Why Do Smart Appliances Continue to Be So Dumb?
Connected ovens, microwaves and dishwashers have yet to add much value to homeowners
5 min
Jimmy Hawkins calls himself a home-automation hobbyist. But “hobbyist” is underselling it: He’s a home-automation maniac.
Hawkins has over 200 “smart” devices throughout his Alpharetta, Ga., home. They include run-of-the-mill smart products: locks, lightbulbs, a garage door opener, and vacuums. But also some weird ones: a bidet, mousetrap, toothbrush and curtain rods programmed to close his curtains at a predetermined time.
What does he not have in his house? Lots of smart home appliances.
He and his wife, Jordan, purchased their 4,000-square-foot home in 2022 and bought a smart microwave with a sliding drawer during a kitchen renovation. But after a power outage, they never reconnected it to Wi-Fi.
“Do I really need to get my phone, open an app, hit the ‘open’ button when I’m literally standing in front of the thing and could just push the ‘open’ button?” said Hawkins, 40.
He really does not. It’s like the people who designed his microwave’s smart features have never actually used a microwave.
Smart devices like locks, thermostats and vacuums add real value by addressing a legitimate need, solving a problem or taking over an entire task. But most connected appliances have whizzed right past smart and circled back to dumb. Some offer useful tricks, like preheating your oven remotely, and downloading software updates that add cooking features. But many of the features on these appliances are useless; why would you want to start your clothes washer via app when you have likely just loaded it?
That may be one reason why consumers aren’t using their smart appliances as intended. According to a Wall Street Journal report from Jan. 2023 , only around half of the buyers of smart home appliances from two major manufacturers keep them connected to the internet. LG reported that it was less than half in 2022. Whirlpool said more than half but declined to be more specific. Whirlpool declined to update that data for 2023. Both companies said that consumer concerns over privacy, difficulty connecting and reconnecting devices when the power goes out, and the lack of robust Wi-Fi near their appliances were behind low connection rates.
Owners of these devices have different explanations. There is, they say, a general disinterest in many Wi-Fi-enabled features, like being able to turn on the oven light with their phone app, or starting the dryer while they’re grocery shopping. Take a moment and try to conceive why you’d want or need to do either of those things, besides trying to startle someone who is looking into the oven, or wanting newly dried clothes with a soupçon of mildew.
Consumers, says Hawkins, also don’t want a separate app for each appliance made by different companies. An effective smart-home hub, which lets you completely control all your smart devices from a single place, is still a ways off. Some are getting close, like Home Assistant by Nabu Casa, according to Ed de Tollenaer, who runs the Youtube channel SmartHomeJunkie. But HA is still mostly used by DIY home-automation hobbyists who are adept at programming, de Tollenaer says. A universal smart-device operating standard, called Matter, aims to let smart devices communicate with each other, but until more appliance makers get on board, it’s every app for itself.
If you want to buy a package of high-end home appliances from a single manufacturer that isn’t smart, you’re kind of out of luck. When interior designer and custom cabinet maker Vince Winteregg had a client who wanted high-end appliances without Wi-Fi in his remodeled home, it took Winteregg months to locate brands without it. He found a few individual appliances—a Speed Queen washer and dryer set, a Blue Star professional range and a Wolf steam oven. But he’s still on the hunt for a dumb dishwasher.
“I haven’t found a single client who was excited or looking for Wi-Fi connectivity for appliances,” says Winteregg, based in Clearwater, Fla.
After a surge in 2021, sales of smart home devices into the retail channel plunged then flattened, and the category of devices that includes smart appliances is not expected to see a meaningful rebound in sales until 2025, according to a study by market intelligence firm IDC. This, says Jitesh Ubrani, a research manager for IDC, is partly due to market saturation for smart home devices of all types, a dramatic slowdown in new home sales and construction (the biggest “consumer” of appliances and other smart devices), and the economic downturn since the pandemic.
Ubrani likes his smart vacuum, but otherwise he counts himself among the disenchanted. “A real smart dishwasher would be more like a smart vacuum, where you can sort of set it and forget it. It would load the dishwasher, unload the dishwasher and put away the dishes…I guess what I really want is Rosey the Robot from the Jetsons.” The closest thing to Rosey was “Assign a Task by Whirlpool” which notified you when the washing machine was done and enabled you to send a customised text message to someone…to tell them to put the clothes in the dryer.
Despite a lack of robust consumer interest in smart features, appliance manufacturers continue to embrace them. Data generated by these smart appliances and the apps that live on your phone is fed back to the maker, and can be used to determine how customers are using the product, to identify cross-selling opportunities for paid subscription services (such as recipe app Yummly, which sends recipe instructions to your Whirlpool smart oven—but why?) and to enable software updates and remote diagnostics.
Still, hope springs eternal that one day, the manufacturers will realise that lots of consumers just want an appliance that works and lasts longer than five years before going obsolete.
Hobbyists like Hawkins aren’t convinced that manufacturers will ever give up the holy grail of knowing everything about you and converting it to cash.
“They will probably figure out a way to force you to connect,” says Hawkins. “They really want this data.”
If you’re in the market for household appliances, but want a completely dumb version, you’ll likely have to go for a lower-tier model in any maker’s portfolio of products to find one. If you’re committed to owning a high-end dumb appliance, and you’re willing to spend big, try shopping European, industrial- or commercial-grade manufacturers.
If the model you want only comes smart, keep in mind that most appliances still do their basic job without being connected to the internet, but some do not. One smart-oven maker forces owners to connect to the internet in order to enable the convection roast feature, even though there is a button for it on the oven. Before you buy, make sure that every feature you want works without a connection, or without a one-time connection for a download, which would still force you to download the app, register with your personal info, etc.
Remember that if you do connect your appliance to the internet, the line up of available non-connected features could change in a future software update. Such is the case for both Yummly, which is being sunset in December, and “Assign a Task,” which is no longer available because, one assumes, a Whirlpool washing machine engineer came to his senses.
Lastly, if you want a smart appliance, and you want your smart devices to communicate with each other, look for devices that incorporate the Matter standard. More makers are joining the standard and as smart-appliance functionality inevitably (we hope) improves and becomes more useful, being able to consolidate control on a single hub instead of a half-dozen apps will make life easier. That, after all, is the point of home appliances.
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Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation CEO Kristina Keneally says Australia’s culture of large-scale philanthropy is becoming more sophisticated as Gold Dinner raises $75.5 million for children’s health, research and innovation.
3 min
Australia’s wealthiest donors are becoming more strategic, more ambitious and increasingly focused on creating measurable impact, according to Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation chief executive Kristina Keneally.
Speaking after the 2026 Gold Dinner, held last week in Sydney, Keneally said Australia was experiencing a significant shift in how major philanthropy is viewed, with large-scale giving increasingly part of conversations about leadership, legacy and social impact.
The annual Gold Dinner, now in its 29th year, brought together some of the country’s most influential business leaders, philanthropists and cultural figures, raising $75.5 million and counting in support of the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network.
While the event has become one of Australia’s most prestigious fundraising gatherings, Keneally said its significance extends far beyond a single evening.
“Gold Dinner, the flagship event of Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, represents far more than a single evening. It is a powerful demonstration of what a committed community can achieve together over 12 months,” she said.
“The strength of that community, and the trust built over nearly three decades, means people return not just for the event, but for the impact they know it delivers.”
A NEW ERA OF PHILANTHROPY
Large-scale philanthropy has long been a feature of American society, where charitable foundations and major donors often play a prominent role in funding medical research, education and social programs.
Keneally believes Australia is moving in a similar direction.
“Australia is building a stronger culture of large-scale philanthropy, but it is still evolving compared to the United States, where giving at scale is more deeply embedded and widely recognised,” she said.
She said the country’s philanthropic landscape was becoming more sophisticated as successful business leaders increasingly sought opportunities to create meaningful change through their giving.
“In Australia, while generosity has always been strong, large-scale giving has historically been less visible, but that is changing rapidly as more leaders embrace philanthropy as a powerful way to drive meaningful outcomes.”
According to Keneally, events such as the Gold Dinner are helping reshape public perceptions of philanthropy by demonstrating the tangible outcomes that major donations can achieve.
“Gold Dinner is helping to reshape how philanthropy is perceived in Australia, making it more visible, more aspirational and more connected to real-world outcomes,” she said.
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
The funds raised through Gold Dinner support clinical care, research and innovation across the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network.
Over the past 12 months, more than $75.5 million has been raised to help fund advanced medical equipment, innovative care models and world-leading medical research. Areas of focus include precision medicine and early diagnosis, where emerging technologies are already changing how childhood illnesses are detected and treated.
Keneally said the impact is felt directly by children and families facing some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
“For children and families, this translates into very real and immediate impact. It means faster diagnoses, earlier access to life-saving treatments, and care that is more personalised and effective,” she said.
“It also ensures hospitals are equipped not just to respond to illness, but to reimagine what care can look like, giving children the best possible chance not only to survive, but to live full, healthy lives.”
BUSINESS LEADERS BACKING CHANGE
One of the defining characteristics of Gold Dinner is the calibre of its supporters.
The event has evolved into a meeting point for influential leaders from business, culture and philanthropy, many of whom see charitable giving as an extension of their professional and personal legacy.
“It speaks to a community that is not only generous, but increasingly ambitious in how it gives, combining influence, expertise and purpose to achieve outcomes at scale,” Keneally said.
Among the major supporters of this year’s event were Presenting Partner, John-Paul Nassif Foundation; Major Partners, ABC Bullion, Shaw and Partners Financial Services and One Circular Quay by Lendlease; and Premier Partner, Range Rover, whose ongoing support reflects a shared philosophy of legacy and long-term impact.
The evening also featured performances, premium hospitality experiences and fundraising initiatives designed to encourage further support for children’s health services and research.
LOOKING BEYOND NEW HOSPITALS
With major new children’s hospital developments at Randwick and Westmead progressing, Keneally said the focus is increasingly turning towards what comes next.
“The long-term vision is to ensure every child has access to world-leading healthcare, care that continues to evolve through innovation, research and global collaboration,” she said.
The foundation’s future priorities include accelerating medical discovery, expanding access to cutting-edge treatments and helping position New South Wales as a global leader in children’s health.
Keneally said the Gold Dinner remains central to achieving those ambitions because it does more than raise money.
“Gold Dinner is critical to making that vision possible. It not only provides significant funding, but also unites a powerful network of supporters who are driving the future of philanthropy in Australia,” she said.
As Australia’s culture of philanthropy continues to mature, Keneally believes that the network will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of healthcare for generations to come.
“The result is a community that is helping to shape the future of paediatric care, not just for today’s patients, but for generations to come.”
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