, I've never used the Internet control features. The ONE feature that might make Internet connectivity useful would be setting the clock. Unfortunately, the clocks cannot be set or updated via the Internet. WORTHLESS!

I have a whirlpool 'smart' oven and it does appear to use internet time, or at least the time from the app. About the only thing it's useful for is to remind me when its preheated.

Your smart oven failing to work when your country is sanctioned could also be a feature.

Re: AEG combi microwave unusable after update: device thinks it is a steam oven

#208

Post by wkrsz »

ggreg84 wrote: post #76
fatnoah wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm starting a kitchen upgrade, and the number of "connected" kitchen appliances is astonishing. I don't need my faucet to have Alexa, I don't want to read news on my refrigerator, and I don't want an app for my oven. I'm not aware of any companies keeping servers running for a product that matches the life expectancy of a kitchen appliance, nor do I want an AWS outage to keep me from making nachos.

Buy professional appliances, for restaurants. For some reason, they are often better along many axes: cheaper, easier to clean, more customizable, more powerful, more flexible, etc. I really like the professional induction stoves, with actual physical dials, no touch crap. And the best part, there is a huge used market for professional appliances in really good shape, for even lower price.

Aren’t they too big for a regular home kitchen?

Re: AEG combi microwave unusable after update: device thinks it is a steam oven

#209

Post by mypalmike »

giraffe_lady wrote: post #130
ggreg84 wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Buy professional appliances, for restaurants. For some reason, they are often better along many axes: cheaper, easier to clean, more customizable, more powerful, more flexible, etc. I really like the professional induction stoves, with actual physical dials, no touch crap. And the best part, there is a huge used market for professional appliances in really good shape, for even lower price.

Commercial induction is pretty solid in a home. Microwaves too if you have a spare 220v hanging around in your kitchen. Mostly just because of the better controls as you mentioned though. A non-commercial appliance with a free spinning knob would be about as good. Other than that though, and I have a lot of professional cooking experience, I wouldn't. They're generally uninsulated, made of just sheets of stainless st…

Thank you. I learned quite a bit from this.

Re: AEG combi microwave unusable after update: device thinks it is a steam oven

#210

Post by beeboop »

yk wrote: post #99
Nextgrid wrote: post #52

Why is there no user-facing firmware update/recovery feature, so that at least tech-savvy users can resolve the issue themselves? Or a reset feature that reverts to the factory firmware located on a separate, read-only chip? Ah yes, it's to prevent people downgrading or running "unauthorized" firmware when they inevitably start adding user-hostile "features".

I agree, the actual question is, why don't run they point of cooking ads already?

I'm personally waiting for DRM protected hot pockets, to know I'm getting genuine Hot Pockets (TM) in every bite.
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