Three smart home gadgets that are actually stupid

October 17, 2017

The Internet, Bluetooth, and smartphones are allowing manufacturers to create many connected smart items for homes, but some of the smart inventions are just plain stupid. Some perhaps don’t realize that using an app to do everything from toasting bread to feeding the dog just adds another layer of unnecessary complexity to life. In that vein, here are some of the dumbest smart home gadgets on the market this year.

Shower temperature app: Remember when you would stick your hand under the shower to check the temperature? After all, it takes second or so and is precisely accurate. Now, though, researchers at Moen have developed the Moen U smart shower that costs more than $1,100 and will check the shower’s water temperature for you, activate pre-sets, and start the shower—all from your phone. The question is: Why?

Smart water bottle: This is a real head shaker and, surprisingly, there are at least four companies pitching them. A smart water bottle will tell you how much water you drink and tell you if you need more. One bottle even vibrates and turns colours to warn you when it decides you’re thirsty. Thermos has such a bottle, as do Hidrate and H20Pal. They each cost about $50. How did we ever live without this?

Kettle with an app: This gadget, the iKettle, sends a message to your smartphone when it has heated the water to boiling. We use to have something like it—a whistle on the spout; except we didn’t have to keep checking our phone or spend $150 for the kettle.