February 2, 2018

Within the next two years, most major appliance makers will offer extensive lineups of smart appliances, part of the ever-expanding “internet of things.” That’s according to Christine Edwards, a market analyst with Gap Intelligence.

“This year, LG announced that 100 percent of its home appliances portfolio will offer its smart ThinQ connectivity,” Edwards says. “Samsung shared that its portfolio is approximately 90 percent currently connected, with plans to feature 100 percent connectivity by the year 2020.”

That means you can start a load of laundry from your phone while at work, ask Google Assistant to preheat the oven, or automatically reorder dish detergent from Amazon when your dishwasher detects it’s running low.

While more and more appliances feature connectivity, it can be hard to tell which work with Alexa, Google Assistant, Nest and the like, let alone what these integrations actually do. So before we dive into how you can use various smart appliances, you’ll want to know which smart home products and platforms integrate with them.

What Will Integrate with Your Appliances

• Amazon Echo/Alexa.Using one of the many Amazon Echo speakers, you can use the voice assistant Alexa to control your appliances. For example, you can ask Alexa to do things like preheat the oven or check how much time is left on the washer cycle. Amazon calls these integrations “Alexa skills,” and appliance manufacturers will often use that term as well.
• Google Home/Google Assistant.Much as with the Amazon Echo and Alexa, you could use the Google Home smart speaker and voice assistant Google Assistant to control your appliances with voice commands.
• Amazon Dash.This is a service through Amazon that uses the smarts in your appliances to automatically reorder detergents and other consumables when they detect that you’re running low.
• Depending on whether you own a Nest thermostat or smoke detector, your appliances could automatically turn off or adjust their settings if, say, Nest detects that you’ve left home via its Home/Away Assist feature that senses when you come and go.

One word of warning: Getting these smart home products to work with your appliance may test your patience.

“From my experience using voice control with smart thermostats, I can tell you many consumers will find it challenging setting up these integrations,” says CR test engineer Elias Arias. “The finicky syntax of verbal commands can be difficult to use, but for now, these commands work well enough to get useful results.”

Since discovery and setup can be so difficult, we provide a link directly to the instructions, so you can easily enable the integrations you want. Here’s what each of the major brands is serving up.

Bosch
Bosch has a robust roster of smart appliances in its Home Connect line, which works with Nest, Amazon Alexa and Amazon Dash. The Home Connect Nest integration works with the Nest Protect smoke detector and Nest’s Home/Away Assist. That means that if the Protect detects smoke or fire, the Nest app will ping you and offer to shut off your Home Connect appliances, such as the oven during an oven fire (which is exactly what you should do). And since Nest knows when you come and go via its Home/Away Assist feature, the Nest app will alert you to appliances that are still running when you leave home.

Through the Home Connect Amazon integrations, you can talk to Alexa to control Bosch’s Home Connect coffee maker, dryer, and dishwasher. And if you connect your dishwasher to Amazon Dash, it will automatically reorder detergent tabs when you’re running low.

• Home Connect Alexa Skills
• Home Connect Nest Integration

Frigidaire
There is only one smart Frigidaire appliance at the moment, and it is the Frigidaire Cool Connect Smart Air Conditioner. It can be controlled with your voice via both Amazon Echo and Google Home, allowing you to turn it on or off and adjust the temperature.

• Frigidaire Alexa Skill
• Frigidaire Google Assistant Integration

GE
GE offers many smart appliances as part of its WiFi Connect Appliances lineup and offers voice control for them through its GE Geneva skill, which is available for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Compatible appliances include GE WiFi Connect fridges, dishwashers, wall ovens, ranges, washers, dryers, window air conditioners and GeoSpring water heaters.

GE WiFi Connect ovens also integrate with Nest, allowing the Nest app to shut off your oven if you leave home or if Nest Protect detects smoke. GE WiFi Connect dishwashers also integrate with Amazon Dash to reorder detergent.

• GE Geneva Alexa Skill
• GE Google Assistant Integration
• GE Nest Integration

Jenn-Air
The only Jenn-Air appliances that connect to other smart home systems are Jenn-Air Connected Ovens. Currently, the ovens connect to Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control, allowing you to do an array of tasks like preheat your oven, control the oven timer and even ask for the oven’s serial number. The ovens also integrate with Nest so you’ll receive an alert when you leave home if the oven is still on (and you can turn it off remotely). And the Nest Learning Thermostat will even turn down the heat if the oven gets above a specified temperature to keep your kitchen from getting too hot.

• Jenn-Air Connected Ovens Alexa Skill
• Jenn-Air Google Assistant Integration
• Jenn-Air Nest Integration

Kenmore
Sears sells an entire line of connected Kenmore appliances, and they all work with Amazon Alexa. The “Kenmore Smart” Alexa skill allows you to do things such as turn on your fridge’s icemaker, put your water heater in energy-save mode, pause your dryer and much more.

The Alexa integration works with the following products: Kenmore Elite Smart Hybrid Water Softener, Kenmore Smart Electric Water Heater Module, Kenmore Elite 75043 Smart French Door Bottom-Mount Refrigerator, Kenmore Elite Smart Front-Load Washer, Kenmore Elite Smart Front-Load Dryer and Kenmore Elite Smart Air Conditioner.

• Kenmore Smart Alexa Skill

LG
LG appliances work with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, but for some reason not all LG appliances work with both assistants. For example, Alexa can control LG robot vacuums, but Google Assistant can’t. When asked why this is the case, an LG spokeswoman would only say that LG is committed to open partnerships and continuing to build them out.

The LG SmartThinQ Alexa skill works with select LG air conditioners, air purifiers, and robot vacuums. The LG SmartThinQ Google Home integration works with select LG refrigerators, ranges, washers, air conditioners and air purifiers.

• LG SmartThinQ Alexa Skill
• LG Google Assistant Integration

Samsung
Samsung has made a big push into smart home since it acquired SmartThings – a platform for connecting and controlling smart home products – back in 2014. Its appliances are no exception. They work with Alexa, Google Assistant, Nest and, of course, SmartThings.

Both Alexa and Google Assistant can be used to control Samsung refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, dryers and robotic vacuums. Additionally, Alexa can control Samsung smart air conditioners, but neither voice assistant can currently control Samsung ovens or ranges. The company’s Nest integration only works with Samsung robotic vacuums – allowing you to start or stop cleaning when you leave your home – and air conditioners.

• Samsung Smart Home Alexa Skill
• Samsung Smart Home Google Assistant Integration
• Samsung Smart Home Nest Integration

Whirlpool
Whirlpool offers voice control integrations with Alexa and Google Assistant for its appliances, but, similarly to LG, not all compatible Whirlpool appliances work with both assistants. A Whirlpool spokeswoman told CR all compatible appliances will eventually work with both assistants and to look for updates throughout the year.

Currently, Alexa can control select Whirlpool Smart microwaves, ovens and combination washer-dryers, while Google Assistant can control select Whirlpool Smart microwaves, ovens and dishwashers.

In addition to the confusing voice control offerings, there are also Whirlpool integrations with Amazon Dash and Nest. The Amazon Dash integration only works with the Whirlpool smart top-load laundry pair to reorder detergent. But the Nest integration works with Whirlpool Smart fridges, ovens, dishwashers, washers and dryers to do things like alert you if you left the oven on and prevent laundry cycles from running during peak energy usage hours.

• Whirlpool Alexa Skill
• Whirlpool Google Assistant Integration
• Whirlpool Nest Integration

The Other Big Brands
If you don’t see your brand of appliances above, it likely doesn’t offer smart home integrations at this time. As more brands announce integrations, we’ll continue to update this guide.

– By Daniel Wroclawski with Consumer Reports