I'm thinking about replacing my fridge and I see a lot of models with Wi-Fi connectivity, phone sync, temperature notifications. Is it worth paying extra for this stuff or is it just a fancy feature you end up not using?
In practice, it's mostly marketing. A fridge works fine on its own, and temperature notifications are only useful if your appliances constantly break down or you're away on business trips a lot. The control app is a nice gimmick that people use a couple of times out of curiosity and then forget about. For a 10-20% markup, you get something that might break before the fridge itself does.
Better to go with a reliable fridge without Wi-Fi from a trusted manufacturer - it'll last longer and work more steadily.
Most people use the Wi-Fi in their fridge for the first month, then forget about it. But there's actually a real benefit - if you've got a big family or you're always forgetting what you have at home, notifications about the door being left open at night or a sudden temperature spike can actually save you (you realize something broke before the food spoils). The key when choosing is don't overpay for a fancy app, pick a fridge based on reliability and cooling performance, and let the Wi-Fi be a bonus, not the main reason.
It makes sense if you've got a big family or you're always forgetting to close the door properly - then notifications on your phone actually come in handy. Otherwise it's more convenience for lazy people than something you actually need.
I know people who had a fridge with an app, they checked the notifications for like two months and then just stopped caring and used it like a regular fridge. But when their freezer broke in the middle of the night while they were on a business trip, he could check what was going on without calling the neighbor. But that's a pretty specific situation. Usually you end up paying decent money for Wi-Fi, and only a handful of people actually see real benefit from it.
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