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xkcd #3109: Dehumidifier
(imgs.xkcd.com)
Title text:
It's important for devices to have internet connectivity so the manufacturer can patch remote exploits.
Transcript:
[A store salesman, Hairy, is showing Cueball a dehumidifier, with a "SALE" label on it. Several other unidentified devices, possibly other dehumidifier models, are shown in the store as well.]
Salesman: This dehumidifier model features built-in WiFi for remote updates.
Cueball: Great! That will be really useful if they discover a new kind of water.
Source: https://xkcd.com/3109/
To steel-man the argument some more, if you have variable-rate electricity, it could turn on when electricity is cheap.
This can be done with something like Zigbee. Or even simpler: you hook a non-connected device up to a "smart" power socket. No need for the device itself to talk to the outside world.
The solution to too many unnecessarily-connected devices is more connected devices?
ZigBee is Bluetooth, so controls can be done entirely locally.
We have Aqara (ZigBee) water leak detectors for our sink and basement, a 3rd party USB ZigBee dongle and a raspberry pi running home assistant. This gives me a discount on our home insurance that is more than the devices. Everything runs only locally.
(Admittedly I am not including the cost of the pi, but you could salvage an old laptop or something instead. My pi has other things on it other than HA, its multipurpose)
I also have some WiFi RGB bulbs/led. Using home assistant I can swap their colors for the holidays and I never have to decorate again. I'm lazy, and I hate Christmas.