Skip to main content

Have your lights flash when the laundry’s done with GE’s IFTTT channels

GE Stainless Steel Countertop Microwave Oven
GE now has six IFTTT channels to connect home appliances GE
Want to get totally hooked up with your personal apps and home appliances? GE Appliances announced today three new IFTTT (If-This-Then-That) channels for clothes washers, dryers, and dishwashers to add to the three channels it already had. This makes GE the first appliance manufacturer with a full suite of IFTTT channels, according to the company. Now, if you want to connect your home appliances with social media and personal connectivity such as Facebook, Twitter, and SMS messaging as well as other IFTTT supported smart home systems like lighting and heating, GE has your back.

The whole big deal about the Internet of Things (IoT) is connecting sensors, devices, and apps. Smart homes and smart appliances bring IoT to the home front. Previously the Louisville, Kentucky-based manufacturer had IFTTT channels for cooking, refrigerator, and hot water heater models. Today’s announcement adds washer, dryer, and dishwasher channels to the GE smart appliance lineup.

An IFTTT channel is a website where you can select previously defined interactions between devices and applications, called “recipes.” In the channel, you can also set up your own recipes from a lineup of compatible applications and devices. For example, on the GE IFTTT cooking channel, you can select a recipe to send an alert to your Android watch when the oven timer is done. When your oven turns on, you could have it signal your Nest home thermostat to turn on the HVAC fan. If a dishwasher leak is detected, it could sent a message to all Hue lights in the house to change color to alert you.

GE Laundry app-washer and dryer
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Setting up your own IFTTT recipe in an appliance channel is relatively simple. You select a desired triggering event from a list of possibles and then select the notification or control signal to compatible apps or systems. For example, on the GE dryer channel, you could set up your dryer to send you a message on Facebook when the clothes are fully dry. Then you can let the world know you’re doing laundry.

Editors' Recommendations

Bruce Brown
Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…
How often should you use your robot mop
irobot roomba spraying water on wood floor with vacuum Roomba in dock behind it.

Like vacuuming your home, mopping is a task that you can automate to free up time. Smart mops are becoming more readily available (along with combination robot cleaners) from some of the same biggest names in the business. There are some things for you to know about running your smart robot mop in your home.

When you first buy your smart mop, you'll probably want to run it all the time to clean any and all messes. Unfortunately, they aren't made for that. Smart robot mops are made to clean up slight dust and dirt as well as spills that aren't super tough. You will still have to manually mop up some messes if they become caked over or combined with other debris.

Read more
How smart lighting affects your health
Govee Glide wall light installed above couch on wall.

The advent of smart lighting has provided a wealth of new opportunities for tweaking personal health. The right color temperatures and timing can optimize focus during the day and ease sleep schedules at night. Let's dig into the many health factors that smart lighting touches upon.

Note: None of us here at Digital Trends are remotely close to being optometrists or medical doctors. Take the advice of licensed professionals before making big health choices. 
How does lighting affect sleep?

Read more
This gizmo tracks your TP usage and automatically orders more when you get low
homeplenish-splindle toilet paper holder

Smart home appliances have a tendency to border on solutions-for-nonexistent-problems territory, and no place is that more apparent than the CES show floor. This year is no different. Case in point: A smart toilet paper holder from a company called Homeplenish that keeps a tab on your usage and then  automatically orders more from your Amazon account when you’re about to run out.

Homeplenish says its device will prevent people from hoarding rolls as its algorithm can automatically predict when you’ll need more and order it on your behalf beforehand, unlike some alternatives that tend to buy replacements on a set schedule. Since the smart holder integrates with Amazon’s “Smart Reorder” platform, it also takes into account delivery times and calculates the ideal reorder time frame to ensure “there is never too much or too little towel and tissue on hand.”

Read more