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Refrigerators

LG's New Smart Home Sensor Makes Any Appliance Smart

Add smartphone control to your appliances with SmartThinQ.

LG's SmartThinQ sensors Credit: LG

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One of the biggest barriers to the adoption of smart home technology is cost. Consumers are reluctant to upgrade to a smart appliance when their old "dumb" one works just fine, so most kitchens and laundry rooms lack the cutting-edge tech that manufacturers are touting.

LG’s new SmartThinQ sensor promises to change all that. The attractive circular device attaches to home appliances to offer remote control and monitoring services, even if your washer or fridge lacks any sort of connectivity of its own.

The sensor can tell you if your refrigerator door is open and control window AC units.

For instance, if you attach the sensor to a washing machine, it can sense the washer's vibrations and send you a smartphone alert when a cycle finishes. Similarly, the SmartThinQ sensor can tell you if your refrigerator door is open, control window AC units, and operate the new smart small appliances LG is promising to unveil later this week. LG promises it will work with “many” appliances.

{{amazon name="LG Electronics LW1015ER Energy Star 10000 BTU 115-volt Window-Mounted Air Conditioner with Remote Control", asin="B00V3IYGM6", align="right"}} But how does it work? Well, aside from the fact it relies on technology from AllJoyn, we don’t know just yet. We’re expecting to learn more at this week’s IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, where the new device will make its debut.

This is the second such device we’ve seen. GE’s Green Bean circuit board, which arrived last year, also allows developers to add smart features to existing appliances.

{{brightcove '3339796735001'}}

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