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Homeowner baffled after washing machine uses 3.6GB of internet data a day (2024)

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Re: Homeowner baffled after washing machine uses 3.6GB of internet data a day (2024)

#91

Post by rsynnott »

nofunsir wrote: post #35

I just want normal buttons and dials back. Not time-based capacitance buttons that take 5.02 seconds to activate, not 5.0 seconds; nor free-spinning encoder wheels that mandate you give it a jiggle before the washer does anything, even if it's already on the setting you want. I want kachunk-a-chunk back first. Then we can decide if it needs smarts.

If you're talking about the motorised control wheel things that old washing machines used to have, they went away largely because they are failure prone, and their failure modes can be bad (for instance in some machines if they fail while the machine is filling, well, it will just go on filling forever). The microcontrollers in modern machines can fail, to, but generally are easier to make fail safe.

Re: Homeowner baffled after washing machine uses 3.6GB of internet data a day (2024)

#92

Post by npteljes »

UberFly wrote: post #21

"A tech-savvy San Francisco resident" Nope. Connecting your washing machine to the internet isn't the act of a tech-savvy person.

I thought that too, but experience had proven me otherwise. At a software firm, I have many colleagues who don't mind this at all. In fact, it's the opposite: I'm the one who is too paranoid about things like connecting a washing machine to the internet, or installing an app for everything.

Re: Homeowner baffled after washing machine uses 3.6GB of internet data a day (2024)

#93

Post by s1mplicissimus »

ssl-3 wrote: post #64
oliwarner wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But these are [often] thousand dollar appliances. "Capacitive buttons are cheaper" shouldn't be a factor. It's hard to understand why companies can't build things to last, use real buttons, provide parts for servicing at cost, add local APIs for anything "smart", forgo any secondary income streams (eg screens showing ads), and still make a profit .

It's not just the buttons themselves (in a capacitive-vs-mechanical sense) -- it's also warranty services. When the electronicals are bottled up behind a sheet of glass or Perspex or whatever, then: They tend to last longer because their operating environment becomes less hazardous to them. Exact hourly rates vary too much to write about specifics, but whatever they are: Sending a tech out to look at a thing costs re…

> End-of-cycle detection is really all that is ever needed for smarts anyway

To me that would be the least interesting part about a smart washing machine. Like when I start it, I can already see when it's going to be done. The part I'm really interested in is preloading and autostart it at a given time. Guess it's usecase related what one considers "needed for smarts"

Re: Homeowner baffled after washing machine uses 3.6GB of internet data a day (2024)

#94

Post by ponector »

FranzFerdiNaN wrote: post #89
ponector wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> I just want normal buttons and dials back There are washing machines without any screens, just old buttons. Also they are cheaper, I can see now in the store for just €270. But looks like many people wants screens, apps and happily pay extra for washing machine with extra features.

Do people really want them, or is that what is offered and do most people just buy whatever they see in a store or on the first page of a retailer online? We keep pretending that everything that companies do is because consumers want it, but we ignore the part where companies do certain things because its better for them. Like a washing machine that uses 4 gig of data a day, or a washing machine that needs access to…

Obviously they don't say it will spy on you. But "innovative design with AI app" with price tag €1000 is there along with old style €300 washer with knobs.

Many people rather buy new shiny thing than old style cheap item.

Re: Homeowner baffled after washing machine uses 3.6GB of internet data a day (2024)

#95

Post by fluoridation »

ssl-3 wrote: post #59
frollogaston wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, unless it has a cell modem, not that it's cheap enough to make sense today

I have personally installed equipment that included non-optional, always-on cellular data connectivity that allowed it to be configured and monitored from The Clown. And Amazon rather famously included cellular connectivity with their early Kindle e-ink book-reading devices -- back in '07. It's been done before. It can be done again.

Eh. If someone wants to waste money keeping up a data connection with my washing machine, I don't have much of an issue with it, as long as it doesn't have any microphones.

Re: Homeowner baffled after washing machine uses 3.6GB of internet data a day (2024)

#96

Post by snapplebobapple »

nofunsir wrote: post #35

I just want normal buttons and dials back. Not time-based capacitance buttons that take 5.02 seconds to activate, not 5.0 seconds; nor free-spinning encoder wheels that mandate you give it a jiggle before the washer does anything, even if it's already on the setting you want. I want kachunk-a-chunk back first. Then we can decide if it needs smarts.

As has been said already those can fail nuclear disaster style so I have no interest in having those back. Give me an ethernet port and a wifi interface (ideally supporting at least wifi 6 but ideally wifi 7 so it's not polluting the airwaves causing interference. It should also be able to be disabled if I want to use ethernet only) that has a locked down web interface exposed on one port with some standardized interface (is rest still what all the cool kids are using?) that exposes all the machine functions and lets me configure access credentials. The apps are spyware garbage that I'm sure are fine for some people but with local polling I can integrate this stuff into my home assistant setup and do all I would ever want with it and block the machine's external access. All these commodity manufacturers of household goods are trying to lock us into their software walled gardens to rip us off more/sell our information to advertisers and governments and that needs to be aggressively stopped imo.

Re: Homeowner baffled after washing machine uses 3.6GB of internet data a day (2024)

#98

Post by palmotea »

> Introduced in the early 2010s, the smart washing machine promised convenience and efficiency by allowing users to control and monitor their washing machine remotely. The connection to a Wi-Fi network allows the user to operate functions from a smartphone, download additional wash programs, and receive alerts when a load is complete.

Unless the thing will load and unload itself, all those "features" are stupid.

We really ought to have a special derisive name for buzzy features like those, that make absolutely no sense and are basically useless in the real world.

Re: Homeowner baffled after washing machine uses 3.6GB of internet data a day (2024)

#99

Post by palmotea »

ssl-3 wrote: post #50
nofunsir wrote: post #35

I just want normal buttons and dials back. Not time-based capacitance buttons that take 5.02 seconds to activate, not 5.0 seconds; nor free-spinning encoder wheels that mandate you give it a jiggle before the washer does anything, even if it's already on the setting you want. I want kachunk-a-chunk back first. Then we can decide if it needs smarts.

The problem with kerchunk-a-wheels and real pushbuttons (and the not-smarts they imply) is that they're expensive. They're more expensive (and more failure-prone) than the rotary encoders, mush-buttons, and brain-boxes that replaced them. But one cool part about things like motorized kerchunk-a-wheels is that, upon failure, a motivated person on Gilligan's Island can often mend them back into service with a screwdriv…

>> I just want normal buttons and dials back. Not time-based capacitance buttons that take 5.02 seconds to activate, not 5.0 seconds; nor free-spinning encoder wheels that mandate you give it a jiggle before the washer does anything, even if it's already on the setting you want.

> The problem with kerchunk-a-wheels and real pushbuttons (and the not-smarts they imply) is that they're expensive.

> They're more expensive (and more failure-prone) than the rotary encoders, mush-buttons, and brain-boxes that replaced them.

Capacitance buttons also failure-prone because they literally don't work half the time. The GP was also describing other failures with the modern style controls.

I'm tired of this gaslighting: "kerchunk-a-wheels and real pushbuttons" work and are more reliable. I have literal first hand experience with them working reliably for decades. I also have literal first hand experience with capacitance buttons, etc. constantly not working from day one.

The only bit of truth to your argument is they may be more expensive. But I'll take [slightly] more expensive and working over not working any day.

And if you disagree with me, I'll sell you an empty box as a dishwasher. It won't work, but it'll be less expensive!

Re: Homeowner baffled after washing machine uses 3.6GB of internet data a day (2024)

#100

Post by IAmBroom »

snapplebobapple wrote: post #96
nofunsir wrote: post #35

I just want normal buttons and dials back. Not time-based capacitance buttons that take 5.02 seconds to activate, not 5.0 seconds; nor free-spinning encoder wheels that mandate you give it a jiggle before the washer does anything, even if it's already on the setting you want. I want kachunk-a-chunk back first. Then we can decide if it needs smarts.

As has been said already those can fail nuclear disaster style so I have no interest in having those back. Give me an ethernet port and a wifi interface (ideally supporting at least wifi 6 but ideally wifi 7 so it's not polluting the airwaves causing interference. It should also be able to be disabled if I want to use ethernet only) that has a locked down web interface exposed on one port with some standardized inter…

Your primary concern is "Will my washer work after a nuclear strike?" ?
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