GE smartens up its large appliances with IFTTT support

GE just introduced three more IFTTT channels to its existing lineup, making it the very first manufacturer to offer the open-API smart home service for every large appliance category. GE now has perhaps the broadest line-up of connected home appliances, with support for everything from cooking appliances, refrigerators and dishwashers, to washers, dryers and water heaters.

For the most part, I'm yet to be convinced by how well these large appliances can integrate with the smart home. Many manufacturers offer some form of connected integration on selected large appliances, but their utility has been underwhelming -- I've seen clunky apps, outdated LCD interfaces and worse. These poor attempts at connecting up appliances that are already expensive can have the unintended effect of making them much less appealing.

But adding IFTTT into the equation could simplify things for folks who are truly interested in linking their oven, fridge or other major appliance to their broader smart home gadgets. That way, there's much less of a divide between large appliances and smart home tech such as LEDs, security cameras and other connected products.

Some potential recipes include: "If my washing machine has 10 minutes left on the timer, then flash my Philips Hue LEDs," or "If my oven is on, then tell my Nest Learning Thermostat to kick on the HVAC fan."

These integrations will only work with select appliance models, though. So take a look at this page for more details. And rest assured, we'll be tracking them down for review in short order, so check back soon for our impressions.