My washing machine doesn’t need Wi-Fi

[jima@mspsocial.net]

@hyacin @neil The door-open notifications on our fridge are occasionally not just someone rearranging/indecisive. It was not a compelling element to the purchase, though.

The oven...that one came with the house. Pre-heating (and pre-heating notifications) are OK, but I wouldn't bother, were it my choice.

Washer/dryer...replaced literally this week. The "load done" notifications are genuinely kind of handy for the people two floors below the laundry room.

[jima@mspsocial.net]

@hyacin @neil All of these are 2.4GHz-spamming, probably bug-filled trash, though, and I do genuinely detest that element of the whole affair.

[spiegelmama@infosec.exchange]

@neil But yeah, for me, the washer/dryer app is silly. Fridge is the WORST.

[ben@bluetoot.hardill.me.uk]

@neil @bloor @dan Just got to be careful to check the load rating on the smart plug and what the appliance can draw (though to be fair it's likely to be less than a UK kettle e.g. https://kettlecompanion.com/)

[henryk@chaos.social]

@neil I have a smart plug to monitor (and account) power usage of my washing machine. Yes, home assistant can now know when the cycle is over (though the thresholds are a little tricky because of long idle stretches).

But: Beware of cheap/wrong plugs. The first attempt of doing that basically melted itself. It was a relay plug (though I had no intentions of using the relay) and my 3000W machine apparently was too much. It failed permanently open.

I'm now using https://www.athom.tech/blank-1/no-relay-consumption-monitoring-eu-plug-for-esphome

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

@etchedpixels @bloor The plugs I have from localbytes, with Tasmota, all report power. In my case, to HomeAssistant.

So, when my bicycle has finished charging, the plug turns off.

[bloor@bloor.tw]

@neil @dan almost definitely - you could set it up to identify when current drawn drops to near zero for (say) five mins, and deem that “finished”

[etchedpixels@mastodon.social]

@neil @bloor Not quite what I meant - you can set a program running when the battery hits 90% and things like that, not just turn stuff off.

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

@TimWardCam @bloor @dan

Yes, and the context here is about getting notifications for a finished cycle.

[timwardcam@c.im]

@neil @bloor @dan Sure, a smart plug would work for that. But the f***ing machine makes lots of bleeps (which can't be turned off) then anyway, which is more than enough notification in the middle of the night when I'm trying to sleep.

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

@etchedpixels @bloor

Ah, okay. Yes, different, but perhaps not massively different to HomeAssistant rules to turn stuff off and on?

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

@TimWardCam @bloor @dan

For a couple of appliances, for which I didn't need an audible notification, I snipped the lines to the beeper / buzzer.

Bliss.

[kim@fedi.social]

@TimWardCam@c.im @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk @bloor@bloor.tw @dan@mastodon.durrans.com Mine (Haier) will resume from where it left off if you interrupt power once the cycle is started, so you can do that to start it with a smart plug. I mostly just use the delay timer though, with Tasmota to work out when it's finished.

[timwardcam@c.im]

@neil @bloor @dan 🤣 I suspect I might get into trouble with another member of the household if I did that and warranty service was later refused on the grounds that I'd messed with it!

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

@TimWardCam @bloor @dan

Yes, fair. This was done collaboratively :)

[crdfilm@mastodon.social]

@neil It's like the Keurig does not need Wifi either. Who needs to know what coffee I'm brewing?

[alisonw@fedimon.uk]

@TimWardCam @neil @bloor @dan
Mine also beeps so I just close the door. It's then not loud enough to wake me

[guardeddon@mas.to]

@bloor @neil @dan
I’ve seen this exact discussion before, how to monitor a washing machine using a Shelly or similar current monitor, was it @edent? Pretty sure it was here.

[linker3000@mastodon.social]

I have a Tasmota-based smart plug on mine that feeds power readings to Node-RED every 30 secs, which then works out when to send me an email when it's started and 3 mins after it stops.

[mal3aby@mastodon.smears.org]

@neil @etchedpixels @bloor OOI how long have you had the localbytes plugs? I really like them, but a while back we had a bunch of them (4 or 5) die within a few weeks of each other. Including the one on the freezer, which was nearly very expensive! Wondering whether I got unlucky with a bad batch, or whether they just have a finite lifetime...