Smart kitchen appliances: what actually needs Wi-Fi

An oven that updates, a fridge that tells you the door was left open, an air fryer with an app. Smart kitchen appliances are appliances that connect to the home network and to the phone, and that connection brings advantages and questions. This guide does not recommend brands or models. It summarizes what two consumer bodies wrote about the subject, and what is worth asking before you connect an appliance to the network. Mind the limits: the sources were checked on 19.10.2026, they are from the United States (a 2023 article that also rests on a 2022 survey) and from Britain (a 2024 publication), meaning findings from the U.S. and Britain from 2022 to 2024, and they include findings about particular appliances at the time of the check. We are not presenting here figures that are current for 2026.

What the connection can give you

According to an article by Consumer Reports, a U.S. consumer organization, published on 19.4.2023 and updated on 24.7.2023, the connection has possible advantages. The first is new features that arrive in a software update even years after the purchase. The second is remote diagnosis: at two of the manufacturers that were checked, the appliance can be checked before a technician's visit, and the technician can arrive with the right part.

The possible downside

The same article also lists possible downsides: a shorter life for the appliance, since more sensors may mean more things that can fail, a need for a Wi-Fi connection in order to use certain features, and software support that is not always clear. These are possibilities the article presents, not a ruling that every smart appliance will behave that way.

What the checks found

The 2023 article describes a check of 12 large smart appliances, among them a fridge, a cooktop, a dishwasher and a washing machine, from five manufacturers. All of them collected data and sent it to the manufacturer continuously, between 3.4 and 19 megabytes a week per appliance, and the appliances were run only once a day. On the other hand, the testers did not find security holes, and all the personal information was encrypted. The organization's privacy and security person said appliances can work well even without an internet connection.

In a survey the organization ran in October 2022 among 2,084 adults in the United States, 21% reported having at least one large smart appliance. Of all the respondents, 12% said none of their appliances is connected to the internet, and 9% said they are connected.

The British organization Which? published on 5.11.2024 a check of smart devices in four categories. In the air-fryer category, the three devices that were checked asked for the precise location, and also for permission to record audio on the phone with no stated reason. According to Which?, data collection often went beyond what the product needs in order to work. Every device checked, in every category, asked for the precise location. One manufacturer replied that the recording permission does not apply to its air fryer, which does not operate directly by voice commands. These are findings about particular devices at the time of the check, not about every device.

What to ask before you connect

There is no single answer that fits everyone, and the questions below help you decide.

• Do I need the connection? The technology-policy director at Consumer Reports said that for many appliances there is not much benefit in a Wi-Fi connection.
• Does the appliance work without a connection? According to the article, a possible downside of smart appliances is needing a connection in order to use certain features.
• For how long will there be updates? Consumer Reports asked the manufacturers, and one refused to answer and the others gave no clear answer. It is worth asking the seller or the manufacturer before you buy, and writing the answer down.
• Which permissions does the app ask for? Which? suggests checking the requests before you download, limiting access in the phone's settings, and reading the privacy policy, especially the sections on data collection.

Protective tips from the article

Consumer Reports suggests connecting smart appliances to a secondary network or a guest network, if the router supports it. After setup, in the phone's settings you can change the app's location permission to "while using" or to "never", and on iOS devices turn off the app's tracking option. We did not test these tips ourselves.

Smart without a new appliance

Not everything "smart" requires connecting an appliance. According to the KitchenAppes homepage, cooking mode keeps the screen on and shows one step at a time, and timers start directly from the step that needs them. You can browse the community recipes on KitchenAppes and read more about us.