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Connectivity: Feature or Gimmick?

More and more consumer products are adding WiFi connectivity to their products, but that often comes with unintended consequences. I know because I’ve often fell victim to having the latest, and have asked myself why didn’t I leave well enough alone.

Typically when it’s included in a device, it enables the device to do things remotely via a dedicated app. The app can sometimes make the product easier to use, because you can control your device using a phone’s touch screen instead of buttons or a tiny screen on the device itself.

But products dependent on an app also means the potential of a new subscription fee or even a product that may not be useable, if the manufacturer fails to support it or goes out of business. Then there’s the issue of whether the product will work when WiFi or power goes out.

While I’ve been resistant to products with WiFi connectivity when it doesn’t add much value, for some products it makes sense. Let’s look at a few examples and see if it’s feature or a gimmick.

Thermostats – The first connected thermostat was invented by Nest, now owned by Google. The original Nest product was the “Nest Learning Thermostat,” a smart thermostat that could learn your heating and cooling preferences based on your behavior and automatically adjust temperatures to save energy, essentially making it the first widely recognized self-learning thermostat on the market when it was released in 2011.

I currently use a connected Ecobee smart thermostat that can do much more.  It can adjust the temperature of your home when you’re not there, so you don’t waste energy. It also can detect whether the home or even a particular room is occupied and reduce the usage of the air conditioner or heater when away. One of the best features is being able to set the temperature using your phone from your bed on a cold night.

Ecobee also monitors the outdoor temperature by connecting with the Internet to determine your local weather, and makes recommendations for the indoor settings. It then sends a monthly report on how efficient you are compared with others in your area.

My verdict tor thermostats? Connectivity is a Feature!

Door Locks – I installed a Schlage door lock with a numerical touchpad on my front door about 8 years ago. I specifically chose not to get a unit with WiFi, because my need was just to provide a keyless way to enter my home, and providing a code to others to enter when we’re not home. Also I worried about the door unlocking when I was away from home if my WiFi was compromised.

The WiFi version works much the same, plus also lets it to be done remotely using an app. The app also lets you more easily manage creating and sharing multiple door codes. That’s useful for an Airbnb owner, but added little value for me.

However, Schlage’s new models introduced at this year’s CES make it tempting to upgrade. will make it even easier to unlock your door. It will unlock when you approach the door by detecting your presence, much like some automobiles. Here’s how they describe it: “The Schlage Sense Pro™ Smart Deadbolt introduces the brand’s latest development of Schlage Converge™ technology. This feature uses Ultra Wideband and the user’s paired and authorized personal device to intelligently calculate speed, trajectory and motion, ensuring seamless, intuitive entry that understands intent to enter and unlocks precisely as the user reaches their door. Offering hands-free unlocking, keypad access code entry, and tap-to-unlock and lock with NFC. ”

Now that’s interesting!

Appliances – Appliance makers have added WiFi to washing machines and dryers to do such things as control them remotely or help diagnose issues. Some let you even turn on an oven when you’re out or peer into your refrigerator from the supermarket to check your milk. I’ve yet to find any of them particularly useful. It’s also a ploy to get you to stick to a single brand so they can talk with one another. Wireless connectivity? – Gimmick!

Cooking Thermometers – I do a lot of outdoor cooking using temperature to monitor the grill and the food. A recent number of temperature measuring devices have added WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity that significantly improve the entire experience. By using this $199 Fireboard 2 device I can keep track of multiple temperatures of both the food and grill remotely, even miles away. It even shows up on your Apple watch. Wired temperature probes connect to the unit shown below and then the unit transmits the data to your phone and watch via the cloud.

It has a terrific app that plots temperature over time, lets you add photos to the graph and record the entire cooking experience for later referral. It’s one of the most satisfying products I’ve purchased in recent years.

More recently many companies have come out with all-in-one temperature measuring devices that look like a thin pencil. Just stick it in the food and it measures both the grill environment and food temperatures. Works great on a rotisserie roast as well. I use this device from Combustion that has 8 sensors to measure multiple points in the food and the grill and can predict when the food will be done.

WIreless connectivity? Feature, and a significant one.

TVs – With the popularity of streaming over WiFi, todays, connected TVs are a must if you chose not to get cable. The TV connects to the Internet using WiFi and allows you to stream various services, just as you can stream YouTube videos on your computer. WiFi turns a dumb screen into an entertainment juggernaut. Feature!

One important point about wireless connectivity. Once you’ve enabled a wireless device, you need to assume your information will be sold, rented or shared. Any promises made at purchase time about maintaining confidentially is just that – what they will do at a point in time.

Few companies are able to resist bringing in more revenue if they can, especially with the growth of data brokers that are always coming up with new ways to make money off our information. So think carefully about whether sharing is a concern.

Probably the most invasive device of all is your connected TV. It’s constantly capturing personal information such as your show preferences, and creating a profile of you. A smart TV can capture personal information like your viewing history, channels you watch, speech commands, locations, apps you use, etc., effectively creating a profile of your viewing habits which can be used for targeted advertising by manufacturers and third parties. This article from Consumer Reports provides more details.

Wireless connectivity? Feature and a requirement unless you use cable.