Mine is pretty dumb apart from a couple of smart plugs and my main room lighting..... And admittedly that is where my Logitech Harmony Hub is located alongside a TV
When is comes to major Kitchen appliances I have not replaced the major items, but would be interested to hear peoples experiences, e.g. Ovens and Cook-tops, fridges, dishwashers, coffee machines, taps, more tailored lighting, etc.
I should probably add that my dishwasher and microwave have Kasa smart plugs, and I have made use of the Microwave one to notify me when the door is left open.
Lighting in my kitchen is automated. I have leak sensors behind the fridge, underneath the dishwasher, and underneath the kitchen sink by a RODI water system. I also get temperature reports from the fridge and freezer.
Edit: I forgot - also have a contact sensor on the fridge/freezer door.
2nd Edit: BTW, Ecowitt sensors are excellent temperature sensors for the fridge/freezer.
I have Bosch Dishwasher and I announce and send push notifications when the dishes are dry.
Other than that, just the normal lighting automations based on the day of the week and time of day. Leak sensors, lighting inside the lower cabinets that comes on when the doors are opened. Contact sensor on the fridge/freezer doors and temp sensors in the fridge/freezer.
That's a good point, I also have temp / humidity sensors that I make use of.... But I guess I was focussed on the appliances... Easy to forget the "other" automations or device you have in a room
I guess apart from the devices listed so far, the major appliances people have integrated with HE are also of interest to me / others, I feel this is a area people delve into without too much background knowledge,.... hopefully this can provide some...
I have:
Kitchen table light that turns on with motion when the outside LUX is below a certain level and turns off when there is no motion for a while.
Kitchen counter light that does the same.
Water sensors below the sink and washing machine - I should probably add one under the fridge now that I have a water dispenser in it!!! Thanks for the reminder @aaiyar!
Temperature sensors in the fridge (one in each sections).
Alexa Echo Show 8 that provides notifications as required
Inovelli dimmer that provides a few key notifications via its LED bar (Garage Door Open, AC running, HSM Armed)
Fridge that will send a notification if the door remains open too long and also monitors power usage
InSinkerator (Garburator) that is on an automated switch and will turn on via a command, and turn off automatically after 1 minute
Faucet that is touch sensitive - I will need to change it to a connected model at some point…
Appliances are so complicated and dare I say it crappy nowadays, I would hate to add anything more to it. They can't make a fridge that can make ice consistently for goodness sakes.
Some of the appliance automation stuff ranges from silly to dangerous, except in a very few cases. A smart microwave that you can tell Alexa to turn on while you are standing next to it? Silly. A smart oven that can turn on remotely? Dangerous IMO, lots of things that can go wrong there. And a WTF award goes to the wash machine that only has basic cycles and the advanced settings are hidden in a phone app. Just hope the server is up when you want to do laundry!
A few things might be nice, a signal that a dishwasher is done, or a fridge is too warm. Maybe even a way to know that the oven timer is expired. But they don't stop at the useful stuff and do crap "because they can".
A standard motion sensor such as a cheap Sonoff motion sensor can detect boiling water if aimed properly. Apparently it can see the column of boiling steam. Do what you will with that knowledge.
Countertop Icemaker is on a power monitoring Iris outlet and a Switchbot bot to turn it on and off. The power monitoring is needed to keep track of the state. This is tied to my home/away mode so it's on when I'm home and off when I'm gone. Eventually I plan to replace the Switchbot with a momentary switch wired to the power button.
Haven't done this yet, but thinking of setting up the vent in my range hood to kick on based on temp/humidity under the hood. This will require wiring into the fan and I think it is technically a dimmer, so not really sure about bothering with this one.
Haven't done much other than fooling around, but might try to utilize Echo speakers sound detection for dishwasher, microwave, etc...
The only real smart out of the box device I have is a Moen faucet that works with Alexa. Volume and temperature is controllable but it's still sitting in the box for the last 3 months.
Almost forgot the basic lighting automations, leak sensors, and a temp sensor in the fridge...still can't believe enough signal can get through.
I've done the "normal" stuff like lighting automation, and warnings if fridge/freezer doors are left open, or if temps are too high even w/the door shut.
EDIT: Forgot, we do have a Moen Smart faucet that turns on/off via motion. Mostly like that very much.
I have my dumb stove set up w/contact sensors on the control knobs so that if any burners are on a light strip set to red that runs along the cabinet baseboard will light up, so we will notice if (really "when" - I definitely have a problem w/forgetting to turn off burners) we accidentally leave a burner on. Same on the toaster oven - it's a dumb oven, but plugged into an enery monitoring plug so we have the same LED light on if it's on.
So some smarts pasted onto dumb appliances is the best I can do. We put in all new stuff in around 2004 w/a big kitchen/family room remodel, and everything is still working fine, so no sure when we'll have an opportunity to change things up.
The main thing I'd like is a truly smart cooktop that would allow us to check it's status and turn the burners off remotely, and also warn us automatically when a burner is on for more than X minutes (timing configurable by us). Would also like it to automatically turn burners down or off when a spill-over occurs when boiling a liquid. And if it could consistently make a good risotto, that would also be nice.
Same deal here... lighting is automated except for the par20 bulbs in my range hood. I can't get to a spot where I can automate them with a switch without major effort. I also have leak detectors under the dishwasher, sink, and fridge. And I have temperature sensors in the fridge and freezer. I use the ST multi sensors. They work fine and I've never had any issues with the metal in the fridge. I do use an Ecowitt sensor though - in the hot tub! The AC window unit in the kitchen is also automated, and there are Hue color flood lights outside the kitchen. I would REALLY like to get those darned par20s done but alas... no one makes a par20 smart bulb.
I can't replace the three-point lock in the door with an automated one but I fashioned a lock position sensor out of a contact sensor and a rare earth magnet glued do the lock lever. It isn't the most elegant of solutions but it at least alerts me if the kitchen door is left unlocked.
Oh... and the cat feeder is automated. I control it via HE so I can issue an impromptu feed via Alexa. The steel bowl makes a great noise when bombarded with dry cat food and it will call the cats from anywhere in the house. 530 in the morning got a cat crawling over your head in bed? "Alexa, distract the cats." Good for 30 more minutes of peace and quiet.
Agree...I would suggest that remote access would only allow for turning appliances like stoves and ovens off. Just too dangerous due to accdental actions, or even hacking by someone and they try to burn up your house.
Oh and while we're at it, things like the Jetson's flying cars are also not a good idea. My brother can barely drive on the ground safely, I can't imagine him swooping around up in the air...horrific!
Wow that's spendy, check out eBay for the Centralite contact sensor, which also does temp. Can get them in bulk for around $5. Frees up those fancy multi sensors for other duty.
Yeah they were a bit cheaper when I bought them but you're right. However, I am not particularly cost-sensitive when it comes to home automation toys. Once I find something that works I tend to stick with it even when there are less expensive options.
I'm learning that myself. I used to love Sonoff but am turning away from them now. Centralite (at least those older Comcast ones) are about as rock solid as any smart device ever made. Same goes for Iris stuff. I think I would even rate them higher in quality than ST and Hue sensors. They're real gems while supply lasts.
I really want to do this on my range hood, since I have the burners monitored and can tell when any of them are on, I could turn on the hood lights automatically. I just don't have easy access to the wiring to add in a controller. Also struggle a bit with turning them off after auto-on. Sometimes we want the hood lights on well past when the burners are off, other times they can be turned off immediately.
Would likely need a button by the stove to toggle them on/off so wife would always feel like she's in control. She is such a button freak...
