SmartDry Wireless Laundry Sensor and App, iOS and Android Mobile Devices. Compatible with Alexa. Smart Dry Notifications for any Clothes Dryer (Gas or Electric), Smart Home Clothes Dryer Accessory

I have an old "dumb" drier where the knob fell off and has been replaced by one that does not line up with the lines on the machine. The clothes were often still wet when I finally remembered they were in the drier. As I've started the home automation journey already, I looked around for solutions. But after watching video after video, I pretty much gave up as I did not want to buy a Raspberry Pi, flash SD cards, and write code. Everyone said the vibration sensors did not work. The power consumption methods—with more code writing—would not work with my 220V drier socket in any case. I even considered buying a new drier with smart functionality built in, but eventually couldn't justify the expense when this drier is still drying.The mixed reviews on this SmartDry almost turned me off, but I am glad I gave it a shot. For me it just works, and works well. I'm extremely pleased. I set the drier for a lot of time, and I'm fascinated by how quickly the clothes' actually dry. When I set a high time in the past to ensure the clothes were done, I must have been scorching them. I figure that this device will pay for itself in the energy saved over time and life added to my clothes. Moreover, my behavior has changed in that I get the clothes out immediately when they are done, and fold them now, meaning they do not have time to get wrinkly.One suggested improvement: the hub and power supply both go straight, so they really do stick out. It would be nice to have the power supply angled so it hugs the socket a bit.One problem I had: linking the sensor to a second phone gave me a problem. The app kept saying that it couldn't connect to the hub or something like that. I just gave up, but then realized that the linking process worked after it detected the sensor, and the push notifications to the second phone are also working perfectly. This subsequent link with additional phones needs a little improvement.Now, YMMV, because I have a very good environment for the SmartDry device—socket right above the drier, and good WiFi coverage in the laundry area and throughout the house where my phone will be. But, for me, this is really a big quality of life improvement. Now, SmartDry people, can you do something for my washing machine?Jan. 16, 2021 Update: The system stopped working. I noticed the data light on the hub was red. When I replaced the battery in the sensor the data light turned green everything started working again. So, if you are experiencing trouble, check the data light as an indicator that the sensor battery needs to be changed.Jan. 26, 2021 Update: The app just updated, and now supports Google Home under "smart speaker setup." The directions are unclear, but you should open your Google Home Assistant interface and say "talk to SmartDry app." Then it will say you have to set up an account, to which you will reply yes. Then It will ask if you want to share information, to which you again say yes. Adding images (if they come through). There is also now some settings for washing machines, so it looks like SmartDry may support them soon.

I saw this on a YouTube video and found the idea intriguing. I decided to give it a go.Setup was easy. The bluetooth-wifi hub is a bit clunky with the included power supply, but it's ok. You can plug it somewhere out of sight, or maybe use another adapter.The iOS app is.. clunky. Looks and feels like a proof of concept. But it works. The first time I ran the dryer I didn't get the expected notification, for whatever reason. But the app did update when the clothes were dry, and they were indeed dry earlier than what we expected.I was a bit concerned about having a powered device inside a dryer (mostly because of the power source, which I thought would be a battery). But it uses a small coin cell - which should survive no problem. Even if something were to happen, it's a small cell.Now, the reason I'm taking the time to write this is... I just got a notification about a load being dry - I didn't load it myself, someone else in the house did. I didn't even know the dryer was running. Because it was a blanket, they assumed it would take a long time to dry and set a 60 minutes timer. Turns out it was already dry in less than 15 minutes! This is over 45 minutes of gas (and time) saved in just one load! I love this device now. It should pay for itself pretty quickly.It seems that people tend to overestimate how long it takes to dry things, probably because of all the times we had to check the dryer and find that the clothes were still damp.If you don't have a dryer with a built-in temperature and humidity sensor, get this thing. It needs no modifications so it works even if you rent your place - heck, it would work even at a coin op laundromat (not that I'm recommending that someone do this, but technically...)There's room for improvement:* Only one phone can be connected at a time – no big deal if you rely on Echo notifications, but less convenient if you don't.* Integrations would be great. IFTTT or Home Assistant would be great. Or even provide an API or local access so that others could build the needed integrations. Local would be great and would ensure that the product would still continue to function even if the startup gets acquired.* App is ugly which may be offputting to some.* There are false alerts from time to time (dryer is stopped but somehow it thinks that there's damp clothes, probably due to outside humidity). Clearly a bug as it can detect movement, so I expect it to be fixed.* The 'hub' power supply feels hacky. Sure, it's just a power supply coupled with a USB 'hub'. This is technically good because you can use other power supplies, but it doesn't look very pretty as it doesn't seem to have been designed with the device in mind. Minor issue overall.

Like the device, linked to Alexa and tells me when the dryer is done but always seems to say the clothes are damp when they aren't. May just need to spend some more time and see about calibration.