This is why it is not advisable to buy smart home appliances if you want to ‘make sure to wear durable’

Smart home appliances are becoming more and more popular. They can be remotely controlled, notifying users if there are errors or other problems. However, in the long run, not all devices are reliable and provide stability, because in fact manufacturers are committed to maintaining a rather vague software update.

A recent survey with various consumer groups of the Which? show that smart refrigerators, smart dishwashers and smart clothes dryers are products that cost millions more than normal products, but in some cases can become Outdated only after 2 years. The problem lies with the accompanying software support.

Smart devices should not be an option for long-term use, according to Which?

Specifically, when surveying major manufacturers about the plans to release software updates needed to keep products running, the majority of these companies said they would provide updates. to maintain the life of the product, but does not determine how long it is.

Samsung said it was a minimum of 2 years, another home appliance maker Beko said the maximum time is 10 years.

Other big companies didn’t even give a specific time when asked. BSH, which manufactures appliances from Bosch, Neff and Siemens, said it will provide product life cycle updates, but no specific figures or examples have been provided.

Only Miele, a German manufacturer of high-end home appliances, insists it will provide software updates for 10 years.

Most manufacturers are “hag” about the time support software updates for smart home products.

So why is this matter so important?

Because smart features are in the cost of products that consumers pay immediately upon purchase. And now, the cost of “smart” products is much higher than standard products. In the UK, for example, consumers pay an average of more than GBP 855 (about VND 25 million) for a smart refrigerator, more than VND 259 (about VND 7.6 million) for smart dishwashers and an additional 190 GBP ( about 5.6 million dong) for smart clothes dryer.

And usually, dishwashers or washing machines have a service life of about 10 years, before requiring replacement due to errors or poor performance, while refrigerators and clothes dryers have a service life of about 11 years. year.

But with smart products, if not updated regularly, these devices may have limited functionality, even creating a security hole that makes the owner’s network become a bait. delicious for hackers. Many products will still work without smart features, but not all.

Smart home appliances will probably become useless on an unexpected day.

Recently, a demand for products sold in the European market will force manufacturers to specify when the product will be updated in advance. However, these are still holes that are not appreciated in other markets around the world.

“Until manufacturers are clear about how long they will support smart products, consumers should stay away from these types of devices as they can be disabled after only a few years of use.” Stick with non-smarter, but more reliable and significantly cheaper alternatives , “ says Natalie Hitchins, head of family products and family services Which? share.

Refer to Guardian