Appliance automations
The most useful appliance automations observe, remind, and coordinate, so you stop walking to the laundry room or the kitchen just to check on a cycle. They do not put an unverified relay in a high-current appliance circuit or pretend a weak signal proves a task is complete.
Start with observation
- Learn an appliance’s real power or vibration pattern before setting thresholds.
- Check every monitoring device against the appliance nameplate and manual.
- Prefer one clear completion alert over repeated announcements.
- Keep the appliance usable when the smart-home system is unavailable.
- Require a deliberate ready step before any unattended preparation.
Choose a recipe
Washer finished alert
Learn the washer’s actual power pattern and send one alert when a real cycle finishes.
Dryer finished alert
Use calibrated vibration timing without controlling dryer power.
Dishwasher finished alert
Detect the dishwasher’s own sustained power or vibration pattern and notify once.
Fridge or freezer door alert
Use a contact sensor and a delay to catch a door that was left open.
Prepare morning coffee deliberately
Use the coffee maker’s approved delayed-brew feature only after someone confirms it is ready.
Start the robot vacuum after everyone leaves
Wait for a tested empty-home signal and a daytime window before starting.
Keep the vacuum running only while the house is empty
Add a return-home stop condition so the vacuum heads back to its dock when someone arrives.
What to verify
Run several complete appliance cycles before trusting a threshold. Test interrupted cycles, standby power, sensor loss, and a hub restart. For robot vacuums, include guests, pets, doors, cords, and an unexpected early return.