ConnectedLife's 'SmartDry' discontinuation: Difference between revisions

Company '''ConnectedLife''' (formerly '''''Connected Life Labs''''') is an AI health companion app platform.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://connectedlife.io/about.html|title=About Connectedlife.|work=ConnectedLife|access-date=2025-09-26}}</ref> In '''June 2019''', they released a product to measure and transmit information from within your clothes dryer to a remote endpoint, so that you can know when your clothes are ''truly'' dry.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-13 |title=Meet SmartDry |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513101728/https://www.connectedlifelabs.com/ |access-date=2025-09-27 |work=ConnectedLifeLabs}}</ref> This company emailed users on '''2022-06-17''' that all devices would '''''no longer work''''' after '''2022-09-30'''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-30 |title=SmartDrys Useful Laundry Sensor To Be Cloud Bricked Next Month |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/smartdrys-useful-laundry-sensor-to-be-cloud-bricked-next-month/ |access-date=2025-09-27 |work=ArsTechnica}}</ref> The community would later be able to create a alternative method to use the sensor's data using an ''ESP32'' module to allow use with Home Assistant.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-21 |title=Clothes Dryer Automations |url=https://community.home-assistant.io/t/clothes-dryer-automations/149017/83 |access-date=2025-09-27 |work=Home Assistant Community}}</ref>

'''SmartDry''' was an iOT device originally sold by '''Connected Life Labs'''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-15 |title=This sensor turns any dryer into a smart dryer |url=https://www.reviewed.com/accessibility/features/smartdry-gen-2-review-sensor-makes-your-dryer-smart |access-date=2025-09-27 |work=Reviewed.com}}</ref> It was a sensor you would insert into your laundry clothes dryer and ''magnetically attach'' to the side of the drum.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-18 |title=How to make your dryer smart with SmartDry |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxTecbcgSgQ |access-date=2025-09-27 |work=YouTube}}</ref> While the device was in the dryer, it would transmit data to a USB dongle receiver which connected to your home Wifi.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-04-26 |title=Make any dryer smart: SmartDry Wireless Laundry Sensor Review |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx5Vvz_zDMc |access-date=2025-09-28 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kleinman |first=Reed |date=2019-08-25 |title=25 Smart Home Automation Ideas – How To Set Everything Up |url=https://smarthomesolver.com/reviews/smart-home-automation-ideas/#8_Dryer_Alerts |access-date=2025-09-28 |website=Smart Home Solver}}</ref> This sensor data included information such as ''local temperature, humidity, motion, and battery'' within the dryer.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-28 |title=SmartDry Laundry Sensor |url=https://decoder.theengs.io/devices/SDLS.html |access-date=2025-09-27 |work=Theengs.io}}</ref> The app of the same name from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, would send your device a notification once the sensor determined your clothes were dry.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=Jan 17, 2020 |title=Make Your Dryer Smart (Make Over) - SmartDry Unboxing and Review |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwSyIR3h9Jg |access-date=2025-09-28 |website=YouTube}}</ref> You also had the ability to connect it to your Amazon Alexa using the Alexa Skill.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2020-03-10 |title=Is the SmartDry Sensor worth your money? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUTiIlJSmpo |access-date=2025-09-28 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-09 |title=How to Setup Smartdry smart home device |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7incK4E_dA |access-date=2025-09-28 |website=YouTube}}</ref>

==Discontinuation of SmartDry products==

<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-28 |title=Meet SmartDry |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628125113/https://www.connectedlifelabs.com/meetsmartdry |access-date=2025-09-27 |work=Internet Archive}}</ref>

Many users took to forums and threads to complain about their devices becoming useless.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-17 |title=SmartDry is Shutting Down. Ugh. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/veof86/smartdry_is_shutting_down_ugh/ |access-date=2025-09-27 |work=Reddit}}</ref> Some users discusses that the sensors would most likely be using '''Bluetooth Low Energy''' ''_BLE'' to communicate with the '''Original Equipment Manufacturer''' ''_OEM'' WiFi adapter<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-18 |title=SmartDry by Connected Life Labs End of Life |url=https://community.home-assistant.io/t/smart-dry-by-connected-life-labs-end-of-life/432068 |access-date=2025-09-27 |work=Home Assistant Community}}</ref>, which originally transmit the data over the internet to '''Amazon Web Services''' ''_AWS'' servers, allowing connectivity such as the ''Amazon Alexa'' skill, and later ''Samsung SmartThings''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-10-01 |title=Dryer Monitor Device SmartDry |url=https://community.smartthings.com/t/dryer-monitor-device-smartdry/174180/13 |access-date=2025-09-28 |website=SmartThings Community}}</ref> and ''Google Home.''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-16 |title=Is it possible to make a dumb appliance smart |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/swmqc9/comment/hxp27k3/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button |access-date=2025-09-28 |website=Reddit}}</ref> A few users who were able to create a new receiver-controller using an '''''ESP32 System-on-a-Chip''' _SoC'', created guides and shared with others online to allow them to also reconnect this sensor using Home Assistant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://robpickering.com/keeping-your-smartdry-dryer-sensor-operational/|title=Keeping Your SmartDry Sensor Operational|work=Rob Pickering|access-date=2025-09-27}}</ref>