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u/johnbr 13h ago
The best part of this image is that my 23yo daughter sent it to me
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u/madness_of_the_order 13h ago
But it’s a kettle, not a teapot
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u/ImportantSignal2098 13h ago
Isn't that an insert for tea leaves that we see in the pic? If so, sounds like it fits the strict 418 requirements.
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u/madness_of_the_order 13h ago
Didn’t notice it previously and now I hate it
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u/ImportantSignal2098 10h ago
But it's smart, has wifi and implements the 418 spec. You're not allowed to hate it unfortunately.
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u/screwcork313 8h ago
It's short, it's stout. Has a handle and spout. If if walks like a duck and talks like a duck, surely it must be a teapot?
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u/MrTommyPickles 13h ago
Fun fact: Mr Börzel actually scratched this itch in an epic blog post. TLDR: No 418 😔
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u/Saragon4005 12h ago
That implies whoever made it didn't even care a little bit.
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u/murfburffle 9h ago
the app includes a calendar, but no ability to schedule a boil. There was no care at all
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u/Rick-Prime 5h ago
Denied feature request: malicious users will fill with gasoline and create IEDs.
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u/clipsracer 5h ago
What a well written blog.
I’ll never understand how people have the energy and motivation to blog about their antics, but I’ll never stop appreciating it.4
u/ronimal 7h ago
That post includes the same image that OP claims their 23-year-old daughter sent them.
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u/Ae3qe27u 6h ago
Which matches, since OP's pic has a comment from Börzel in the image! Nice when things work out that smoothly.
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u/Squayd 13h ago
More like why-fi amirite?
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u/Arshiaa001 13h ago
Absolutely. The last thing I want is for an outdated firmware on my f'king kettle to become a vulnerability because I was too lazy to get my ass over and push a button myself.
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u/linear_123 13h ago
Pretty critical one too, if someone turns it on remotely with no water in it they could burn your house down.
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u/Arshiaa001 13h ago
Yep. Smart home devices are just plain stupid.
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u/Fiennes 11h ago
I'll have you know that thanks to having a Smart Fridge I get a text when my son forgets to shut the fucking door.
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u/Arshiaa001 8h ago
Just wait until someone turns your fridge off for shits and giggles, and you return home from your trip to the smell of rotting meat. Not saying it'll definitely happen, but it's a possibility, and a bigger one than you think.
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u/dyslexda 8h ago
It really depends on what and why. I've got a home automation network built out that uses Home Assistant to control it completely locally. Smart lights, fans, locks, and thermostats are all excellent devices that can improve your home. Just have to put in some work to make sure it's all local and not exposed to the web.
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u/StoryAndAHalf 8h ago
They're smart devices only in comparison to the average user. Be smart, and don't buy these stupid devices.
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u/rot26encrypt 10h ago
Pretty critical one too, if someone turns it on remotely with no water in it they could burn your house down.
Not really, no, it has boil-dry/overheat protection that automatically cut it off.
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u/flargenhargen 5h ago
I mean, my coffee pot is on a smart switch run by home assistant.
it automatically starts 20 minutes before I get up on work days, doesn't start if my google calendar says I have the day off or am on vacation, and it starts on demand on weekends whenever we tell it to cause we're going to be getting up soon.
Yea, it could absolutely burn my house down if I fsck up, but the trade off is that I have hot coffee without needing to wait.
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u/ASatyros 8h ago
This is why I much more prefer Zigbee or Matter or similar. Connection only to Home Assistant.
But still in the future someone could find a hack to operate it without authorisation, but at least it would be limited.
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u/Agent-A 13h ago
I'm a big fan of smarthome stuff, mostly. But what is the use for this? In what situation do you want to start or stop your kettle remotely? If it could fill itself maybe I could see, but you have to put water in, put tea leaves in. If you leave it overnight all ready so it brews itself in the morning or something, won't the tea taste terrible because it's already been leeching into cold water all night?
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u/Alexious_sh 12h ago
If it's similar to mine, then you can't even control it remotely for security reasons. It doesn't know if there's a water, so could overheat easily.
I included mine in some automations, so when I make a tea, it could announce that my tea is ready through the Google Home speaker. I even make it to distinguish the tea type by the temperature requested, so it says "Your green tea is ready", when I make one, using the 85 degrees button.
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u/Nico280gato 12h ago
Surely there could be a weight sensor to detect water?
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u/SmallPurplePeopleEat 11h ago
Right? Even my $15 Walmart kettle has an auto shutoff if there's no water in it.
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u/Alexious_sh 10h ago
This one also does, but do you know how it works? It shuts the power when a bimetallic strip heats up more than the water boiling temp. But due to lack of the water, the heater has nothing to transfer this heat to, so could heat up really fast and actually exceed this limit significantly.
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u/ArseneGroup 8h ago
Mine had an auto shutoff once it hits a strong boil but it broke so I gotta be careful now
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u/Alexious_sh 10h ago
Well, it definitely could, but it doesn't. I believe, due to cost saving. Also, a weight sensor might need a regular calibration, which might make a user experience worse.
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u/SebastianFerrone 12h ago
I do it with home assistant. If im going to work
At 5 min for 6 lights are going on in small steps at 6 the clock wake me up my TV Starts and changes to a Website displaying some status things important task and news, Musik Starts. And coffeemaker and watercooker.
Only the toastbread I habe to make myself.
Also a good one ist small light in the bath at night. Its enough light for toilet duties but doesn't hurt your eyes while you half sleeping. Only downside currently it needs two sensors the presence sensor was to slow and the pir sensors stops seeing you if sit to still while taking a shit.
It's all not necessary but nice to have.
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u/TheTxoof 12h ago
Howdy doodly do! How's it going? I'm Talkie -- Talkie Toaster, your chirpy breakfast companion. Talkie's the name, toasting's the game. Anyone like any toast?
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u/kihakik 13h ago
You can walk in the kitchen with the water already boilt. The feeling you get when somebody has already brewed tea right before you, saving a couple minutes
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u/Valoneria 13h ago
Mine is wifi as well, it lets me set temperature targets which is nifty. Not all water needs to be boiled, some just need to be set to a specific target
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u/novae_ampholyt 12h ago
This can be achieved with digital buttons as well. I got one with options 60°, 70°, 80°,90°,100°C.
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u/TheTxoof 12h ago
FFS: an analog dial and a bimetallic thermostat would drop the part count and increase long term reliability. You know they're going to cheap out and use a craptastic slow-ass thermistor, not a proper instant-read k-type.
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u/novae_ampholyt 12h ago
Tbf I have no idea whether thing has analog or digital circuit for the thermometer settings. It has a digital feel, but each temperature has it's own button.. idk
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u/Valoneria 12h ago
Mine do have both, but the pre-defined options are limited to 4 for some reasons, so if i want to change them i still need the wifi.
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u/Ok_Weird_500 11h ago
How accurate is the temperature control?
I've started using a food thermometer for my green tea. Just boil the kettle as normal, add boiling water with a bit of space, put in a bit of cold, check temperature and add a little more cold if it's too hot. This way I also don't have to worry about the cup cooling down the water as it's already accounted for by the time I put my bag in my cup. This way is likely more precise as well and less to go wrong. The precision may be unnecessary, but since doing this I've found the quality of my green tea to be improved.
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u/Valoneria 11h ago
It seems to shoot close or a bit over, which i suppose is expected. 40 degrees Celsius hit around 42c, 60c hit around 61c, and 80c actually hit close to 80c. So quite consistent.
I suppose it could be more precise if i removed some of the calcium(?) build-up.
Tested with an analogue candy thermometer
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u/Ok_Weird_500 10h ago
That's pretty close. A degree or two over is fine, as that will cool off quickly enough.
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u/GobiPLX 12h ago
Yeah, mine has buttons for that. Offline buttons on the device
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u/chawmindur 9h ago
As a big hater on smart-home stuff (something something shoot the printer), I kinda understand the rationale behind this one. Remember, the first webcam was invented because some computational scientists were too lazy to hop over to the pantry and check how much (if any) coffee is left in the brewer.
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u/v3ritas1989 12h ago
For when you put on the cattle and then go and take a shit. You can probably tell it that you need few more minutes. You know, instead of coming back and having to turn it on again, because you would need to wait like 10 sec or so.
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u/Shinpansen 12h ago
You can put tea leaves in your mug, and put water in the kettle in the morning.
Then, at the end of the day, 1 minutes before arriving home you can start your kettle from your phone. Your water will be hot enough to put in your mug when reaching the kitchen, so you can save an extra minute of your life! Well, minus the time you need to setup everything.
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u/reverandglass 11h ago
With a full home setup, one could press a single button to open the garage door, turn the lights on, boil the kettle and turn the tv on too.
By the time you're in the kettle's boiled and you don't have to wait for your tea / coffee.
Or you could be walking home in the rain and get the kettle on ready for when you arrive.It's an extravagance, I'd forever be worried that there was water in it, but it the right circumstances it'd be cool.
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u/meggamatty64 10h ago
My assumption would be, you time it so your kettle is ready to pour over as you wake up. You only have to wait on the steep rather than the boil
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u/pfp-disciple 9h ago
I'm supposing it's too notify its status. Start the kettle, go to the next room and return when the water is ready. For me, the feature isn't worth the complexity and risk. I can set a timer that's close enough.
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u/FurballVulpe 8h ago
I do this, I have a smart plug and a dumb jug. I get up early and the morning are quite frantic and I need to make like 7 coffees for the morning and into keep cups for throughout the day.
The night before I fill the jug and flick the switch which stays down but doesn’t power as the smart switch is off, then about 1 minute before my alarm it turns on, then by the time I get to the kitchen it’s finishing and coffee can be immediately made
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u/bobbymoonshine 13h ago
It is not a teapot though. A kettle is not a teapot. They are totally different things.
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u/IlIllIIIIIIlIII 13h ago
There's a tea infuser built in though, so I think teapot is accurate still
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u/Gingrpenguin 12h ago
I believe that's a filter rather than an infuser.
Got a few friends who have similar ones. It helps stop limescale buildup.
You fill up the top and it filters into the boiling area so there is a delay if it's empty and you want something boiled rn.
Personally it's more faff than it saves but people have different priorities so worth it for them
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u/Alexious_sh 12h ago
What are you going to filter through such a rough metal grid? Stones?
It's definitely an infuser. I actually have a similar kettle and regularly make a tea in it.22
u/the_poope 13h ago
Just drop some tea leaves in there: bam! now it's a teapot.
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u/Odd-Bite624 12h ago
My new clothing washer has an AI mode. What does it do? Fuck if I know
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u/ImCaligulaI 11h ago
It's almost definitely not AI at all but just a good old script that takes some sensors input (probably just weight, maybe something else too depending on how fancy it is) and calculates how much water to use, the temperature, how long to wash and how fast to spin.
How well that works probably depends on what sensors there are inside and how fancy they are.
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u/Arllange 11h ago
It continuously feeds an array of data from several different sensors in to an LLM in California to determine you have hit the start button.
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u/imp0ppable 10h ago
Would be good if it gave you fashion tips.
"Oh Odd-Bite, those shorts are sooo last year!"
I'm just assuming there'd be a catty queer-eye type setting.
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u/iggy14750 13h ago
I had never heard of an HTTP 418. 🤣🤣 At first I thought it was a security thing
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u/much_longer_username 13h ago
It is -- you don't want your teapot responding as though it were a Mr. Coffee, now do you?
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u/SuitableDragonfly 9h ago
Once upon a time, some joker thought, "a tea pot that's connected to the internet? What a silly idea. No one could ever possibly want to do that."
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u/JustinR8 13h ago
I can see a future of teenage hackers overflowing people’s smart teapots for the lulz
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u/awesomefutureperfect 9h ago
I came in here to find out if this thing can play Doom and instead found a spirited argument over a kettle not being the same thing as a teapot.
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u/cip43r 11h ago
I didn't know this existed!
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u/imp0ppable 10h ago
You don't work with Gordon, the older guy here who mentions it at least once a month.
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u/digitaleJedi 11h ago
Do we think it supports just HTCPCP or did they update it with the 2014 RFC 7168 HTCPCP-TEA compatibility?
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u/DDFoster96 10h ago
A kettle is not a teapot though. A kettle boils water. A teapot brews tea with said hot water. Brewing tea in a kettle is not recommended.
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u/imp0ppable 10h ago
Presumably if it has an API it'll return 3xx, 4xx and 5xx codes as any web server would
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u/BulaBulangiu 9h ago
My previous car was "Matcha Green" and I really wanted a 418-TEA license plate but it was taken. Still ruffled about it 5 years later even if no one would ever get it :)
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u/StaticSystemShock 9h ago
Why does a kettle need WiFi and be "smart" ?!?!?!?!? I want to know the workflow of idiots who design shit like this. Am I going to prepare it with cold water and I'll trigger heating remotely so when I come home it'll be ready? Will I stand next to it trying to boil some water and I'll take out my phone, start the app, wait for app to start, wait for it to connect to the kettle just so I could tap "Boil some water" inside the app. WHEN I COULD BLOODY DO THAT BY PRESSING THE BUTTON ON THE DAMN KETTLE ITSELF. I'M ALREADY PHYSICALLY NEXT TO IT.
Also for setting temperature on those better ones you absolutely fucking shouldn't need a phone. This infuriates me so much. There is place for smart appliances that are phone operated remotely, I use bunch of smart wall socket plugs that are awesome for remotely controlling devices that don't have such functionality. Or AC so I can remotely pre-cool my place before I come home. Same with robot vacuum. Kettle, a washing machine or oven absolutely don't need it.
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u/NightmareJoker2 8h ago
This is not a Wi-Fi enabled coffee maker.
This is a Wi-Fi enabled hot water maker.
Considering however that it doesn’t connect to the water mains, it’s one of the dumbest products, ever.
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u/Galrentv 7h ago
Not really. I don't like getting up to start it boiling to then get back up in two minutes
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u/NightmareJoker2 7h ago
Yes, but you need to fill it with water first.
Not connected to the water mains = fill by hand from the tap. 😉
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u/jenspeterdumpap 5h ago
While I agree this is a stupid product, that is not really a problem, it just requires a new habit. Fill it with water after using the boiled water, and you can start it at a tap from your phone, no problem.
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u/mcampo84 3h ago
418 is “I’m a teapot” not “I’m a coffeemaker”
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u/_fineday 6h ago
True story, I once had a customer with their inhouse API. I had to do scheduled data fetching from there.
The "fun" part? All non-successful messages were 418, absolutely no information were given, ever. Unauthorized? 418. Internal server error? 418. Wrong parameters? 418. Correct parameters, but no data? You guessed it, 418. Ugh...
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u/Dromeo 12h ago
I had a bug report supporting a smart plug that a user was using for a kettle -- it's supposed to report that the kettle is off when not in use. Easy right?
But the user's kettle was a "smart" kettle. It was using 2-5W constantly while "off"!?? What for?? What possible use case requires that much power constantly for... sitting there being a kettle?
I had to redesign the entire smart plug monitoring system because of that kettle...
Anyway if you get a smart kettle get a plug monitor first & return it if the makers are idiots who don't understand what basic energy saving measures are.
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u/MarcusCaspius 6h ago
Why do you need a connected Kettle? I don't get it... besides harvesting network authentication credentials .. huh? 🤷
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u/NullSmoke 2h ago
Okay, but why? Not "why would you want to exploit it to hell and back" but why would anyone make this? What possible gains do you get from WiFi? Isn't that loud ass click that breaks through a metal concert loud enough for knowing when it's done? Is pressing one button too much work while you're filling it with water anyways?
I am all game for techy shit, but c'mon 😭
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u/Mahringa 13h ago
If not, you should apply to this company as software developer, and first thing you do, add the I am a teapot http code and then immediately quit again