Delta Crane
We are knee deep in the age of useless smart devices. But two of the most ridiculous-sounding “smart” products, smart kitchen faucets and smart showers, are growing into serious industry. And to be honest, smart kitchen faucets are great. We can’t say the same about smart showers.
It all comes down to practicalities. Both smart faucets and smart showers have their advantages: they can help you save time, they are fun to use and they are suitable for people with physical disabilities. But when you consider the features of smart showers, their difficult requirements and their cost, it is clear that they are a terrible option for most people.
Smart taps are more useful than smart showers
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People often underestimate smart kitchen faucets, which is understandable. I’m not going to pretend the words “smart kitchen faucet” are cool or exciting. But smart faucets are a little more complex than you might expect — they’re more than just voice-activated or motion-activated spouts.
Well, the cheapest options are that simple. You can enable them with voice commands or gestures. But more expensive smart faucets offer additional features, such as the ability to pour exact measurements of water at the desired temperature using voice commands. You can even create presets for common tasks, such as filling pitchers, coffee pots, bottles, or the sink.
Some smart kitchen faucets, like the Kohler Sensate, even double as water usage sensors. They can track your water usage or alert you to leaks or water flow problems.
Smart showers are a lot less robust. The simplest smart showers are simply digital control panels, which you use to switch on the shower and set the temperature. More complex options add voice control, water consumption sensors and in some cases Bluetooth audio.
Now I’m not trying to say that smart showers are useless. Choosing an exact temperature in your shower is a serious luxury, and if you have limited mobility, a voice-activated shower or bath can make life a little easier. And, of course, learning how much water you use in the shower can be an eye-opener.
But the benefits of a smart shower are quite limited. And that’s a big deal, because smart showers are extremely difficult (if not impossible) to install in most homes.
You can’t just stick a smart shower in an old house
Kohler
Installing a smart kitchen faucet is just like installing an old “dumb” faucet. It’s a simple process: you remove the old faucet, tighten the smart faucet in place, and connect it to the water supply. (The gaskets of the new faucet would eliminate the need for caulking.)
Many smart kitchen faucets run on a battery pack, which sits in your under-sink cabinet. The faucet will continue to work when the batteries are depleted, but will lose its smart functions until you recharge the battery (if rechargeable) or change new D cells. If your smart kitchen faucet needs wired power, don’t worry, as most under-sink cabinets have outlets for dishwashers, garbage disposals, and other appliances.
Smart showers and shower touch panels are another ball game. Even if you’re a part-time DIYer, you’ll need an electrician to get the job done — cording something through the walls of your shower is no easy task. And if your house doesn’t have a dedicated water line that goes straight from the heater to your shower, the whole smart shower thing is probably not worth it.
Temperature control is the big selling point for smart and digital showers. But you can’t get exact, consistent temperatures if your shower shares a hot water line with sinks, toilets, washing machines, or dishwashers.
Maybe you live in a newer house with nice plumbing, or hey, maybe you’re building a house right now. In these situations, a smart shower is a viable option. But only if you are willing to pay the price. And yes, smart showers are expensive.
Do you really want to pay for a smart shower?
Kohler
A smart kitchen faucet costs a few hundred dollars and takes an hour or less to install. They’re a simple and easy upgrade for your kitchen, and while they’re not exactly affordable, they aren’t priceless either.
The most stripped-down smart showers, which are just digital control panels, cost between $500 and $2,000. But you’ll also need to buy a digital valve, and unless you’re a contractor, you’ll probably hire an electrician and plumber to install all of these things.
Those who live in older homes will also need to run new pipe from their water heater to their shower. And if you have an old water heater, you may need to replace it as well.
Some people like to spend this money on a smart shower, and that’s fine. And if you’re building a house, you’re already paying for a lot of this stuff — adding a smart shower to the mix can be a small expense.
But smart showers are nowhere near a practical option for the average person. They just aren’t doing enough to justify all this money and all this effort. In that way, they are the opposite of smart kitchen faucets, which are reasonably priced and offer very clear benefits.
The 4 best smart kitchen faucets to make your kitchen experience less stupid 
Moen 7594EWSRS Arbor Motionsense Wave Sensor Touchless Single Lever Pulldown Kitchen Faucet With Power Clean, Spot Resist Stainless
Delta Faucet Trinsic VoiceIQ Touchless Kitchen Faucet with Pull-Down Sprayer, Smart Faucet, Alexa and Google Assistant Voice Controlled, Countertop Faucet, Chrome 9159TV-DST Amazon
$551.90 
$849.25 Save 35%
FORIOUS Touch Kitchen Faucets with Drop Down Sprayer, Countertop Faucet with Pull Out Sprayer, Fingerprint Resistant, Single Hole Deck Mount, Brass Single Handle Kitchen Faucet, Brushed Nickel
iTouchless EZ PRO Automatic Sensor Faucet Adapter for Bathroom, Countertop, Can Also Use as a Cat Fountain and Pet Water Dispenser, 4″ H x 4″ W x 2″ D, Chrome Silver
This post Why smart faucets are a great idea, but smart showers are terrible India News, The Indian Express
was original published at “https://www.reviewgeek.com/112736/why-smart-faucets-are-a-great-idea-but-smart-showers-are-terrible/”
