How Smart is Your Kitchen...?

💬 Lounge
25

I have:

  • Automated blind - opening/closing by time

  • All lights automated - downlights, under cabinet LED strip, plinth LED strip. Rules switch on the LED by time or when the blind is closed. As my alarm armed/disarmed status is monitored, the lights won't come on if we're in bed or not home

  • Washing machine - standard non smart connected through power monitoring outlet with contact on cupboard door. Rule using power monitoring sends notifications to phones and dashboard (variable) when complete, while opening the cupboard door for more than 15 seconds completes the rule, nulls the notification variable.

  • Dishwasher - smart connected with Home Connect integration. Sends notifications as the washing machine above using rule. Dashboard can show time remaining and percentage completion, active program etc.

  • Fridge - smart connected with LG Thin Q integration. Sends notifications to variable and phones when door left open, filter needs changing. Connection is a bit temperamental

With hindsight - I could've just used a smart plug and contact for the dishwasher as I have the washing machine. We don't start it remotely and only need to know when it's finished.

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26

The Quooker is the best - I drink more tea than ever before. We initially bought an Insinkerator hot water tap from Wren when I did the kitchen. It was hopeless and cups had to be pre warmed, didn't get anywhere near the 98 degrees Celsius they specify so couldn't make a decent cuppa. I spent four months fighting with Wren and Insinkerator before they finally caved and gave me a full refund (which went toward the Quooker)

27

agreed, i did a lot of research and the Quooker just came up as the best, SWMBO had a small heart attack at the price so i got there matching soap dispenser to go with it :rofl: which is great as well. she hit the roof when i told her but the other month she said we should have got two of them one for washing up liquid :exploding_head:

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28

Hadn't heard of it so had to go Google Quooker.

My wife would not have hit the roof if I bought one. She would have sliced through the roof like it was made of cheese and not stopped until she hit Andromeda. :wink:

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29

Caseta lights, temperature/humidity of the room, temperature monitoring of the frige/freezer and warnings (Google Home and smartphone) if the frige/freezer doors are left open for 5 minutes. Power monitoring of fridge and oven. smoke detector. leak sensors. And some rules to link them all.

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30

Caseta switches, Bosch Hood using @rfg81 's Home Connect integration. AM43 for the shade, Iris v3 for temp/humid/motion. Neo Coolcam water sensor under the sink. Nest Smoke/Co detector in the ceiling next to an Ecolink firefighter.

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31

I have one of these also. It’s very entertaining when guests are over and trying to use it! Even after I tell them or show them how to use it people still cannot get it to work for some reason.

Also have newer Samsung appliances. Fridge and Stove are “smart”. Pretty meh…. The most exciting thing is you can make the stove clock sync up via the app but annoying at the same time because why isn’t it just automatic! You have to go in the app and push a button. I wish the microwave had wifi just so I could set the clock. Can get alerts from the fridge and stove for doors filters and timers as well. Stove has Alexa integration but for safety you have to push a button on the stove first so at that point I might as well just not bother. Still sad they didn’t have the convection oven in stock I should have just waited for it.

You would think replacing a 20yo fridge (still worked) and 10yo dishwasher (barely working after some soldiering work) it would be all awesome new technology but literally the dishwasher is almost exactly the same with a prettier face plate. Old microwave and stove was maybe 3yo and microwave had been fixed twice by me and after that I gave up. Old stove still working at family members house. If you want to spend some big $$$ you can get better but basic is still the same as 10yrs+ ago.

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32

The Quooker does look amazing, as does the Grohe Red. Unfortunately neither look like they're available to us colonials... :frowning:

33

Yes, that can be fun. :wink:

But what my wife finds even more fun, is watching me frantically waving my hands around under faucets when we're visiting friends, or at a hotel, our cottage, etc. Yes, she enjoys it when I look silly. :slight_smile:

Too bad about the lack of really useful smarts in the newer smart appliances. We are going to sit on our current ones for a while since they are all working (there, jinxed myself) - when the time comes to upgrade we'll see if things have improved.

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34

I have a Kraus one. Have had it 6 mos and still get annoyed with it..lol

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35

Automated lighting. Daytime levels, and late night levels. Manual override at the switch keeps it that way until turned off manually or via execution of the Goodnight routine.

Heated flooring is controlled by a Sinope thermostat, so levels are automatically reduced when we go to bed or when we leave for an extended period. The display shuts off after a minute unless motion is detected.

Fridge has its own warning for the door, but Sense sends me a message too because unbelievably, it was able to distinguish the fridge light from everything else on the fridge.

Microwave, I gave up on the automation. I used to have door and finished reminders, but since it’s my Wife that most often forgets, this was not appreciated.

Dishwasher automations are my favorite in my Kitchen. An Aeon HEM detects when it runs, and a Xiaomi vibration and tilt sensor reads the Y axis so when the door opens for more than 5 min to a specific angle or greater, it means the dishwasher has been emptied, and thus the dishes are dirty, else the answer is clean. I can ask Alexa in a couple of ways if the dishes are clean, and thanks to Echo Speaks, I can also once again ask when it ran in a couple of different ways. If it ran today, it says “Today” at [run time], otherwise it says the day and run time. Very useful.

Faucet is a Delta touch with a Voice IQ module. You can ask Alexa for amounts, or favorite dishes that need specific amounts of water boiled, turn on/off, and using virtual switches, Alexa routines can be controlled via buttons. Aqara Opple 6 button controller is used for amounts of water for coffee. This is a close race with the dishwasher automations. :coffee: All cloud, no local API, but it works and has been reliable.

Oven is smart, but we don’t use that. The reminders on your phone are mildly useful for us. It is induction, and that is a really nice cooking experience. Not a connected tech, but worth mentioning as a better alternative to gas.

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36

Everyone talking about light levels in the kitchen... had to go try it. Its not too bad right now with dimmer levels. Usually I want it like high noon on a sunny day in there at all times so I can see what the heck I am doing.

So yeah... time to go program the settings per mode in my RL app for the kitchen.

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37

Not for when you are trying to discreetly making a midnight snack or a drink of water. Mine come on at 15% after midnight.

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38

I tend to get up when it's still dark out so I don't wanna be blinded by light...(or revved up like a deuce....umm never mind)... Anyway... When I walk into my kitchen before sunrise I have my counter lights only come up to 5%. That's more than enough for me to load up the coffee maker with water and clean the basket and start a fresh pot. At sunrise the shade above the sink opens and the front blinds open up. That's second lighting stage. By the time everyone is up rest of the lights are on at full force. Conversely since we have a semi open floor plan, my wife likes most of the kitchen lights off (except the one over the kitchen table) and the family room lights off when we're watching a movie.

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39

I hear talk of using Ecowitt temperature sensor for measuring temperatures inside fridges and freezers. Could you please share the model #.
Thanks.

40

WH31 is what I'm using...

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41

Does this require the Ecowitt Gateway/Weatherstation or can be used standalone?

42

Needs the Gateway. It's cheap, small, and once you have it you can add other sensors/weather gear/weather stations as well...a fun rat-hole. :slight_smile:

There are at least two integrations for the Gateway:

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43

I have instant hot water (around 110 degrees) at my kitchen sink from my whole home tankless water heater and recirculator (dedicated to kitchen sink). The recirculator circulates water at 15 minute intervals (selectable) in 0-24 hour period. Probably not the most efficient option....probably lots of heat/energy loss in the pipes (insulated).

44

I'm doing motion lighting etc in the kitchen along with a button controller to turn off motion detection and dial in ambient lights for the main floor. IKEA Tradfri for under counter LED drivers, and their GU10 overhead lights. All newly connected to HE (just migrating from ST).

My fav though is using the 240 Volt Aeon switch on the induction cooktop, and using this to control the exhaust fan (also pimped that out to an ECM inline fan outside the hood). The Terrabloom ECM fans are awesome. The OEM hood fan has been removed. This setup is much, much quieter, and moves at least twice the air. The 240V switch detects power use so I trigger on/off this to control the ECM fan via an Aeotec micro relay.

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