Why would someone want to configure their blender for Wi-Fi? Or upgrade the firmware of their toaster over? Or replace their perfectly working microwave because their refrigerator does not support it anymore? It is unlikely that someone would want to do these things but this seems to be the direction where smart kitchen appliances are heading with the Internet of Things.
For the "Internet of Things" many of these "things" are just low powered computers put in a device and then connected to the user's home network. This means that they have the same basic needs as a computer, tablet, smartphone, etc. in that they need to be:
- Authenticated so they have a secure connection
- Able to protect themselves against malicious traffic
- Patched when flaws or vulnerabilities are discovered
- Upgraded to support new features
These are very important tasks but they are not something users like to think about and probably not something they want to do with their blender, toaster oven, microwave, etc.. Despite all the benefits of smart appliances one does not want to wait for their smoothie to blend because of an installing patch or have that new game on their tablet decide that their baked potato should be very, very well done. To solve this problem I suggest the creating a smart kitchen instead.
Rather then having each appliance on the home network individually, have only a dedicated computer in the kitchen on that network. This computer could then treat the other appliances like a private network and would be the only interface between them and devices on the other network. It alone would need to be configured and would also have a firewall just like a regular computer in addition to managing all the patching to ensure that the kitchen operates smoothly.
A critical benefit is also that the computer can be the primary point of interaction. Therefore, when cooking a roast when the user opens up the their recipe the oven would preheat, the timers would automatically be set and anything else they need would be configured and ready to go. Also as it is a standard computer it would be possible to install new kitchen applications to increase functionality as well as browsing the Internet, using email, etc. when additional information is needed.
The main hurtle is that standards need to be established to ensure compatibility among vendors but I imagine that would be easier convincing people to enter a WPA2 password on their blender, toaster oven, microwave, etc..
