Your HVAC guy is right, obviously. It’s common sense…
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I have a Joule sous vide circulator and Breville acquired them at some point…and the app software was wonky and clunky with lots of drop off with connecting. This has been going on for a couple of years. Mostly just a hassle until it connected.
So Breville sends an email saying the old app would stop working in a couple of months (March) and you have to download the new app or it becomes a brick. My first reaction was…geez. will this thing become obsolete and useless? My experience after acquisition has been meh so was kind of cursing.
I have to say, the app upgrade is actually a big improvement to my surprise. Connected right away and the interface and graphics are better. I’m still leery of smart appliances that are completely dependent on an app and how long the company will support it. But if they continue to support it, great. At least they’ve been around for a long time. It’s nice when something works.
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I got a Joule sous vide for the holidays some years back and exchanged it for the Anova for EXACTLY this reason. The power and temp buttons can’t be bricked via over the air updates.
We’re getting set to do some kitchen upgrades, and we are dreading trying to find a non-smart dishwasher.
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I have some “smart” appliances that I never connected, on purpose Fortunately they can still be used without the connectivity.
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You can find non-“smart” dishwashers fairly easily still, I think.
I have zero interest in the internet of things, and I certainly don’t need major manufacturers monitoring how I access my appliances. The new iteration of my Gaggenau wall oven is fairly sophisticated without outside connection, unless I want it to automatically update the time for DS/Standard time, which requires downloading an app. I’m good with manually resetting the clock, thank you very much.
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Some smart appliances operate fine without an app or activating the so-called smart features. Our washer and dishwasher are that way, which is why we picked them. So if you see a dishwasher model you otherwise like, it’s worth checking to learn if it can also operate equally well in traditional mode.
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All my appliances are the “dumb” versions or they have their smart connectivity turned off, and they all work just fine. I spent my whole life not needing these features and I can live without them. I also don’t like the idea of being monitored through my refrigerator or someone hacking my range.
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Our new Bosch dishwasher has smart features but I was assured (by the salesman and my own research) that they were totally optional. True, but I can’t delay-start the dishwasher without using the app. 
I’m kind of tempted to set up an email address for our appliances, eg “123MainStreet@gmail” so I can keep some privacy but still, you know, delay-start cycles…
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In theory only it would know - is it going to analyze the contents of all the miscellaneous leftovers, and reused condiment jars and yogurt containers that fill my refrigerator? Is it going to count the eggs in the box (maybe?)
My brother said I’d need to use the app if I wanted to have my oven preheat in advance/when I wasn’t around, to which I replied that even its thoroughly analog predecessor from the '80s had a Sabbath mode that allowed you to preset a turn-on time. Too bad it’s only ovens and lights you can program that way without connection.
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Even appliances that do not require apps or the possibility of connecting with the internet can still utilize chips in performing their basic functions. Eventually there is a likelihood of chip/motherboard failure, and the more heat that appliance involves really increases the likelihood of that failure. Finding any appliance, major or small, that is free of chip technology is a challenge, and when you find one, brace yourself for sticker shock. If you have the wherewithal to front the cost, it may well be a good longterm investment. A $1500 stove with a couple of blown motherboards adds up to almost what the least expensive nondigital stove costs and involves two disruptive episodes of eating out because the stove is broken.
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I’m pretty sure that the garbage disposal they just installed is not a “smart” appliance. 
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