Why is there no user-facing firmware update/recovery feature, so that at least tech-savvy users can resolve the issue themselves? Or a reset feature that reverts to the factory firmware located on a separate, read-only chip?<p>Ah yes, it's to prevent people downgrading or running "unauthorized" firmware when they inevitably start adding user-hostile "features".
I refuse to own an oven that is internet connected.<p>If my oven has enough of a computer to have a firmware that can be updated remotely, it is too dangerous to own.
Electrolux are a horrible company. They seem to have borged a whole load of other brands, which all have now descended to Electrolux's abysmal standards.<p>- They don't support their own products; the warranty is served by a third-party<p>- Their products are built to a price-point, and fail just after the warranty is up<p>- Spare parts are expensive<p>- They apparently have neither an email address or phone number<p>The water heater in my AEG dishwasher failed three times in six months. Each time I had to wait a month for the repair man to arrive, declare that my water-heater had failed, and come back two weeks later to fit the part.<p>I don't understand why market forces haven't bankrupted them.
See also "My dishwasher won’t start until I let it update its firmware over the WiFi" (Jan 31):<p>* <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30147379" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30147379</a><p>And "GE won’t let me use convection roast on my new oven without connecting to WiFi" (Mar 5):<p>* <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30570027" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30570027</a>
> "An employee manually entered a wrong number somewhere, causing an incorrect update. As a result, all combi microwaves of this type no longer work in the Benelux," says a spokesperson for the umbrella company Electrolux.<p>All????? They didn't roll out the release gradually? Holy hell.
AEG consumer electronics are pure trash nowadays and have nothing to do with the OG AEG company. IIRC, it's a Chinese brand now who licensed the AEG brand name.
There's so much wrong about this, but please don't assume that an oven with internet connection is useless just because you have no use for it. Having food in there and turning it on so it's ready when you come home is convenient - I did this with an old oven and a HomeKit-enabled outlet. Now we have a new oven that has to much electronics for this to work (but not enough to remember the f**g time when unplugged).<p>So if I _would_ trust these internet connected devices (which I do not, because of stories like this and other user hostile behavior), I'd really like to use the features that would make possible.
Had a Hotpoint friege freezer where the door handle broke due to the vacuum seal being too strong, engineer came out, replaced the door because you couldnt just replace the handle and then he plugged it into a device on the pretense of checking the electrical safety. Fast forward a few weeks the compressor would not start.<p>Hotpoint is part owned by Us company Whirlpool and Chinese company Haier.<p>Its my belief the fridge freezer firmware was updated using the mains cable much like thernet powerline adapters work. I still have the fridge freezer so will be tearing it down and inspecting the electrical components to prove this in good time.
On my oven I want a knob. That's it. I'll light it with a match.<p>Presently have those lighting spark things on my 5 year old samsung. Already failures.<p>No, I do not want networking, apps, wifi, touchscreens or any form of digitality.<p>This shit is glitter for the "technologically educated" class. Turning a $1 tshirt into a $10 tshirt
It's installed into a cabinet, so there's no quick access for a visiting technician to get to the back panel, let alone the internals, in case they need to access a debug port to reflash it.
Any kind of Internet connectivity on an appliance is a strong anti-feature for me. I can't think of a single reason I would want it, and it seems like it would either be a privacy invasion or a source of headaches.<p>Unfortunately I think for the average customer this is a "blue crystals" feature, something they don't really need and probably don't use much but that makes the device feel new and cool. Mass market product development is governed by what the bulk of the market does, so we will probably see more "put a chip in it" trash.<p>The solution is unfortunately to go up market and pay more for luxury or commercial grade stuff. On the plus side it tends to last a lot longer, so if you factor in life span it may cost about the same.
I worry that there will be a day, similar to the problem we currently have with TVs, that it will be difficult (or even impossible) to buy non-smart kitchen appliances.<p>I still don't see the point of my fridge being connected to wifi, but I'll admit that I might just be a bit of a Luddite.
Working in the IoT space can be... fun. Here's a high-level PDF on good OTA practices I've seen passed around before: <a href="https://mender.io/resources/product-briefs/_resources/Requirements%20for%20OTA.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://mender.io/resources/product-briefs/_resources/Requir...</a>
Software on appliances have on reason to exist: lock users from acessing advanced features without paying an extra price for it. Although even Stallman once said he doesn't care about what his oven is running[0], I think we all should.<p>[0]: <a href="https://lwn.net/2000/0601/" rel="nofollow">https://lwn.net/2000/0601/</a>
I just went with the Breville Air Fryer Pro. It's a great toaster oven and doesn't connect to the network. Unfortunately even Breville's latest oven is now WiFi enabled.
I want to point out most cars made after 2004 or so have no physical connection between not just accelerator and engine but more importantly wheels and steering wheel.<p>So their usability is as good as the software written to control them and the motor/sensor windings, etc.<p>Not unlike the software controlling that microwave.