List of legitimate reasons for a refrigerator, an oven, a stove, a washing or drying machine, a microwave, a coffee maker, a sink, a garbage disposal, a toilet, a shower or bathtub, or any other home appliance to be connected to the internet:

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numpad0 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Allegedly they needed to stagger compressor startups. Motors, even fully electronically controlled ones, can draw a huge current on startups.

	▲	mrob 19 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		There's something very wrong with the electrical grid if they need to stagger startups over all the shops combined. Staggering startup within a single shop can be done with a LAN.

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icehawk 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The device in the article isn't a home appliance.

	▲	MiroslavPokorny 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Makes no difference. A super market should be able to air gap all their smart devices and include a non internet connected computer.

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esikich 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

- Monitor temperatures and get alerts before food spoils

- Get notified if a compressor fails, refrigerant leaks, or a door gets left open

- Catch failing fans, compressors, or defrost heaters before they break

- Automatically log temperatures for food safety inspections

- Optimize defrost cycles and compressor operation to save electricity

- Let technicians diagnose problems remotely instead of driving to the store

- Reduce power usage during peak electricity rates

- Monitor fridges and freezers across multiple stores from one place

- Track energy usage and equipment performance over time

- Get alerts when power goes out or equipment doesn't restart properly

	▲	mrob 9 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		>Reduce power usage during peak electricity rates This is the only one that requires remote write access, and only when "peak electricity rates" means a dynamic pricing system. But it doesn't actually need full Internet access. Instead, prices can be streamed via data diode to a local processor which calculates correct temperatures based on this information. This calculation should set reasonable limits on allowed temperature, so even if somebody sends false pricing information it's just going to waste some electricity and not destroy all the food. >Optimize defrost cycles and compressor operation to save electricity Assuming this means something different from "Reduce power usage during peak electricity rates", I don't see how it needs Internet access at all. All the other points are monitoring tasks that can be done with read-only access via a separate data diode.