The Internet of things has made our homes almost as smart as we’ve ever hoped they could be. That said, you don’t get a handful of great products without a bucket full of bad ones.
It turns out that just because we can make something smart, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we should. This list is full of products that not only prove that statement but can possibly make you rethink how many smart devices you really need in your life.
Roost PP3 Specialty Battery
The Roost PP3 Specialty Battery is a battery with one specific purpose: to let you know when it’s running out of juice. This is intended for smoke alarms, but there’s one problem. Smoke alarms already let you know when the battery is getting low.
The Roost is supposed to avoid the annoying warning chirp of a smoke alarm, but all these smarts make the battery more expensive, plus the constant monitoring means it doesn’t last as long as a standard battery.
Quirky Egg Minder
When most people want to know how many eggs they have left, they look at the egg tray in their refrigerator. Why do that though, when you can buy a product to do that for you?
The Quirky Egg Minder is a replacement egg tray that syncs with your phone to tell you how many eggs you have left. It’s also supposed to tell you when they’re going bad. At least this product is cheap, but that still doesn’t mean you need it.
Smarter iKettle
The Smarter iKettle has slick marketing and a catchy name. Unfortunately, none of this succeeds in telling you why you should spend money on a device to let you boil water from your phone.
Theoretically, this could be handy. The only problem is that while you can turn the iKettle on from anywhere, it can’t fill itself with water. Instead of a purpose-made kettle, you could just use any device that heats water and a smart wall plug if you really need to boil water from your phone.
Smalt Smart Saltshaker
The name of the Smalt Smart Saltshaker alone should leave you wondering. Have you ever found yourself wishing you had a smart saltshaker? Neither has anyone else.
The Smalt goes even further than you may have imagined with mood lighting and a built-in Bluetooth speaker. Of course, there’s also a companion smartphone app. For a saltshaker.
Onvi Provix Smart Toothbrush
Unlike a lot of the products on this list, the Onvi Provix has a good idea at its core. It’s a toothbrush with a camera built in that gives you a view of your mouth.
This would be very handy for a dentist. The problem is most of us aren’t dentists, meaning we probably don’t know what to look for. Still, if you’ve ever wanted a close-up of your wisdom teeth, here’s an easy way to get it.
Amazon Dash Buttons
Amazon’s Dash Buttons were buttons meant to make re-ordering certain products easier. We’re not sure that was ever necessary, since between its website, its mobile app, and options like Subscribe and Save, ordering was already very easy.
Amazon seems to have figured this out, since it discontinued Dash buttons earlier this year. Considering it had to convince people they weren’t an April Fool’s joke in the first place, that was probably a good idea.
Want Smart Home Devices that Are Actually Useful?
After looking at the above list, you might wonder why you ever wanted a smart home in the first place. Remember though, not everything is as questionable as the items on the list. Some smart home products are actually worth having.
From smart lighting to thermostats that adjust automatically based on the time of day, there are plenty of smart products that do improve your quality of life. To tie them all together though, you’ll need a hub, so take a look at our list of the best smart home hubs.
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